“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
We believe in the Triune God, Yahweh, who has revealed Himself in Holy Scripture through many incontrovertible proofs. He revealed Himself to the Patriarchs by appearing to them in visible form [Genesis 17:1, 18:1, 28:13, 32:30, 35:9]; He revealed Himself through the Law which was given by Moses [Exodus 19:18, 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:22]; He revealed Himself through the Spirit of Prophecy in the days of Israel [Isaiah 41:13, 43:3, 10; Jeremiah 24:7, 32:27; Ezekiel 35:4]; He revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord [John 1:1, 18, 14:9; Colossians 1:15, 19; Hebrews 1:1 - 3]; and He reveals Himself to all men through creation itself [Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20].
We believe that Yahweh is the only true God, the eternal, omnipotent, omniscient Creator of all things visible and invisible, who sovereignly orders all of creation as He sees fit [Genesis 1:1, Psalm 115:3, 135:6; Isaiah 40:13 - 14, 43:13; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11].
While we believe that there is only one God, Yahweh, we also believe that there are three distinct persons who are rightly called “God” because they truly and wholly partake of the one divine essence. We believe that the Father, who created all things, is truly God; we believe that the Son, through whom all things were created, is truly God; we believe that the Spirit, in whose power the creation came to be, is truly God.
We believe that God has always been and will always be three persons, who truly and eternally subsist from the one divine essence; neither can the essence be separated from the persons, nor can the persons be separated from the essence, nor can the persons be separated from each other, nor can the persons be conflated with each other.
We hold that the Trinity is a mystery, a mystery which we have no right to understand, but a mystery which God, in His grace and earnest desire for us to have relationship with Him, has revealed to us through the Holy Scriptures. Though we cannot truly comprehend the Holy Trinity (for who should hope to contain God in his own intellect?), because of God’s self-revelation we can apprehend who He is, and thus we can pray to, worship, and experience Him as He is—as Trinity.
We hold that the doctrine of the Trinity, though it is a mystery, is so clearly taught in Scripture and so fundamental to the Christian faith that if someone, having had it faithfully and accurately taught to them, proceeds to knowingly and willingly deny the truth, then they have removed themselves from the bounds of saving orthodoxy—they demonstrate that they are not born again, nor will they receive pardon of their sins. For, having denied the truth, their faith (genuine as it may be) has been directed toward an improper object, a false god, who can do nothing to save them or justify them.
That being said, we understand that the Trinity is difficult to grasp and requires intent study to truly apprehend. So, in grace and goodwill towards our beloved brothers and sisters, we do not demand that every Christian be able to articulate the mystery with perfect precision. Instead, if one humbly accepts and believes the contents of the Trinity—namely, the existence of the one true God, the presence of the three divine persons, and the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ—then, though they may fall into confusion, we do not necessarily believe that they are lost.
With this in mind, we believe that it is an utter necessity that all Christians devote themselves to studying who God is, if for no other reason than to grow in their relationship with Him, but also to be properly able to articulate the doctrines of God when spreading The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God has spoken to His people, through prophets and apostles, at many points throughout time [Hebrews 1:1a, 2nd Peter 3:2]. We believe that God recorded these words through written texts, authored by human beings under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit [2nd Peter 1:20 - 21]. These texts are called “The Scriptures,” and we believe that these Scriptures were preserved for the benefit of all believers, having been collected into what we today call “The Holy Bible.” While these Scriptures were immediately relevant to the people for whom they were originally written (and ought to be interpreted as such), they also carry life-giving instructions in doctrine and living which are able to equip all believers at all times [Romans 15:4].
The Scriptures, however, are not merely able to equip but are entirely sufficient to equip. We believe that The Scriptures contain all that is necessary for Christian faith and practice, and that no other body of texts or tradition can rightly claim to have authority over the believer unless it is in direct agreement with the teaching of Scripture [2nd Timothy 3:16].
