I believe there is one God, and one way to Heaven, which is through accepting the death of Jesus Christ as payment for our sins. Simply being a "good person" won't save you. (1 Timothy 2:5, Ephesians 2:8-9)
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is inerrant and sufficient. We can't pick and choose what we're going to believe - it's all or nothing. (2 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 22:18-19) This includes believing in a literal 6-day Creation, a literal worldwide flood, and that Jesus really was dead and came back to life. It also means that a bunch of moral issues (homosexuality, sex outside of marriage) that our culture says are okay are really not okay. They are sins (1 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:19-21).
All have sinned. (Romans 3:23) Sin is what keeps us out of heaven, but by believing and receiving Christ's death as paymens for our sins (Romans 6:23), we are made perfect in God's eyes. He looks at us and sees Jesus' blood. (Acts 16:31, John 3:16)
Satan is real. Hell is real. If you don't believe and accept Christ, you will go to Hell. There is no "good enough" or "tried hard." (Finding verses for this one.....)
CULTURAL ISSUES/"GRAY AREAS"
I believe there are cultural issues that many define as "gray areas" that the Bible may not specifically address. I believe in these cases, our conscience is our guide. I do believe that if you are convicted that something is wrong, and then you do it anyways, it is sin, even if not everyone thinks so. (James 4:17)
This is what I believe on some different gray areas:
Drinking: I don't think drinking is wrong. I do believe getting drunk is wrong - the Bible does say that (Ephesians 5:18). It also talks about drinking wine for health reasons (1 Timothy 5:23), and it has been shown that red wine is good for your heart. I do have an occasional drink for enjoyment - because I enjoy the taste.
Smoking: The Bible doesn't talk about smoking at all, so this is all based on conscience. We are supposed to take care of our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19). Smoking does nothing but bad things to your body/health, therefore I believe it is wrong.
Drugs: Also not specifically mentioned in the Bible. It may not be unhealthy for you like smoking, but if a drug is illegal, you are breaking the law to use it. And we are told to obey the laws of the land (1 Peter 2:13-14).
Gambling: I don't believe gambling is wrong. I think if you are going to say gambling is wrong, then you have to swear off all raffles and carnival games as well. To me, it is entertainment. You can spend $20 going to see a movie, or you can spend $20 at a casino while having fun with your friends. It's all the same to me. It's when you can't stop that it becomes a problem.
Entertainment: I've been convicted recently that I need to pay attention more to what I'm allowing to fill my mind and time. I heard someone on the radio challenge listeners to consider what TV shows/movies Jesus would watch if he was physically walking around on earth today. (It's a little easier to be aware, when there's kids in the house.) I think God is fine with entertainment, but we need to glorify Him in this place in our lives as well. Would we watch/read this if Jesus was in the room with us? If not, we probably should be watching/reading it.
Abortion: Whereas the word abortion is not found in the Bible, there are many verses that speak of human life as known from conception (Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 46:3-4). Babies are humans, alive from conception. The Bible says that murder is wrong (Exodus 20:13). Therefore, killing a baby, no matter how tiny, no matter that it is not yet born or able to live on it's own, is absolutely wrong. This I would not define as a "gray area" but I moral absolute. However, many, including Christians, have been deceived.
