There is no doubt in my mind that the majority of you when first seeing this question, immediately answered yes. Here is another question; "what does a Christian believe"? They all believe the same fundamental truths don't they, "They shall all be taught of God" (John 6:44-45)? There is one book (the Bible), One God, One Savior, One Way, One Faith, so Christians agree on ALL these blessed truths.
1. The Scriptures are the inerrant, infallible, verbally inspired word of God. Not only are they words about God, they are the very words of God. They are His means of revealing Himself and His will to mankind (II Tim. 3:16).
2. God is Absolutely Sovereign! He works all things after the counsel of His own will. He actually rules over this world and the affairs of those in it. He does exactly as He pleases and when He pleases. He is Sovereign in creation – in salvation – and in providence (Eph. 1:11, Dan. 4:35, Rom. 9:15-16)!
3. Man is dead in trespasses and sins. He is spiritually dead towards God and toward Holy things and his carnal mind is enmity against God. Man, in his dead estate, has no right or claim on God. He has neither the power nor the will to come to God. He loves darkness rather than light. He must be born again and that by a sovereign, supernatural work of God (Eph. 2:11, Rom. 8:7-8).
4. God the Father chose a people in Christ, before the foundation of the world. He chose them not because of any worth or merit in them, or because of any foreseen act they would or would not commit. He elected them to salvation by grace through faith in Christ just because it pleased Him to do so (Eph. 1:4-5, Rom. 8:29-30).
5. Jesus Christ, who was God manifested in the flesh, came into this world to save His people from their sin. Our Lord's life and death was for a particular people, His elect, who were given to Him in the eternal covenant of grace. All for whom He died shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of His hands (Matt. 1:21, John 10:15-29, John 6:37-39).
6. The Holy Spirit will effectually call to repentance and faith all for whom Christ died. In the day of His power His people shall be made willing. The Holy Spirit will reveal Christ to all of God's elect, by the gospel, and they will all in time believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:13-15, Ps. 110:3, I Thess. 1:5). Christians Do Not Believe they are saved because of any act of their freewill or decision they made but rather an act Of God's Freewill! Here is a quote from C.H. Spurgeon: "Philosophy and religion both discard at once the very thought of free-will; and I will go as far as Martin Luther, in that strong assertion of his, where he says, "If any man doth ascribe aught of salvation, even the very least, to the free-will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and he hath not learnt Jesus Christ aright." It may seem a harsh sentiment; but he who in his Soul believes that man does of his own free-will turn to God, cannot have been taught of God, for that is one of the first principles taught us when God begins with us, that we have neither will nor power, but that he gives both; that he is "Alpha and Omega" in the salvation of men."
7. All who are God's elect, all for whom Christ died, all whom the Holy Spirit brings to repentance and faith, shall persevere in that faith unto death and will inherit an eternal enjoyment of the blessed Godhead (Heb. 10:39, I Pet. 1:5).
This is what Christians believe. This is what distinguishes us from all false gods and false hopes. Are You A Christian?
*