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Planted Foot Beliefs

Most people want to know the core beliefs of those who write what they read. These are our core beliefs, which we will never compromise. Although there are other issues that we feel strongly about, we do not consider them essential to our journey of faith.

A basketball analogy best describes how we determine our core beliefs. Think of Christianity as a basketball game, and you have the ball. When you stop, you need to keep one foot planted, but you can move the other foot in any direction you wish while looking for an open teammate positioned to take a shot. The beliefs that are accurate and significant to you and that you would never compromise are your ‘planted foot beliefs.’ The other things allow for some wiggle room in the interest of Christian unity.

The Bible

My faith and theological beliefs are based solely on the Bible. According to the Holy Scriptures, God desires a relationship with humanity and plans to make that happen. The Bible is the inspired word of God and, as it has been interpreted correctly, is without error. Therefore, it is a reliable and authoritative guide to faith, moral conduct, and learning about God. The best version of the Bible is the one I will read and meditate on regularly. (Matthew 4:4, James 1:22, Hebrews 4:12, and  2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Godhead

According to Millard J. Erickson, in his book Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), “the Christian faith is unique in claiming that God is one and yet there are three who are God” (p. 347). God reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a concept often called the Trinity. While the word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible, the idea of God as one and three is present throughout Scripture.

God is holy, eternal, all-powerful, and all-knowing, and His knowledge extends to all times and things, past, present, and future. Despite knowing everything, God gives us free will to choose. The primary purpose of our existence is to love, revere, obey, and enjoy God forever.

Jesus is God’s essential revelation. He is God’s eternal, only-begotten son who has always existed with God. Jesus is also the agent of creation and the mediator between us and God. He lived a sinless life on earth, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose again from the dead. When he returns, he will rule over God’s earthly kingdom.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. He lives in the hearts of believers, empowers, guides, and equips us to please God. He convicts us of sin and provides spiritual gifts to the church.

Salvation

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10 | NIV). Christ’s death “was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people.” Hebrews 10:14 | MSG As the perfect sacrifice, Jesus was qualified to pay the price for humankind’s sins through His death on the cross.

His Father raised Him to eternal life three days later, achieving complete victory over sin and death. Only faith can justify us in God’s sight. It takes faith in who Jesus is, what He did, what He is doing, and what He will do to save us from sin’s penalty. God does not want anyone to die for their sins. He wants them to turn from sin and turn to Jesus in faith.

The first step of discipleship is justification, God declaring a person innocent or sin-free. Another word for justification is salvation—having our eternal destiny changed from death to a Holy Spirit-filled life. The second step is baptism, and the third is the life-long process of sanctification, which is growing in Christ-like behavior.

The First Christian Sermon

The apostle Peter outlined the justification process in the first gospel sermon preached by a Christ-follower. You can read the whole story in Acts 2, but here is a brief synopsis:

Before returning to heaven, Jesus instructed the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Father to send the promised Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, they were all together in a room praying when they heard what sounded like a strong wind. Then, they saw what was described as “tongues of fire” resting on everyone. Finally, the miraculous happened. They all began speaking with other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

As they made their way out into the street, they spoke in the languages of people throughout the world. People from everywhere heard them speaking in their native language and praising God. These witnesses were intrigued because most of the people speaking were uneducated, ordinary folks, and a few were even fishermen from the boondocks of Galilee.

Peter stood up to defend those accused of being drunk because of their behavior, which was likely pure, unrestrained joy. He reminded them that it was only nine o’clock in the morning, far too early for even fishermen to drink. However, he did not stop there. He went on to preach the gospel, telling them that Jesus was the long-awaited promised Messiah–verified through what he did and said.

Peter proclaimed that God had resurrected Jesus from the grave and that the man they had murdered was sitting on the right hand of God’s power. Many of the people listening to his sermon had played a role in the execution or, at the very least, were in the crowd shouting, “Crucify him!”

At Peter’s words, the people were overwhelmed with guilt and remorse. He said, ^36, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. Acts 2:36-41 | NIV

Peter’s response contains four crucial words: repent, baptize, Holy Spirit, and save. Before continuing, we should understand what we are being saved from.

Sin

Sin is any evil action or motive that goes against God’s will. It affects our relationship with God, other people, and nature itself. Humans were made in God’s likeness, but the first humans chose to sin, which has been passed down from generation to generation. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed to atone for sin. Today, we sin because we are sinners, but we don’t need to sacrifice animals to make up for our mistakes. Jesus’s death and resurrection paid the penalty for our sins. God forgives our sins and declares us innocent when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Many people who believe in “a god” believe that he is good and will reward them with heaven when they die because they are good. However, from a Christian perspective, such theology is wishful thinking. It may seem logical that a loving God would not destroy a good person or someone who believes they are better than the man or woman next door.

However, such thinking results from spiritual blindness. “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4 | NIV). No one is good enough to make it to heaven on their own. And no one is beyond God’s power or desire to save. But, it takes faith in Jesus to obtain God’s grace.

