Confession of Faith

"But you should hold fast to the teaching in which you have been instructed and whose credibility you have been able to convince yourself of. You know those who have taught you, and from childhood you have been familiar with the Holy Scriptures, from which you can receive all the guidance you need for salvation - salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. For everything that is written in the Scriptures is inspired by God's Spirit, and the benefits of the Scriptures are correspondingly great: they teach the truth, expose guilt, set you on the right path and educate you to live according to God's will. So then he who belongs to God and serves him is equal to all requirements with the help of the Scriptures; through them he is equipped to do everything that is good and right." (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

"Furthermore, we have the message of the prophets, which is thoroughly reliable. You would do well to abide by it, for it is like a lamp shining in a dark place. 'Hold fast to this message until the day dawns and the light of the morning star makes it bright in your hearts. In this context, it is of the utmost importance that you bear in mind the following: not a single prophetic statement in Scripture is the result of the unauthorized reasoning of 'the prophet in question'. In other words: no prophecy has ever had its origin in the will of a person. Rather, people, guided by the Holy Spirit, have spoken on God's behalf." (2 Peter 1:19-21)

"Yet what can be recognized of God is clearly visible to them; he himself has set it before their eyes. Since the creation of the world, his works have been a visible indication of him, the invisible God, of his eternal power and divine nature." (Romans 1:19-20)

"I am the LORD and there is none else; besides me there is no God." (Isaiah 45:5)

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19)

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made, and said to the woman, 'Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. Only of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden has God said: You must not eat of it, and you must not touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman: "You will not die. But God knows that your eyes will be opened and that you will be like God and know good and evil as soon as you eat it. Then the woman saw that it was good to eat of the tree, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable because it made one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. And they wove fig leaves and made themselves aprons." (Genesis 3:1-7)

"No, what stands between you and your God is your transgressions; your sins hide his face, so that he does not hear you." (Isaiah 59:2)

... for all have sinned, and in their lives God's glory is no longer expressed ... (Romans 3:23)

"But when the time came, God sent his Son. He was born 'as a man' of a woman and was subject to the law."
(Galatians 4:4)

"Christ himself also suffered when he, the righteous one, died for the guilty. With his death, he atoned once and for all for the sins of mankind and thus also opened up access to God for you. Yes, he was killed, but that only concerned his earthly life, for he was made alive again to life in the Spirit." (1 Peter 3:18)

"But three days later God raised him 'from the dead', and on God's instructions he showed himself as the Risen One - not to all the people, however, but only to those whom God had appointed in advance as witnesses, namely us apostles. After he had risen from the dead, he even ate and drank with us." (Acts 10:40-42)

"There is salvation in no one else; there is no other name under heaven given to us humans by which we can be saved." (Acts 4:12)

"For there is only one God, and there is also only one mediator between God and men - the one who himself 'became' a man, Jesus Christ." (1 Timothy 2:5)

"Once again: you are saved by 'God's' grace, and that by faith. So you do not owe your salvation to yourselves; no, it is God's gift." (Ephesians 2:8)

"In the past, God has graciously overlooked the transgressions that people have committed in their ignorance. But now he calls on all people in all places to repent." (Acts 17:30)

"The wind blows where it wants. You hear the sound of it, but where it comes from and where it goes, you don't know. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

"Make every effort to be at peace with everyone and do everything according to God's will. For without a sanctified life no one will see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14)

"May God himself, the God of peace, help you to lead a thoroughly sanctified life. May he keep your whole 'being' - spirit, soul and body - so that when Jesus Christ our Lord returns, there will be nothing in you that deserves reproach."
(1 Thessalonians 5:23)

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19)

"You know what the Lord said about this meal; I myself have passed on his words to you as they were reported to me: On the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God for it, broke it into pieces and said, 'This is my body, which is sacrificed for you.' In future, when you celebrate this meal and eat this bread, remember what I have done for you!" After they had eaten, he took the cup, thanked God for it too and said: "This cup is the new covenant, sealed with my blood. Every time you drink from this cup in the future, remember what I have done for you!" So be aware of this: Every time you eat of the bread and drink from the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death - until the Lord returns. Therefore, anyone who eats the bread or drinks from the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Therefore everyone should examine himself, and only then should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For whoever eats and drinks without keeping in mind that this meal is about the body of the Lord will incur the judgment of 'God' by eating and drinking." (1 Corinthians 11:23-29)

