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STATEMENT OF FAITH

Let me begin by saying I believe in the supreme authority of Scripture because it is the God-breathed Word (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

It is with heart-felt gratitude that I share my Christian Faith, and it is with the greatest gravity that I respond to God's call. I trust you feel the same.

My honest desire before God is to fulfill my role in the body of Christ—helping others to understand the freedom promised by Christ. I love the family of God and love the Word of God, and most importantly, I love to bring the two together—to inspire, guide, and comfort.
Now, let the Scriptures speak.

God is "the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see" (1 Tim. 6:15, 16).

What is our story with the eternal Creator? How is a personal relationship with the Creator made possible with our Messiah? How do I see my God and his saving grace?

We are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8, 9; Rom. 11:6) by confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior, and believing in the Resurrection (Rom. 10:9, 10). Upon declaring this confession, the believer is saved, filled (baptized) with the Holy Spirit—which transforms us (Titus 3:4-6; 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Tim. 1:7; Rom. 8:11), teaches us (John 14:26), guides us (John 16:13), seals us (Eph. 1:13, 14), and intercedes for us and the saints (Rom. 8:26, 27). With the Holy Spirit within, we take on the divine nature of God (2 Peter 1:4) and become the sons of God (1 John 3:2; Rom. 8:15-17). Truly, it is Christ within us (Col. 1:27).

This is the essence of the New Covenant. No longer would righteousness be earned (Deut. 6:25), but granted by faith (Phil. 3:9; Rom. 12:3) through the blood of Christ. Christ's faith voided the Mosaic agreement (Col. 2:14). "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes" (Rom. 10:4). This is the fulfillment of prophecy, "the just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11).

Christ introduced the new birth in the New Covenant during his earthly ministry when he spoke to Nicodemus (John 3:1-7). With the new birth, God gives birth to an eternal, invisible, spiritual seed within the soul of man. This is the second birth of which Jesus and his apostles spoke. As recorded in the writings of Peter, "You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God" (1 Peter 1:23). When the "living and enduring word of God" is believed, then the Creator creates seed within the soul that cannot perish.

For additional revelation on the subject of salvation, refer to the article on the right bar of the homepage: The Doors of Paradise.

Truth, personified and declared by Jesus, allows a fundamental transformation to take place within. This is what we live for: crossing the divine threshold. Once we are cleansed from sin and filled with the Holy Spirit, God empowers us to comprehend divine revelation, inspires us to be faithful stewards of the Gospel, and strengthens us to stand fast in the liberty wherewith we have been made free. When the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives within, spiritual energy gives life to our mortal body (Rom. 8:11). This is the renewal, the rebirth, caused by the introduction of divine energy from above.

We offer our lives as a living sacrifice, seeking to transform ourselves by renewing our minds (Rom. 12:1, 2). Simultaneously, we reach out to reconcile others to God, so that they might be made the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:17-21).

Had the dominion of darkness known what Jesus would accomplish, the rulers of this world never would have crucified the Son of God (1 Cor. 2:7, 8). Christ sacrificed himself (1 Cor. 5:7) and offered his life as a ransom (Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 1:18-20) so that we might be translated into the kingdom (Col. 1:13).

Christ himself elaborated upon the spiritual nature of his kingdom, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, . . . because the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20, 21). "The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17). The true kingdom of God is not about carnal regulations that legislate food and drink; it is about the Holy Spirit's spiritual presence and nature dwelling within the believer.

How did the Cross of Christ become our salvation reality? Jesus was the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29). Jesus atoned for our sins. Jesus sacrificed his own life so that others could live eternally. With his Resurrection, he offered himself to the Father in Heaven as the ultimate atonement for sin (Heb. 9:24, 26).

