I Believe

I am a Christian.

But that word can invoke all sorts of ideas in people so I thought I'd clarify what I believe and what it means for me to be a Christian.

I believe that I was created to be in a relationship with God, the holy creator of the universe, but that my disobedience to Him and my desire to live my life my own way offends him so much that I deserve death.  Instead of holding me accountable, Jesus died in my place so that when God looks at me He sees Jesus.  I am set free from sin, death and everything that separates me from God because of what Jesus did.  Jesus rose from the dead to show that his sacrifice was a sufficient price paid for all sin.  It is also my assurance that when I die, I will rise again like Jesus and will be with God forever.  All I have to do is believe. 

But because I should have died for my disobedience instead of Jesus, my life no longer belongs to me, it belongs to Jesus.  So I strive to live a life worthy of him, under his lordship.  Not to be saved, but because I am saved.