"Many accepted the message that Peter preached to them and were baptized. Through God's work, the church grew by around three thousand people that day. What characterized the life of the Christians was the teaching in which the apostles instructed them, their cohesion in mutual love and helpfulness, the Lord's Supper and prayer. Everyone 'in Jerusalem' was gripped by a deep reverence for God, and numerous miracles and many extraordinary things happened through the apostles. All those who believed in Jesus stuck together and shared everything they owned. They even sold land and other possessions and distributed the proceeds to all those in need according to their respective needs. With one accord and great faithfulness, they came together day after day in the temple. They also met daily in their homes to eat together and celebrate the Lord's Supper, and their gatherings were characterized by exuberant joy and sincere cordiality. They praised God 'in everything they did' and were held in high esteem by all the people. And every day the Lord saved more people, so that the church grew larger and larger." (Acts 2:41-47)

„Ein weiterer Punkt, den ihr erwähnt habt, liebe Geschwister, sind die Fähigkeiten, die uns durch Gottes Geist gegeben werden. Es liegt mir sehr daran, dass ihr in dieser Sache genau Bescheid wisst. Denkt an die Zeit, als ihr noch nicht an Christus geglaubt habt: Damals habt ihr euch ständig irreführen und dazu hinreißen lassen, den Götzen zu dienen – Götzenbildern, die nicht einmal reden können. Deshalb weise ich euch auf Folgendes hin: Niemand, der unter der Leitung von Gottes Geist redet, wird jemals sagen: »Jesus sei verflucht!« Und umgekehrt kann niemand sagen: »Jesus ist der Herr!«, es sei denn, er wird vom Heiligen Geist geleitet. Es gibt viele verschiedene Gaben, aber es ist ein und derselbe Geist, ´der sie uns zuteilt`. Es gibt viele verschiedene Dienste, aber es ist ein und derselbe Herr, ´der uns damit beauftragt`. Es gibt viele verschiedene Kräfte, aber es ist ein und derselbe Gott, durch den sie alle in ´uns` allen wirksam werden.
Bei jedem zeigt sich das Wirken des Geistes ´auf eine andere Weise`, aber immer geht es um den Nutzen ´der ganzen Gemeinde`. Dem einen wird durch den Geist die Fähigkeit geschenkt, Einsichten in Gottes Weisheit weiterzugeben. Der andere erkennt und sagt mit Hilfe desselben Geistes, was in einer bestimmten Situation zu tun ist. Einem dritten wird – ebenfalls durch denselben Geist – ´ein besonderes Maß an` Glauben gegeben, und wieder ein anderer bekommt durch diesen einen Geist die Gabe, Kranke zu heilen. Einer wird dazu befähigt, Wunder zu tun, ein anderer, prophetische Aussagen zu machen, wieder ein anderer, zu beurteilen, ob etwas vom Geist Gottes gewirkt ist oder nicht. Einer wird befähigt, in Sprachen zu reden, ´die von Gott eingegeben sind,` und ein anderer, das Gesagte in verständlichen Worten wiederzugeben. Das alles ist das Werk ein und desselben Geistes, und es ist seine freie Entscheidung, welche Gabe er jedem Einzelnen zuteilt. Denkt zum Vergleich an den ´menschlichen` Körper! Er stellt eine Einheit dar, die aus vielen Teilen besteht; oder andersherum betrachtet: Er setzt sich aus vielen Teilen zusammen, die alle miteinander ein zusammenhängendes Ganzes bilden. Genauso ist es bei Christus. Denn wir alle – ob Juden oder Nichtjuden, Sklaven oder Freie – sind mit demselben Geist getauft worden und haben von derselben Quelle, dem Geist Gottes, zu trinken bekommen, und dadurch sind wir alle zu einem Leib geworden. Und wie jeder Körper besteht dieser Leib aus vielen Teilen, nicht nur aus einem. Wenn der Fuß behaupten würde: »Weil ich nicht die Hand bin, gehöre ich nicht zum Körper!«, würde er trotzdem nicht aufhören, ein Teil des Körpers zu sein. Und wenn das Ohr behaupten würde: »Weil ich nicht das Auge bin, gehöre ich nicht zum Körper!«, würde es trotzdem nicht aufhören, ein Teil des Körpers zu sein. Wenn der ganze Körper nur aus Augen bestünde, wo bliebe dann das Gehör? Wenn er nur aus Ohren bestünde, wo bliebe der Geruchssinn? Tatsache jedoch ist, dass Gott, entsprechend seinem Plan, jedem einzelnen Teil ´eine besondere Aufgabe` innerhalb des Ganzen zugewiesen hat. Was wäre das schließlich für ein Körper, wenn alle Teile dieselbe Aufgabe hätten? Aber so ist es ja nicht. Es gibt einerseits viele verschiedene Teile und andererseits nur einen Körper. Das Auge kann nicht einfach zur Hand sagen: »Ich brauche dich nicht!« oder der Kopf zu den Füßen: »Ich brauche euch nicht!« Nein, gerade die Teile des Körpers, die schwächer zu sein scheinen, sind besonders wichtig; gerade den Teilen, die wir für weniger ehrenwert halten, schenken wir besonders viel Aufmerksamkeit; gerade bei den Teilen, die Anstoß erregen könnten, achten wir besonders darauf, dass sie sorgfältig bedeckt sind (bei denen, die keinen Anstoß erregen, ist das nicht nötig). Gott selbst, der ´die verschiedenen Teile des` Körpers zusammengefügt hat, hat dem, was unscheinbar ist, eine besondere Würde verliehen. Es darf nämlich im Körper nicht zu einer Spaltung kommen; vielmehr soll es das gemeinsame Anliegen aller Teile sein, füreinander zu sorgen. Wenn ein Teil des Körpers leidet, leiden alle anderen mit, und wenn ein Teil geehrt wird, ist das auch für alle anderen ein Anlass zur Freude. ´Das alles gilt nun auch im Hinblick auf euch, denn` ihr seid der Leib Christi, und jeder Einzelne von euch ist ein Teil dieses Leibes. Gott hat in der Gemeinde allen eine bestimmte Aufgabe zugewiesen. An erster Stelle sind die Apostel zu nennen, an zweiter die Propheten, an dritter die Lehrer. Weiter gibt es die, die dazu befähigt sind, Wunder zu tun, oder denen die Gabe des Heilens geschenkt ist oder die imstande sind, praktische Hilfe zu leisten oder Leitungsaufgaben zu übernehmen, oder die in Sprachen reden können, ´die von Gott eingegeben sind`. Sind etwa alle Apostel? Sind alle Propheten? Sind alle Lehrer? Natürlich nicht! Es sind auch nicht alle dazu befähigt, Wunder zu tun; nicht alle haben die Gabe des Heilens; nicht alle können in einer ´von Gott eingegebenen` Sprache reden oder das Gesagte in verständlichen Worten wiedergeben. Allerdings ist der Nutzen für die Gemeinde nicht bei allen Gaben gleich groß. Bemüht euch um die Gaben, die der Gemeinde am meisten nützen! Und jetzt zeige ich euch einen Weg, der weit über das alles hinausführt.“
(1. Korinther 12,1–31)