Jesus' sacrifice did "away with sin" and its consequences. He did not receive the sinful nature that Adam had passed on to humankind because God was his Father. Therefore, he was in a position to live a sinless life and die as God's gift to Earth. Hence, any person who accepts this sacrifice is granted eternal life. Through the Messiah, mankind would finally be empowered to exit the death sentence passed on from Adam (Rom. 5:12, 15). Jesus took our sins to the Cross (Col. 2:14).
The historic Jesus, who is the prophet who declared the will of God, is the Christ (to an individual) when he (Jesus) is made Lord and Savior. This is when we encounter the Christ, when we make Jesus, Lord.

Where do we encounter the Christ? God marked his presence from Genesis to Revelation. The clearest picture of who Jesus was and now is, is depicted in both the Old and New Testaments. From the Gospel of Matthew to the Book of Revelation, the Scriptures record the historic Jesus and the Christ, the Messiah who was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. He was the historic Jesus who proclaimed the kingdom of God in the Holy Land, and now is the exalted Christ, the glorified Lord, who sits upon the right hand of God. In the future, we shall encounter the Christ when we meet him in the clouds when he descends for us. The Cross of Christ means present and future salvation.

On the first day of the church, Pentecost, the apostle Peter declared this present and future salvation when he quoted Joel. Our present salvation is marked by the descent of the Holy Spirit (filling us), and our future salvation is marked by the descent of Christ when the "day of the Lord" arrives, and all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:17-21). Like Peter, the apostles' Paul and John quoted Old Testament prophets to declare our future salvation. Paul quoted Isaiah (25:8) in 1 Corinthians (15:54), and John quoted Isaiah (34:4) in Revelation (6:14).

In this life, we are the sons of God, and we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him (1 John 3:2; 1 Cor. 15:40-54). Now, while still in our mortal bodies, we are comforted knowing that we are saved from the wrath to come (Rom. 5:9; 1 Thess. 1:10; 1 Thess. 5:9). We await the descent of our Lord for us (1 Thess. 4:13-18), and look to the day we will stand before the throne of Heaven (Rev. 7:9-17). There, we shall receive righteous judgment and Heaven's treasures (Matt. 6:20, 21; 2 Cor. 5:10). These treasures include the eternal crowns (James 1:12-14; 1 Peter 5:2-4; 2 Tim. 4:7, 8), which are earned through faithfulness. Justice awaits the enemies of our Lord (2 Thess. 1:7-9; 2:8; Jude 14, 15; Rev. 19:11-21), and eternity awaits those who made Jesus, Lord (Rev. 21 & 22).

Almighty God did not bring forth this creation in vain. With it, the Father will fulfill his plan to live with his sons without the presence of darkness. The invisible Creator has fully disclosed his strategy in written form, and Satan is powerless to alter the future. The battle plans are already drawn, and the outcome is without doubt: souls will be saved from death because the Messiah won the right to ransom them from the power of the grave. In this spiritual conflict for the soul, the eternal King claims victory when Satan loses a human soul to eternity.

Our Creator made all this possible and he communicated his will in his Word. Our responsibility before our Creator is to believe his Word—believing that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God (2 Peter 1:20, 21).
With regard to the interpretation of the Scriptures, the famous theologian, Augustine, expressed an idea that I believe is vital to biblical interpretation. He stated, "The New Testament is hidden in the Old; the Old is made accessible by the New [In Vetere Novum latet et in Novo Vetus patet]." Christ himself said that he must fulfill prophecies in the Old Testament (Luke 24:44; Matt. 5:17, 18)—and he expounded upon the fulfillment of those prophecies in the revelation he gave throughout the New Testament.

There is a divine harmony between the two testaments—which heralds Jesus as the suffering Messiah and the glorified Messiah. Matthew to Revelation shows the fulfillment of prophecy as first declared by the prophets. By fulfilling prophecy, the Messiah opened doors for us to fulfill prophecy as well—not the least of which is salvation itself.

All of my adult life I have searched the Scriptures, and have invested nothing in this material world. God has opened doors for me (that I did not expect). His intervention ultimately produced Treasures in Heaven and this Web site—both of which contain prophecies that have been fulfilled and shall be fulfilled.

God bless your heart,

Dr. William Ayles


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