This is a brief summary of my faith. My beliefs include (but are not limited to) the following:

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God

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I believe in one God who exists in three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is the almighty Creator and Sustainer of all things, and the sovereign Lord and righteous Judge of all the earth. God is infinitely holy, perfect in beauty, and His very essence is love. He is the Redeemer of mankind and the Saviour of the world. He is the eternal, immortal, and invisible King, the only God, who alone is worthy of all honour and glory forever and ever.

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Genesis 1:1; 18:25; Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 27:4; 135:6; Isaiah 6:3; 54:5; Matthew 5:48; 28:19; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; 1 John 4:8, 14; Revelation 4:11

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Jesus

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Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity: equal with God the Father in all of His attributes, the radiance of His glory, and the exact representation of His nature. But Jesus is also fully human: two thousand years ago, the eternal Son of God took on flesh and became a man.

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He lived a sinless life and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He died and was buried, and on the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. One day, He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

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By His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus has accomplished the redemption and salvation of all who repent and trust in Him. Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah. He is the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Him.

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Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:1, 15; 16:19; John 1:1, 14; 10:30; 14:6; Acts 2:36; 4:12; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Galatians 3:13; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 1:3; 4:15

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Man

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I believe that God created all people in His image. This means that all human life is sacred, and everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, and above all, with love.

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However, since Adam and Eve's rebellion against God, all human beings are fallen: corrupted and sinful in every aspect of their being, and standing under the absolutely just and holy wrath of God.

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Man by himself is unable to restore his fallen condition and thus conform to the perfect law of God, nor does he want to. He is hopelessly depraved and condemned – except for one thing.

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Genesis 1:27; 3; 6:5; 8:21; 9:6; Exodus 20:13; Matthew 7:12; 22:39; John 3:19-20, 36; Romans 1:18; 3:23; 8:7-8; Galatians 5:14

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Salvation

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God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, sent His Son into the world to bear our sins and take the punishment that we deserved: Jesus suffered and died in our place. But Jesus also lived in our place: He obeyed God perfectly and thus performed a righteousness for us that none of us could ever perform, which is now by faith alone imputed to us.

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Because of the redemptive work of Christ on our behalf, God can be both just and the justifier of those who repent and believe in Jesus. He can extend forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift to undeserving, wicked sinners, and receive us into His glorious presence without compromising His justice and holiness. This is the good news of the gospel.

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I also believe that those who have truly experienced God's saving grace do not remain the same. They cannot and they should not. Justified sinners, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within them, always seek to know God more fully, love Him more deeply, and obey Him more wholeheartedly.

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Mark 1:15; John 3:16; Romans 3:21-31; 4:3, 5; 5:1, 9; 10:9-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:4-10; Philippians 3:9; 1 Timothy 1:15; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 2:24; 3:18; 1 John 3:9

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Scripture

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I believe that the Bible is the eternal and unchanging word of God. It is inspired, infallible, and inerrant. I also hold to the four essential attributes of Scripture as highlighted in traditional Protestant theology:

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Sufficiency: It contains everything we need to know for salvation and godly living.

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Clarity: It can be understood by all who have ears to hear it. We don't need an official body of interpreters to tell us what the Scriptures mean.

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Authority: The last word always belongs to Scripture – not to scientific consensus, human experience, or church tradition.

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Necessity: We need the Scriptures to tell us who God is, who Jesus is, what man is like, how to be saved, and how to live. General revelation is not enough to teach us these things.

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The word of God is perfect: it says what is true, commands what is right, and provides what is good. This is the Word that became flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God.

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Psalm 19:7-14; 119:9, 89, 105, 130; Proverbs 2:6; 30:6; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 4:4; 24:35; John 1:1, 14; 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 1:19-21

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Homosexuality

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I know this is not part of a typical statement of faith, but given the specific focus of my website, I think it's important to clarify where I stand on homosexuality. In order to do that, I'd like to differentiate between two aspects of this issue: homosexual orientation and homosexual activity.

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By homosexual orientation I mean the capacity to be attracted to people of the same sex. Or to put it another way: the capacity to be tempted by same-sex desires. I do not believe that this in and of itself is a sin. The reason I'm trying to be so precise in my language here is because I don't want anyone to think that I'm okay with lustful thoughts and fantasies, for instance, as long as they are not physically acted upon. No, that is a sin. But the capacity for same-sex attraction, or to be "wired" that way, is not.

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Homosexual activity, however, is a sin. It is the clear testimony of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation that sex is for marriage, and marriage is for a man and a woman. Contrary to what many people believe, we're not just talking about five or six short passages here. There is a consistent line all the way through the Bible that leaves no room whatsoever for the idea that God blesses same-sex relationships, or that He approves of homosexual activity of any kind.

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If that sounds too blunt to you, please remember that this is "just" a statement of faith, where my goal is to be as clear as possible about what I believe. The way I've come to this conviction was a lot more nuanced and a lot more painful than I'm letting on here. If you're interested in the details of that journey, make sure to read my story.

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One last thing. You have probably noticed that I refer to myself as both "same-sex attracted" and "gay". I tend to use these terms synonymously, and choose one over the other depending on the situation I'm in. Not everybody likes that, I know. But let me just mention a couple of reasons why I haven't rejected the "gay label" altogether.

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First, the word "gay" doesn't necessarily imply an active homosexual lifestyle. It is often just another way of saying that someone is attracted to the same sex. And in that sense, I am gay. Now you might think, "Okay, but it's much easier for people to misunderstand you if you describe yourself that way, isn't it?" And yes, that's a fair point. For many people, the word "gay" does imply an active homosexual lifestyle. In which case I would have to explain what I mean exactly, but that's okay – it may lead to more conversations in the future.

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And second, this is how most people (especially non-Christians) naturally talk. This is the language they most often use and most easily understand, so this is how they ask questions and seek answers. While the term "same-sex attraction" is relatively common in the church, the truth is, it sounds really awkward in the world. People might wonder why on earth you would talk that way. Which, again, can be an opportunity for evangelism. You see, there are pros and cons on both sides.

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At the end of the day, I don't think this is a huge deal. In fact, I think it's possible to place so much emphasis on the words we use that the whole thing becomes unhelpful at best and unbiblical at worst. Whether I say I'm "gay" or "same-sex attracted", it's always a description of my sexuality, not my identity. My identity is safe and secure in Christ and Christ alone. So, being rooted in Him, I have the freedom and the flexibility to adjust my language to different situations in order to connect well with people and thus be a more personal and more effective ambassador for Jesus.

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Genesis 2:24; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Matthew 5:28; 19:4-6; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 7:2; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 1:10; Revelation 21:2