What Kind of Christian I am: My Beliefs I sometimes forget that most people are not used to a person who professes to be a Christian, holds a fourth degree black belt in martial arts, writes Doctor Who adventure stories and can recite many dialogues from Bugs Bunny cartoons by heart, all the while studying the stars to find indications of the current events. So I guess I'd better explain the particular branch of Christianity to which I belong. Here is what I believe:

I believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I believe that all translations have some error in them or limitations of language differences in place; so extensive, scholarly study of the Word of God is essential to comprehend the full counsel of the Scripture. I do not think that reading the Bible racks you up any points in heaven, any more than I believe that eating breakfast gives a person super powers. But just as eating breakfast is crucial to a healthy life, so studying the Bible is crucial to a healthy Christian life.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, God in flesh, an express revelation of God to us, made like us to act as our intercessor and intermediary, our bridge of knowledge and fellowship to God, Who is God. I believe that the Lord Jesus lived a perfect life, fulfilled the Law, suffered for us by the will of God, was crucified, died, and was buried. He rose from the dead victorious over death.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, who is the Comforter of Christ's people, the agent of the work of Christ in us, the Presence of God among His people.

I believe that human beings are completely sinful (a doctrine called total depravity). I think all of us are capable of any sin, not denying that certain people are born with predilections to specific sins. I believe that what holds most of us back most of the time are 1) conscience, a factor of our minds not shared by demons (who are also totally depraved) that restrains us at times and can encourage moral uprightness, and 2) so-called self-respect, which is actually our unwillingness to believe we are such sinners, so it prompts us to behave uprightly (at least while others are watching). I believe that in his natural state, a human being cannot want God or fellowship with God (not unless God becomes the agent hat the human being declares God must be), and so people must first be given Grace from God to be enabled to want fellowship with the God Who Really Is (as opposed to the one they imagine) and to geuinely repent of their sins.

But when that happens, and a person recognizes his or her sin for what it is and repents and turns to Christ for forgiveness, that is salvation. Jesus saves by His power, His action, His authority. Salvation is not brokered by man but by Christ who died for us and rose again. When the Lord Jesus saves a person, He declares the person righteous and the person is given a standing of a righteous person and so can have fellowship with God. The work of Christ also begins in the person as God conforms the person to the image of His Son. This life of change, which cannot come by effort but rather by faith and expectation placed in Christ, is called Sanctification.