We believe in God, the Creator of heaven and earth. We believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God, the means through which God speaks to all people. In the Bible the Lord makes Himself known to us, and He clearly shows us His will. In the Bible, God makes Himself known as the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is the mighty Creator, the Son is the Saviour and the Holy Spirit works salvation in the hearts of all God’s children. The Bible is a reliable guide. It provides us with an answer to questions (of life and death) and shows us how to love and serve the Lord. At the same time the Bible calls upon us to love our neighbours.
Core of the Biblical message.
In de Apostolische geloofsbelijdenis staat een samenvatting van wat wij geloven op basis van Gods Woord. Deze belijdenis is ontstaan in de 2e eeuw na Christus. Hij luidt als volgt:
- I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth
- And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord,
- Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.
- Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell.
- The third day He rose again from the dead.;
- He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
- From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
- I believe in the Holy Spirit,
- I believe an holy catholic church, the communion of saints.
- The forgivenessof sins
- The resurrection of the body
- And the life everlasting
We subscribe
The confessions of the early church:
- • The Apostles’ Creed (2nd century after Christ)
- • Nicene Creed (325 AD)
- • Athanasian Creed (333 AD)
And the confessions from the time of the Reformation:
- Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
- The Belgic Confession of Faith (1561)
- The Canons of Dordt (1618-1619)
We will now clarify this.
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A good start
Right at the beginning the Bible tells us that God created (made out of nothing) heaven and earth: son, moon and stars, the earth, trees, plants, birds, fish and finally, as crown of creation: man. The aim of the creation is that everything should live to the glory of God. In the beginning there was complete harmony: between animals and man, and between man and God. (Genesis 1 – 2).
Disobedience
The first people: Adam and Eve, however listened to the devil and were disobedient to God. This caused a deep cleft between God and men. God became very angry because of sin. Sorrow, trouble, even death entered the world. The Bible says, that man must die, death being the penalty for sin.(Genesis 3). Not just Adam and Eve but all people that were born after them, from themselves are sinful. That is why all of us deserve the same punishment. The Bible is very serious about these things.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, all have sinned: (Romans 5 : 12)
Love undeserved
Fortunately that is not all! One more quote from the book of Romans: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6 : 23)
In His infinite love God has provided a possibility to be rescued (saved). The only way of salvation is through Jesus Christ, God’s own Son. He descended to the earth in order to restore the relationship between God and sinful people.
In the New Testament, the second part of the Bible, we read: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3 : 16, 17)
Salvation by Jesus, the Saviour
Now how can Jesus Christ be/become our Saviour? Through grace and through faith in Him.
“ That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved…” (Romans 10 : 9 - 13)
New life
But the sad thing is that we are totally focused on sin. If it were up to us, we would rather continue living without God than be saved. So it is necessary that we admit this, that we realise that we need reconciliation with God, and that we actually receive reconciliation through faith in Jesus’ payment. In gratefulness for the great sacrifice He brought, there will also arise a desire to obey God’s will. With a word from the Bible this change is called: ‘being born again’. A beautiful word, since it points to the fact that one is as it were, born anew. The old sinful life gives way to a new life in obedience to God. On the one hand the new life means fighting against all evil, and on the other hand trusting in God. This new life will never end. Believers will die but after dying they will praise and glorify God in heaven eternally. Without any spot or wrinkle. Sin, sorrow and misery are then gone forever. At the end of times, when the Gospel of Jesus Christ will have been proclaimed over all the earth, He will come back to the earth to judge all mankind. Whoever believes in Him shall not perish, shall not be lost. At the end of times, when the Gospel of Jesus Christ will have been proclaimed in all the earth, He will come back to the earth to judge all mankind. Whoever believes in Him shall not perish, shall not be lost.
A serious request
Don't you agree that this is an important message? We sincerely believe this from the bottom of our hearts: it is a matter of life or death, being saved or being lost. Therefore, take to heart the following exhortation from the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible): Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55 : 6-7)
Study the Bible
About all of the above, you can read more in the Bible. The Bible has been compared to a love letter. This is absolutely true. It is the most valuable short letter people can receive. It describes God's love towards human beings and at the same time, the Bible teaches us to love God and other people.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 22 : 37 - 39)
You do not have a Bible?
You can read the Bible online e.g. at
thekingsbible.com