In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul declared that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 | NIV For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 | NIV John wrote, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36 | NIV

Whether or not they are consigned to eternal suffering or destruction, those who reject the gospel will miss out on what God wants for them. He desires “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4 | NIV The Lord is patient with us and doesn’t want anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9 | NIV).

He has offered us a way out. Jesus said he came to call “sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32 | NIV). In his sermon to the Greeks in Athens, Paul echoed that theme of repentance. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30 | NIV Turning to Jesus begins with repentance.

Repentance

Repentance is a word used in the New Testament. It comes from the Greek word “metanoia.” It is a compound word involving time and change, resulting in a word that means “to think differently after” or “to perceive afterward.” When a person repents, they change their direction, turn around, and adopt a new worldview. I can’t recall where I first heard this illustration, but here is a simple way to understand repentance.

Imagine standing in a dark room with a group of people facing away from the center. In the center of a circle, there is a source of light. You cannot see anyone else, but they all face the light except you. You can only see your shadow on the wall. However, if you turn around, you will see the light and the faces of others, and they will become your primary focal points. In terms of Christian faith, Jesus is referred to as the light. We can only see clearly by turning away from darkness and towards him.

Repentance is simply turning from the world’s darkness toward the light of Jesus. It means thinking differently about everything. This is called a Christian worldview. We become more observant and acutely aware of what we say, feel, and do, especially how we relate to others. True Jesus-followers stop measuring themselves against others and compare their behavior to the words and actions of their Lord.

Jesus described true repentance with these words. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 | NIV). The first beatitude is foundational to coming to God through Jesus. Jesus is concerned with the spiritual condition of those who follow him, those who are spiritually impoverished. We must be poor in spirit before being filled with the Holy Spirit.

The infilling of the Holy Spirit must be preceded by an awareness we are separated from God and overwhelmed by a conviction that something within us must change. That conviction produces a godly sorrow. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10 | NIV

Repentance is not merely feeling guilty for getting caught doing something God disapproves of. It is a realization that one is eternally separated from God and unable to fix the situation on their own. The core of the gospel message is that we don’t have to fix it ourselves; Jesus has already done so.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16, NIV We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 | NIV

The second beatitude describes the proper response and reward for genuine repentance. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 | NIV) D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his book Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, interpreted Jesus’s reference to mourning from an individual sinner’s perspective. “Those who are going to be converted and wish to be truly happy and blessed are those who first of all mourn.

Conviction is an essential preliminary to true conversion.”  Lloyd-Jones further asserted that Christians mourn their sins and the sins of others, along with the damage sin has caused the world. True repentance carries with it godly sorrow, and the manifestation of that sorrow is the mourning for which Jesus promises comfort. Salvation without repentance is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace.”

Baptism

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”Mark 16:16 | NIV Baptism is a symbol that tells the world you have chosen to follow Jesus. It unites the believer in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. It is practiced by almost every Christian denomination, fellowship, or church because it is what Jesus instructed us to do in His Great Commission.

The primary meaning of the word translated as “baptism” is “to dip or plunge under water.” Baptism of believers is a public profession of faith and repentance. It is the initiation of a covenantal relationship with Jesus based on faith. On the other hand, the baptism of infants is based on vicarious faith, the faith of their parents. Infant baptism is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. The Bible teaches that we should be baptized in the name of Jesus, as it is consistent with the practices of the apostles and the 1st century Church (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, and 19:5).

Peter preached that one must be baptized in the name of Jesus. Baptizing in the “name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” is like concluding a prayer by saying, “We ask these things in the name. Amen.” Jesus himself said, ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:13-14 | NIV, indicating that we are expected to use his name, not his eternal relationship, son. The angel told Joseph, “you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21), which means “the LORD, YHWH or Jehovah, saves.”

Unlike faith and repentance, baptism is not essential for salvation but should be considered part of becoming a disciple when possible. Jesus was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness, ” but the thief who died on the cross with him wasn’t. Baptism conveys no direct spiritual benefit beyond making us part of a community of believers. Otherwise, it would be considered a “work” and dilute God’s grace.

The Holy Spirit

According to Erickson, “The Holy Spirit is the point at which the Trinity becomes personal to the believer” (p.862). He is considered the third Person of the Godhead, but this does not mean that he is less important than God, the Father, or God, the Son. He is equally God and lives inside believers, marking them as genuine Christ-followers. Jesus’s last instruction to his disciples was to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit promised by the Father, who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). When this happened, everyone who received him spoke in other tongues.

The Holy Spirit dwells in the believer. The believer’s body is God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Spirit also seals us as genuine Christ-followers. (Ephesians 1:13 | ESV). We don’t need a list of rules. He guides us into all truth. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” John 16:13 | NIV He teaches and reminds us of what it is like to glorify God by how we live. (John 14:26). He opens our eyes to Scripture and facilitates our understanding of what God reveals to us about himself.