"To each one of us Christ has given a share in the gifts he bestows in his grace; to each one he has apportioned his grace in a certain measure. That is why it says in Scripture: "When he ascended on high in triumph, he carried captives with him and distributed gifts to men."
If it says here: "He ascended", then he must have descended 'first of all' - down to the lowest depths of the earth. And he who descended also ascended again to the highest of all heavens, in order to fill the whole universe 'with his presence'.
He is now also the one who has given gifts to 'the church': He has given it the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers. They have the task of equipping those who belong to God's holy people for their ministry so that 'the church', the body of Christ, can be built up. This should lead to all of us reaching full unity in our faith and in our knowledge of God's Son, and that we reach a maturity whose standard is Christ himself in all his fullness. For we are no longer to be immature children; we are no longer to allow ourselves to be blown off course by any doctrine, like a ship tossed to and fro by the wind and waves, and we are no longer to fall for the deceptive maneuvers of deceitful men who want to lead us astray with their false game. Instead, we are to hold on to the truth in a spirit of love so that we may grow in faith and become more and more like the one who is the head, Christ, in every way. It is to Him that the body owes all its growth. It is joined together with the help of all the different joints, through which it is held together and supported, and each individual part of the body makes its contribution according to the task assigned to it. In this way the body grows and is built up through love." (Ephesians 4:7-16)

