I believe that the Word of God (the King James Version Bible) is the infallible living Word of the Creator. I believe that you can NOT add to it or take away from it.

Rev 22:18 ¶ "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:"

Rev 22:19 "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book."

I believe that Jesus Christ was with God from the beginning and that Jesus spoke through the prophets foretelling the world of His coming to redeem mankind.

I believe that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and Savior of the world.

I believe that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh which is synonymous as the Word of God made flesh. John 1:1-14

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

I believe in the Oneness of God. The Shema. (Click link for fuller definition and understanding)

"I and [my] Father are ONE." John 10:30

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is ONE LORD." Deut. 6:4, Mark 12:29, Eph. 4:5

Genesis 1:1-3 ¶ In the beginning God (The Father, Creator) created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God (God's Spirit, THE Holy Spirit) moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Jesus, the Word who was with God in the beginning. John 1:1-14)

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one." 1 John 5:7

I believe Jesus was born of a virgin, grew up and was put into the ministry at around 30 years old. I believe for three years He walked this earth and preached the gospel of the kingdom, healed the sick, cast out demons and was then sacrificed for our sins when He died and shed His blood on the cross at Calvary. Fulfilling the law of Sacrifices.

I believe God raised Him from the dead according to the Scriptures and that he ascended into heaven in front of 500 witnesses as stated in Scripture, and that Jesus sits on the right hand side of God and has become the Life Giving Spirit, quickening who He will with eternal life (Power to keep the Whole Word of God).

I believe that once you receive this power that much is required of us according to this verse:

King James Bible
".... For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:...." Luke 12:43

I believe people are predestined in that God knows the end from the beginning. Paul was talking to saints of God who will have endured unto the end through the trials and tribulation, the mountain tops and the valleys of our Christian walk and have not fainted, but have continued on.

If we weren't expected to do something in order to be rewarded in the end with heaven, we would not have been given the Word of God, the instructions, the manual to learn what we must do in order to make it in.

People need to throw off indoctrination. Read, study the 12th Chapter of Hebrews and look at verses like "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" Heb 12:7

Understand that the Bible is FULL of such "IFs"

John 15:14 "Ye are my friends, IF ye do whatsoever I command you."

I believe God gives the people who are called and chosen and faithful every thing they need to succeed.

However, I do believe people can choose to not listen to God, be disobedient and stop serving God, thus loose their eternal salvation. And therefore be blotted out of the lamb's book of life. Rev 3:5

God says, "MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, ...." - Hosea 4:6

Knowledge is something that needs to be sought after through much careful study of the scriptures. It is a day to day walk that must continue until the day of our death.

Matthew 24: 13 "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Also Mark 13:13)

People think Salvation is a one time event and then there is nothing else for us to do after that except sit in a church pew on Sundays, maybe read the Bible a little bit, maybe talk about Calvin or Ellen G White. But God demands us to Walk with Him every day. To study the Bible (and not through some heretical study guide or some heretical theologian's commentary)

Yours in Christ,

Thomas Richards