We believe that The Scriptures derive their authority from God, their ultimate author, and not men or even the Church. Because of this, the Scriptures stand as the authority over all believers and even Church leadership. The Church is indeed the “pillar of support and truth” because it upholds and proclaims The Scriptures, but it is the truth of these Scriptures which give the Church its authority [1st Timothy 3:15].
We believe in a sixty-six book canon, with thirty-nine books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven books in the New Testament; we believe that the Scriptures cannot be broken, nor added to, nor should any man take away from them.
We believe that all who hear The Scriptures read, whether in public or private, whether audibly or silently, whether believing or not, hear the very voice of God speaking to them personally and directly [Matthew 22:31].
We believe that God has freely and inalterably decreed whatsoever comes to pass, so that no man, animal, or molecule acts outside of the course which God has set for it. We believe that God, being the Creator of all things, is also the author of history, down to the most miniscule detail.
However, we do not believe that God’s decree leaves humans without responsibility. It is plain in the pages of Scripture, but also from natural observation, that man is a moral creature, and that all men make true decisions in regard to the exercise of morality. These decisions arise in the heart of a man, and he acts on them without hesitation, for they are truly his; God takes no part in actuating the sin of man, nor is He ‘the author of evil’ as some have blasphemously proposed.
We believe that God “decrees the end from the beginning” [Isaiah 46:10], “works all things according to His will” [Ephesians 1:11], and works all things “together for good” for those who love Him [Romans 8:28].
We believe that understanding the full sovereignty of God is a necessary conclusion of the Bible’s teaching (as in, no other understanding is sufficient or adequate), but we do not believe that understanding the full sovereignty of God is necessary for one to be saved. True brothers and sisters will—and certainly have—disagreed on this point, and are free to do so without their eternal soul hanging in the balance.
We hold strongly to the Doctrines of Grace (otherwise known as “TULIP”) and believe that they are the best summation of the whole testimony of Scripture.
We believe that every man, in his natural state, has inherited a fallen nature because of our common forefather, Adam [Romans 5:12]. Because of this fallen nature, man is predisposed to desire sin and rebellion against God. And, as this sin takes hold of a man, he becomes a slave to it [John 8:34] and he becomes unable to desire or seek after the things of God [Romans 3:11; 1st Corinthians 2:14]. In fact, we believe that the natural man hates God [John 3:19 - 20], and when given the choice between obeying the righteousness of God and gratifying the lusts of the flesh, the natural man will always choose to gratify the lusts of the flesh.
Because of this, it is not possible for any man—by his own volition—to be saved. A man can neither keep the requirements of the Law and be righteous in himself [Romans 3:23], nor can a man work faith in his own heart so as to receive the imputed righteousness of Christ—no, a man must be born again and given a new nature so as to believe The Gospel and be saved [John 3:3, 5]. Unless a man is born again by the Spirit of God, he will not have the capacity in himself to believe The Gospel.
We believe that God, both as an extension of His love and as a means of “making known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy,” chose a particular people whom He would redeem from sin, impart regeneration, give the gift of faith, and preserve unto eternal life [Romans 9:23]. These people are called “the Elect,” and anyone who has truly been born again and believes in the Lord Jesus is a member thereof.
We believe that all who believe in The Gospel can say along with the Apostle Paul:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love, by predestining us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He graciously bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our transgressions, according to the riches of His grace which He caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him for an administration of the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth in Him. In Him, we also have been made an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, to the end that we who first have hoped in Christ would be to the praise of His glory” [Ephesians 1:3 - 12].
We believe that God is under no obligation to have elected anyone, nor is He under an obligation to elect everyone if indeed He elects some, but He is free to “have mercy on whom [He has] mercy” [Romans 9:15].
We believe that those who are of the Elect are not chosen as a consequence of their own righteousness, nor are they elect on the basis of foreseen faith, but God has mercy on them because of His great love for them and as a means towards His own glory—that is, the Father glorifying His Son by giving Him a particular people, and the Son glorifying His Father by redeeming said people, and the Spirit glorifying the both by sealing said people.
We believe that this election is of particular individuals, known and chosen specifically by God before the foundation of the world to be His people [Matthew 25:34; Ephesians 1:4; Revelation 13:8].
