I chose Romans 8:18  as my statement of faith. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”. I chose this because I like that the “bottom line” of the book of Romans is that nobody's perfect. In this book, Paul explains that no matter how good we think we are, we still fall short of God’s plan for our lives, but that God still wants to have a relationship with us in spite of our imperfections because of Jesus’ work on our behalf makes us acceptable in God’s eyes. I like this verse because our statements of faith are supposed to be about what we believe to be true in our heart. I feel that the “bottom line” I have always heard throughout the years, is that I can be forgiven and I am loved by God because Jesus gave his life for me because I can't be perfect. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV).
Lots of the time, because I am a teenager and feel like I know a lot but, (maybe my parents are right and I don't know everything)...I have made mistakes and gotten into to trouble at school and home. Even though I was just trying to be funny, I learned that sometimes something we say or do can really hurt someone else's feelings. Maybe we don't tell a friend that they shouldn't do something because it is wrong and that doesn't help them but gets them or me into trouble or even danger. It can make you feel really down about yourself. It can make you feel like you'll never be a good enough person when you do something wrong or get into trouble when you didn't mean to do anything wrong or when you didn't feel that you were being “bad” in your heart. That's why I like this verse and the book of Romans. It teaches us that even the most religious people are not without fault. “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God”. Romans 11 (NIV). I know I will continue to make mistakes and I believe God will still love me and forgive me because Jesus took the burden of my sins.  I believe that no matter how bad I feel about myself at times or sometimes feeling like I can't do anything right, that those pale in comparison to what we can become when we receive Christ as our forgiver and leader. The more we accept this and learn about this, the more we want to live a Christian life and feel free from feeling guilty about our sins.
I believe that when we trust Jesus to rescue us from our sins we think twice before committing a sin. We will still sin and make mistakes, but when we practice a relationship with Christ we work to do better and better and feel confident that we are forgiven for not being perfect. “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.” Romans 17 (NIV).