Grace Christian School
STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Bible – We believe the Bible to be comprised of the 66 books given to man through divinely inspired authors. The Bible is the Word of God, and is the final, ultimate authority for the believer and the church. We believe the Bible to be the completed testimony of God to man, and as such is completely accurate and without error. (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
God: (Theology) – We believe in one God who exists in 3 persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. This is known as “the Trinity” or “triune God”. We believe that God the Father is most clearly seen in His creative work (Gen. 1:1); God the Son (Jesus Christ) is most clearly seen in his redemptive work of mankind (Rom. 3:20-31); and God the Holy Spirit is most clearly seen in His sanctifying work of the elect (Rom. 8:11).
Jesus Christ: (Christology) – We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, and accomplished the redemption of mankind to God the Father. We believe He was born of the virgin Mary, and was literally “God with us” (Immanuel, (Matt. 1:23). He was completely God and completely man in His nature (hypostatic union). We believe He lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:14-15), and then freely laid his life down of His own accord, in submission to God the Father to accomplish the salvation of mankind (John 10:17-18). We believe He then rose bodily the third day, demonstrating His power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven, leaving the disciples with the task of spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). We believe in the second coming of Christ, which will be marked by the rapture (1 Thess. 4:14-18), followed by the tribulation, and culminate in the millennial reign of Christ (a literal 1000 year period of time) .
The Holy Spirit: (pneumatology) – We believe the Holy Spirit indwells all true believers of Jesus Christ and works in them the process of sanctification (Eph. 1:13-14)
Man – We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26, 2:7) as a rational, volitional, intelligent creature capable of self determination and is morally responsible before God (Gen 2:15-25). With Jesus Christ being the only exception, we believe that all men are sinners inherently by nature through Adam, by personal choice in our individual lives, and by God’s declaration (Psalm 14:1-3; Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:9-18, 23; 5:10-12).
Salvation – We believe salvation is wholly the work of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross offered freely by grace. It is not attainable on the basis of human effort, merit or works of any kind. Salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Eph 2:8-9, John 1:12). We believe Jesus Christ freely offers salvation to all who would trust wholly in Him for the forgiveness of their sins. Jesus Christ reconciles us to God the Father by justifying us through His work of redemption on the cross, and then clothing us with the very righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:16-21). Once we are saved, we become a child of God and are sealed with His Spirit and are secured in Christ (Eternal Security).
Baptism – We believe baptism to be one of the two ordinances committed to the local church. We believe full immersion baptism is the faithful picture of a believer identifying with the work of Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We believe baptism is a picture of salvation, but salvation is not dependent upon it. The regenerate work of the Holy Spirit occurs at the precise moment an individual places their faith in Christ. However, we do not believe baptism is an option for the true believer. While it does not impart salvation, it can be seen as an acid test of one’s true faith in Christ.
The Church – We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8), of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18).
We further believe that the church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ, made up of all born-again believers in this present age (Ephesians 2:11-3:6). The church is distinct from Israel (1 Corinthians 10:32), a mystery not revealed until this age (Ephesians 3:1-6; 5:32).
We believe that the one supreme authority for the church is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18) and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the Scriptures. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders (also called bishops, pastors, and pastor-teachers; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11) and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5).
The Home – We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by blood or adoption with marriage as the foundation. Marriage, as designed by God, is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment. In addition to these important beliefs, we also believe that God has given the parents and the home the responsibility to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6) We believe that a consistent and whole education will occur when home, church and school work closely together and are in agreement on the basic concepts of life.
This Statement of Faith is not exhaustive of all our beliefs. The GCS Board of Directors reserves the right to make a decision about beliefs not found in this declaration by using the inspired word of God regarding the application of faith, policy, and practice.
God: (Theology) – We believe in one God who exists in 3 persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. This is known as “the Trinity” or “triune God”. We believe that God the Father is most clearly seen in His creative work (Gen. 1:1); God the Son (Jesus Christ) is most clearly seen in his redemptive work of mankind (Rom. 3:20-31); and God the Holy Spirit is most clearly seen in His sanctifying work of the elect (Rom. 8:11).
Jesus Christ: (Christology) – We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, and accomplished the redemption of mankind to God the Father. We believe He was born of the virgin Mary, and was literally “God with us” (Immanuel, (Matt. 1:23). He was completely God and completely man in His nature (hypostatic union). We believe He lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:14-15), and then freely laid his life down of His own accord, in submission to God the Father to accomplish the salvation of mankind (John 10:17-18). We believe He then rose bodily the third day, demonstrating His power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven, leaving the disciples with the task of spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). We believe in the second coming of Christ, which will be marked by the rapture (1 Thess. 4:14-18), followed by the tribulation, and culminate in the millennial reign of Christ (a literal 1000 year period of time) .
The Holy Spirit: (pneumatology) – We believe the Holy Spirit indwells all true believers of Jesus Christ and works in them the process of sanctification (Eph. 1:13-14)
Man – We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26, 2:7) as a rational, volitional, intelligent creature capable of self determination and is morally responsible before God (Gen 2:15-25). With Jesus Christ being the only exception, we believe that all men are sinners inherently by nature through Adam, by personal choice in our individual lives, and by God’s declaration (Psalm 14:1-3; Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:9-18, 23; 5:10-12).
Salvation – We believe salvation is wholly the work of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross offered freely by grace. It is not attainable on the basis of human effort, merit or works of any kind. Salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Eph 2:8-9, John 1:12). We believe Jesus Christ freely offers salvation to all who would trust wholly in Him for the forgiveness of their sins. Jesus Christ reconciles us to God the Father by justifying us through His work of redemption on the cross, and then clothing us with the very righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:16-21). Once we are saved, we become a child of God and are sealed with His Spirit and are secured in Christ (Eternal Security).
Baptism – We believe baptism to be one of the two ordinances committed to the local church. We believe full immersion baptism is the faithful picture of a believer identifying with the work of Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We believe baptism is a picture of salvation, but salvation is not dependent upon it. The regenerate work of the Holy Spirit occurs at the precise moment an individual places their faith in Christ. However, we do not believe baptism is an option for the true believer. While it does not impart salvation, it can be seen as an acid test of one’s true faith in Christ.
The Church – We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8), of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18).
We further believe that the church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ, made up of all born-again believers in this present age (Ephesians 2:11-3:6). The church is distinct from Israel (1 Corinthians 10:32), a mystery not revealed until this age (Ephesians 3:1-6; 5:32).
We believe that the one supreme authority for the church is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18) and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the Scriptures. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders (also called bishops, pastors, and pastor-teachers; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11) and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5).
The Home – We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by blood or adoption with marriage as the foundation. Marriage, as designed by God, is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment. In addition to these important beliefs, we also believe that God has given the parents and the home the responsibility to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6) We believe that a consistent and whole education will occur when home, church and school work closely together and are in agreement on the basic concepts of life.
This Statement of Faith is not exhaustive of all our beliefs. The GCS Board of Directors reserves the right to make a decision about beliefs not found in this declaration by using the inspired word of God regarding the application of faith, policy, and practice.