Finally, the Holy Spirit even prays for us when we are at a loss for words. “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 | ESV

Some Christ-followers speak in other tongues. No Scripture asserts being filled with the Holy Spirit requires the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues, but that seems to have been the pattern in the 1st century Church. Practically every time we read where people received the Holy Spirit, they spoke in tongues. (Acts 2:4, 10:46, and 19:6)

It is worth considering whether the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, which the apostle Paul deemed essential enough to thank God for having, is available to us. After all, he said in 1 Corinthians 14:18, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.” No Scripture indicates definitively that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. If this gift is available to us, why wouldn’t we want to receive it along with other spiritual gifts?

There is much disagreement over spiritual gifts, including healing. That likely results from a lack of experience rather than solid exegesis. Worldwide evidence indicates the opposite. Spiritual gifts are still available for those who ask and are being used to edify the Church.

In 1 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul took great pains to explain the importance of spiritual gifts, including tongues. In an age when people are too proud to walk to an altar to repent, it is no wonder we do not hear much about speaking in tongues. It requires complete surrender to God—an abandonment of self-will and self-control.

Sanctification

Sanctification means to be made holy and set apart. It is purity before God. We can only fully comprehend sanctification if we understand what holy means. God is wholly holy. There is no other like him. He has called those who follow Jesus to be holy, set apart from the unbelieving. “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16 | ESV).

 Christians may remain in the world but should not be of it. D.L. Moody explained this: “Christians should live in the world, but not be filled with it. A ship lives in the water, but if the water gets into the ship, she goes to the bottom. So Christians may live in the world, but if the world gets into them, they sink.”

Sanctification is not one-and-done. It is a life-long process. The best illustration of this is jeweler’s rouge, used to polish gold. The gold eventually appears flawless as the jeweler gently rubs it over scratches and imperfections. So it is with sanctification. Trials, tribulations, and striving for Christ-likeness are like the jeweler’s rouge. God uses them to help us reflect Jesus’ image. 

We grow in holiness following conversion. Disciples are expected to become transformed into the likeness of Christ rather than conform to societal norms. It is a matter of becoming, and it takes time. Even the apostle Paul confessed he wasn’t there yet. “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12 | NIV

Sanctification is a way of showing gratitude to God by living a life that glorifies Him. It can’t replace justification, which is granted through faith rather than our efforts. We can’t earn salvation. Proper justification leads to a willingness to submit to God’s will by obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I was called to ministry late in life. Like many baby boomer peers, I was raised in church but left in my late teens. My draft notice came after I flunked out of a Christian university because I couldn’t find time to attend class in my busy party schedule. It turned out that I was a better soldier than a student then. During my first year of service, I was selected for Officer Candidate School and commissioned as an Infantry second lieutenant at age nineteen.

Infantry command suited me, but I continued to play as hard as I worked. When a significant reduction in force occurred after the Vietnam War, I realized that a young officer without a college degree would eventually be looking for a job. So, I chose to leave active duty to attend the University of South Carolina. By the time my wife and I left Columbia, we had one child, and I had earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. While in grad school, I became a federal agent while serving concurrently with the US Army Reserve.

For most of my working career, I avoided church. I didn’t lose faith in Jesus, but I couldn’t figure out how he fit into my life, and it was too easy to find better ways to spend my time on Sunday mornings. I returned to church only a decade before I retired. I still remember the sermon that changed my life for the better.

Return to Church

It was about God saving humankind through Noah and the boat or ark God told him to build. The pastor’s final challenge was, “Isn’t it time you got in the boat?” Something inside me told me that it was. Ten years later, when I just wanted to spend time with our grandchildren and ride my motorcycle, my life changed again with a call to chaplaincy ministry.

We gave my wife’s motorcycle to her brother and rode to Sturgis Bike Week in South Dakota. After the rally, he headed toward his Pennsylvania home as I rode back to Washington. He crashed outside of Indianapolis and spent several days in the hospital with no visitors. That thought bothered me so much that I asked the chaplain at our local hospital if he would have someone call me if a biker showed up there who had no local social support. Because of privacy concerns, I was required to become a pastoral care volunteer.

Now, I should mention hospitals scared me. As commander or manager, I was so afraid of them that I always delegated visits to my soldiers or subordinates to my executive officer or deputy. On my first day as a pastoral care volunteer, I stood outside the hospital looking at the cross on the top of the building. I told the Lord how scared I was and wished I did not have to go in. But, praise God, I eventually did. And when I came out after that first shift, I was ecstatic. I felt like those old Peanuts comic strips where Snoopy danced on his tip-toes.

From that hesitant beginning, God led me through five units of Clinical Pastoral Education, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry degree. I eventually left chaplaincy for pastoral ministry and now spend my time sharing a timeless savior for our time with members of the Greatest Generation.