We believe that the atoning death of Jesus Christ was done with the intention of saving a particular people from their sin (the Elect) and was perfectly successful in doing so. We believe that as Jesus hung upon Calvary’s tree, He endured the wrath of God, which is the just punishment against sin, for all those who would believe in Him, and for no one else. In doing so, He secured justification on behalf of all for whom He died, for, having taken their punishment upon Himself, there is no punishment left for them to face.
We believe that the atonement is limited in its scope (only being provided for the Elect), but we believe that the atonement is unlimited in its efficacy, because it guarantees the salvation of all for whom it was made.
We believe that when Jesus died He “bore our sins in His body” [1st Peter 2:24] and was “made sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God” [2nd Corinthians 5:21].
We believe, having been convinced by Scripture, that if Jesus had made propitiation for all individual people, then all would be saved, because their sins would have been paid in full, as ours have been. However, the Bible teaches repeatedly that there will be many who will face the wrath of God in hell—therefore, we conclude, there must be many for whom Christ did not die, for if He did die on their behalf, then what punishment could be left for them to endure?
We believe that all individuals whom God has elected and redeemed will be brought to true faith by the working of the Holy Spirit. We believe that no one can overturn or stand against the hand of God, and anything that He pleases to occur will be accomplished [Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 43:13]. Therefore, should God will to bring any individual to faith, He will succeed in doing so.
We do not believe that the doctrine of Irresistible Grace is rightly described as ‘forcing’ or ‘coercing’ or ‘making’ someone believe The Gospel as if it were some act of evil. Neither do we believe that Irresistible Grace denies that all men must choose to believe in the Lord Jesus. Instead, we first understand that God’s grace is a good and beautiful thing that we should wish to be brought upon all men. Second, we understand that when God applies His grace—in this sense—it changes the heart of a man (through regeneration) and thus gives Him the overwhelming desire within his own heart to repent of sins and follow Jesus Christ.
We believe that, should God not wholly and successfully regenerate someone, they will not turn to follow Him or have faith in Him, but will persist in their rebellion. Thus, God’s grace must be irresistible, otherwise sinful men would continually reject it.
We believe that Irresistible Grace is the mechanism through which God brings His people to faith in Him, surely and successfully, without coercing them to believe reluctantly or without true, earnest love for Him.
We believe that all individuals whom God has elected, redeemed, and regenerated will persevere in their faith until they either enter glory or the Lord Jesus returns. They will do this because the Holy Spirit will continually spur them on to good works and will turn their eye upon the Lord.
We believe that one who belongs to Christ cannot be snatched from His hand by the world or the Devil [John 10:27 - 28], nor can anything separate them from the love of God which leads to salvation [Romans 8:38 - 39].
We believe that if someone is truly born again, they will never desire to leave the faith, and though they may fall away for a time due to confusion or the hardships of life, God will restore them to repentance before their death.
We do not believe that someone can merely profess “I believe in Jesus” and proceed to live without concern for His Law. We do not believe that someone can have assurance of their salvation unless their faith is found true by the exercising of good works and perseverance [James 2:26].
We believe that God will accomplish His purposes in all things, until the end of time. God will be faithful to those whom He has saved, and will by no means let them fall away from the eternal life which He has prepared for them.
We preserve the term ‘catholic’ in the three ecumenical creeds for two reasons. First, we recognize that when the ancient church used the word ‘catholic’ it did not refer to what we today would call the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, it referred to the one true body of Christ that existed all throughout the world; ‘catholic church’ here means ‘universal church.’
Second, we do not wish to make any unnecessary separation of ourselves from church history, and changing the creed is a bad look. Too many people (in the attempt to distance themselves from the errors of Roman Catholicism) have separated themselves from the early church, which only does harm to their ability to present the Protestant case.
We truly do believe in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church: everyone who believes The Gospel, as preached by the Apostles and found in the pages of Holy Scripture, is a member of that church, the body of Christ.
