Belief

There's a quote by C.S. Lewis that goes something like this: "If Christians desire to legitimately grow in their relationship with God, they must become theologians."
C.S. Lewis wasn't talking about fresh, newly-born Christians suddenly finding out that if you want to follow God, you must become a dried out old man in a tunic, lock yourself in a prison cell, read your Bible day and night, and refuse to eat because that's not the holy thing to do.
Lewis, if you read into the context, was talking more about Christians who take their walk with the Lord seriously. Yes, a relationship with God outside of the books, and dare I say the Bible, are extremely important. God does desires every part of us: our plans, our humor, our thoughts, and our emotions. However, he also desires our minds. God does call us to know Him-- with our emotions and with our minds.
Knowing Him is more than feeling Him in the sunshine and praying to Him under the stars. Yes, those moments are extremely important and essential to a Christian walk, but, well, I think you know what I'm saying. We should learn to know Him with the best of our abilities-- academically, as well.

And I say "academically" because, to me, everything that involves words is academic. I don't mean school work. I mean simply using our brains in a scholarly fashion. This, from now on, is our new definition of academic. We clear? Excellent.

I'm tired of treating my relationship with God like a second job; making time for Him when I think I need Him, which is rare; only being in the relationship because of the spiritual tranquility that I get out of it-- not at all concerning myself with actually glorifying God or knowing Him. I'm tired of being selfish with my walk with God. I'm tired of sinning with my walk with God.

Realizing God's call of every part of me (emphasis on the academic part), I have started studying, and I need help. At the moment I am going through Romans, and I've gotten into some deep stuff already (I'm not even on verse 7 of chapter 1.

Without going any further, I thought it would be a good idea to list what exactly I believe. So I did just this- and you know what happened? Not a single bible verse came up. I found out that everything I had ever based any of my beliefs on has come from things everyone else has discovered from the Bible, not what I've discovered. And I'm kind of at a loss-- the Bible is such a very big book, and this is the first time I've actually seriously considered studying it.
I have my beliefs, which I hold to be true, but I have no basis, and I need help. Here's where you come in. I'll list my beliefs right now. I would love it if you guys could read through them, and if any sort of Bible verse pops up that you think would go with this belief, you could comment the reference below, or you could email me at lilmister25@yahoo.com. I'd absolutely love it if you took part.

You might think I'm trying to convert the Bible's meanings to fit my theology-- but I don't think I am. If there's a reference that pops up that somehow contradicts my belief, I am prepared to seriously consider it. I'm prepared to take the Bible for what it is-- I'm a little afraid of the consequences, but that's not stopping me. If I need to change something in my life because of the Bible, I'm ready.
I am also prepared to take every verse reference seriously. I'll be studying the whole surrounding chapter of that verse, just to understand the context. I'll do word studies. I'm ready. Again, thanks so much for helping out. In the mean time, I will also be looking for verses.
Here are my beliefs.

1. I am God's own creation and am loved VERY much by Him. I am fallen and I constantly sin, but He loves regardless of my actions. However, my sin has created a wall between me in my imperfection and God in His complete perfection.
2. God loves me to the (in my eyes) absurd extent that He made the ultimate sacrifice of sending his son into our human world to live a NECESSARILY perfect life and die on a cross somewhere in Israel to create the perfect sacrifice, choosing death that I might live. He then was burried and rose again on the third day to show the world that it all wasn't some huge prank, but that it was all legitimate and real, that he is the son of God, the Messiah, that his death was not in vain, but did indeed shatter the barrier of sin that separated man-- any man-- from God.
3. If I repent to God for my sin, longing for His forgiveness, and if I believe that all of this legitimately happened, and that Jesus' sacrifice quenched death's thirst for me, and that his sacrifice is the only way to salvation and reconciliation with God-- if I believe this-- I will be reconciled with God, bound for Heaven, that when I die, I will go to Heaven and spend eternity with God.
4. Through his sacrifice, I am freed from sin's ultimate consequences-- eternal damnation.
5. Not only this, but I am freed from living in sin in general. I am no longer forced to drink of that well, but from Jesus' living water, and I can now replace worshipping sin with worshipping God-- for that is all I really am- a worshipper. God, however, has made it possible for me to worship Him.

That's all I have so far. I hold these to be true until proven otherwise. Thank you so much for your time in this. These things are the most important things in the world.