LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOOL OF DIVINITY
MINISTRY CREDO PART 1
Submitted to Dr. McKerly
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
RLGN 489-D04
MINISTRY PRAXIS CAPSTONE
11/6/2023
MINISTRY CREDO PART 1
What I believe about scripture
Can we be confident that the books we have today accurately reflect the
manuscript? Can what we hold in our hands be trusted? (Etzel & Small, pg.37) The
answer is yes. While praying for his disciples, Jesus asked God to “sanctify them by
your truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17 ESV). From the early manuscripts, the
authors of these books, these eyewitness accounts, all declare these words are God-
breathed, inerrant, and infallible. Through the holy spirit, one can know that God’s
word is true. It never changes. In society today there does not even seem to be a
sense of normal. Evil abounds with its schemes and lies and convinces people that
there is no truth, no standard of truth. The truth that is God’s words, changes lives. I
have seen it repeatedly, the transforming, redeeming love of Christ making things
new. You cannot have a genuine experience with Christ and walk away unchanged.
The only way to know who God is and what it means for you as his child, you
dig deep into his word. I have always had a passion for God’s word. His promises
are true. Once you know that about God’s word, once you believe God’s promises are
true, your worldview begins to shift, and you become more Christ-like every day.
That is when you start realizing how dead you were in your sins. According to
today’s progressive, inclusive, Christian worldview, all the gods of Christianity,
Mormonism, Islam, and Judaism are the same god. The major doctrinal points of the
religions do not line up at all (Etzel & Small, pg.41). Many know there is a god, but
do not know who God is or what he is like. God’s word describes who he is in his
word. Through the names and attributes of God given in his word, a clear, objective
view of God is laid out. Somewhere along the way we have forgotten the holiness of
God. I understand that social and moral constructs change every day. We are caught
up in the euphoria of being successful or being intelligent, or good-looking and we
have failed to remember God is omnipresent and omnipotent. He is everywhere, he
knows all things and sees all things. He is all-powerful. He is holy. God requires us to
be holy as well. “For I am the lord your god. You shall therefore consecrate
yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy” (1 John 3:1-3). This “God gets us”
type of Christianity has become so popular among the young people. God created us,
he does not get us. We get him. He is not our pal, our bro, our co-pilot. He is the
Alpha and the Omega, who is and was and who is to come (Revelation 1:7-9). He
requires that we be holy.
Today’s culture has “sissified” God to the point that he is all-inclusive and
tolerant of every person and what they believe. This progressive, weak image of God
has society so blinded to the truth they truly believe the lies that come from this
insidious evil Satan has unleashed upon society. The modern-day image of God is
inundating our homes and churches at an alarming rate. There are major
denominations that have gone against what God’s word says is true and twisting it
to fit the enemy’s agenda. I must remember to keep my eyes focused on Christ and
what his word says to be true. It is getting more and more difficult with each passing
day. I am fifty-four years old, and I never would be alive for times such as this. Our
children are being attacked by evil from all sides. Innocence is not protected
anymore. Our ministry must remain strong, and steadfast.
The truth is not a relative term. There are moral absolutes that come only
from God and scripture. My relationship with Jesus is my bread of life. This is what
sustains me in this uncertain world. Just as God informed Esther, he is speaking to
us as his church, as his children, that we were born for a time such as this. This is
our time to rightly divide the word of God and not be ashamed of what we know to
be true but sing it from the mountain tops even if we are the only ones standing. The
apostle Paul said it best in Romans 5:8, “In yet while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.” May our ministry reflect God’s truth.
Bibliography
Etzel, Gabriel & Small, R.N., Everyday Theology, Etzel & Guiterrez, series editors, (B &
H Academic Publishing, Nashville, TN, 2016).