"But John declared to everyone: "I baptize you with water. But someone is coming who is stronger than I am; I am not even worthy to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Luke 3:16)

"Once - it was during a meal together - he instructed them not to leave Jerusalem for the time being, but to wait for the fulfillment of the promise that the Father had given them. "I have already spoken to you about this," he said. "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days." (Acts 1:4-5)

"All were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in foreign tongues, each one speaking as the Spirit enabled them." (Acts 2:4)

"But our sicknesses he has borne, and our pains he has taken upon himself. But we took him for one afflicted, for one stricken and humiliated by God." (Isaiah 53:4)

"When evening came, many possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the spirits through his word and healed all the sick. Thus was fulfilled what was foretold by the prophet Isaiah: "He himself has taken our suffering, he has borne our sicknesses." (Matthew 8:16-17)

"Is one of you sick? Then ask the elders of the church to pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. Their prayer, spoken in faith, will bring salvation to the sick person; the Lord will let him experience his help. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a person who follows God's will is effective and accomplishes much." (James 5:14-16)

"'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why are you standing here gazing up to heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from among you into heaven, will come again in the same way you saw him go."" (Acts 1:11)

"Let us now turn to the question of the believers who have already died. It is very important to us, brothers and sisters, that you know what will happen to them, so that you do not mourn for them like people who have no hope. Well, we do believe that Jesus died 'for us' and that he rose again. But then God will also make sure that those who have died trusting in Jesus will be with us when Jesus comes in his glory.
Furthermore, we can assure you, based on a word from the Lord, that they will not be at any disadvantage compared to us if we are still alive when the Lord returns. The Lord himself will descend from heaven, a loud command will sound, and the voice of an angelic prince and the sound of God's trumpet will also be heard. After this, those who have died in faith in Christ will be resurrected first. Then we - the believers who are still alive at that time - will be lifted up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord, and then we will all be with him forever. Comfort one another with this assurance!" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

"I tell you a secret now: we will not all die, but there will be a transformation of 'the body' in all of us.
This will happen in a single moment, when the trumpet announcing the end of time is heard from heaven. As soon as the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised and given an imperishable body, and we who are still alive will also have our bodies changed. For what is now corruptible is destined to put on the garment of incorruption; what is now mortal must put on the garment of immortality. And when this happens - when the perishable is clothed with imperishability and the mortal with immortality - then the statement is fulfilled that is written in Scripture: "Death is conquered all along the line!" "Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your deadly sting?" The sting that brings us death is sin, and the fact that sin has such power is due to the law. But thanks be to God! Through Jesus Christ our Lord, he gives us the victory!" (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)

"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, the serpent of primeval times, who is also called the devil or Satan, bound him and threw him into the abyss for a thousand years. He closed and sealed the entrance to the abyss so that Satan could no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were over. After that - as it is ordained by God - he will be released again for a short time. Then I saw thrones and saw how those who sat on them were given the task of passing judgment. They were the souls of those who had been executed because they had professed the message of Jesus and held fast to God's word; they had not worshipped the beast and his statue and had not had the mark of the beast placed on their foreheads or hands. Now they came back to life and reigned together with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead were not raised to life until the thousand years were over. Happy are those who belong to God's holy people and share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over these people; rather, they will serve God and Christ as priests and reign with Christ during the thousand years." (Revelation 20:1-6)

"For we must all one day appear before the judgment seat of Christ, where all things will be laid bare, and then everyone will receive the reward for what he has done during his life in this body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10)

"Now I saw a great white throne, and I saw the one who sat on the throne. Heaven and earth fled from him because they could not bear his presence; they disappeared without leaving a trace. I saw the dead standing before the throne, from the smallest to the greatest. Books were opened, 'in which was written what each one had done,' and on the basis of these entries the dead were judged; each one received the judgment that corresponded to his deeds. And yet another book was opened: the book of life. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the realm of the dead also gave up their dead. For each individual, the judgment corresponded to what he had done. Death and the realm of the dead were thrown into the lake of fire; the lake of fire is the second death. And if anyone was not registered in the book of life, he was also thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)