We have an illustration of Jesus as our organization logo because it serves as a reminder for us to dedicate our work to Him. Artistic illustrations of Jesus Christ should not be meant for worship or idolatry, nor should their creators boast to have captured the true image or glory of Christ.
The Second Commandment tells us:
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments” [Exodus 20:4-6].
This commandment, in context, is referencing the issue of idolatry. The Lord is clearly prohibiting the production of, and consequent worship of, images of Him. To worship or pray to these images would be idolatry. God demands we worship Him directly, not through the use of icons.
Our logo is a form of artistic expression and a tool to remind us to remain steadfast to our Lord Jesus Christ, who cannot be completely embodied in a work of art. When we pray, we pray directly to Him. When we worship, we worship Him directly—we do not do these things through icons.
Furthermore, the prohibition in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 against grave images places emphasis upon God’s being outside of the created order. At that point in time, God had no form, no image that could be represented in art or craftsmanship. But, as a result of the incarnation (and the continuing reality thereof), God does have physical form—the man Christ Jesus. Now, because it is impossible to truly know what Jesus looks like until we are with Him, we cannot claim that our logo is “Jesus.” However, it falls squarely within a tradition of Christ-imagery that dates back to the early church, and as previously noted, the intention that our worship be towards the image, but rather, that the image remind us to worship the true and living God.
We utilize the LSB translation, done by the Lockman Foundation in 2021, distributed by Steadfast Bibles. We use this translation because we believe that it fully and accurately delivers the wording of the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts.
We are committed to careful, thoughtful, and faithful exegesis of Scripture, and believe that using a strict “word-for-word” translation equips us to do the best work possible.
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven;
He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come.
Amen.
Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith.
Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally.
Now this is the catholic faith:
That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,
neither blending their persons
nor dividing their essence.
For the person of the Father is a distinct person,
the person of the Son is another,
and that of the Holy Spirit still another.
But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one,
their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.
What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has.
The Father is uncreated,
the Son is uncreated,
the Holy Spirit is uncreated.
The Father is immeasurable,
the Son is immeasurable,
the Holy Spirit is immeasurable.
The Father is eternal,
the Son is eternal,
the Holy Spirit is eternal.
And yet there are not three eternal beings;
there is but one eternal being.
So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings;
there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being.
Similarly, the Father is almighty,
the Son is almighty,
the Holy Spirit is almighty.
Yet there are not three almighty beings;
there is but one almighty being.
Thus the Father is God,
the Son is God,
the Holy Spirit is God.
Yet there are not three gods;
there is but one God.
Thus the Father is Lord,
the Son is Lord,
the Holy Spirit is Lord.
Yet there are not three lords;
there is but one Lord.
Just as Christian truth compels us
to confess each person individually
as both God and Lord,
so catholic religion forbids us
to say that there are three gods or lords.
The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone.
The Son was neither made nor created;
he was begotten from the Father alone.
The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten;
He proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers;
there is one Son, not three sons;
there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
Nothing in this trinity is before or after,
nothing is greater or smaller;
in their entirety the three persons
are coeternal and coequal with each other.
So in everything, as was said earlier,
we must worship their trinity in their unity
and their unity in their trinity.
Anyone then who desires to be saved
should think thus about the trinity.
But it is necessary for eternal salvation
that one also believe in the incarnation
of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.
Now this is the true faith:
That we believe and confess
that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son,
is both God and human, equally.
He is God from the essence of the Father,
begotten before time;
and He is human from the essence of His mother,
born in time;
completely God, completely human,
with a rational soul and human flesh;
equal to the Father as regards divinity,
less than the Father as regards humanity.
Although He is God and human,
yet Christ is not two, but one.
He is one, however,
not by His divinity being turned into flesh,
but by God's taking humanity to himself.
He is one,
certainly not by the blending of His essence,
but by the unity of His person.
For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh,
so too the one Christ is both God and human.
He suffered for our salvation;
He descended to hell;
He arose from the dead;
He ascended to heaven;
He is seated at the Father's right hand;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
At His coming all people will arise bodily
and give an accounting of their own deeds.
Those who have done good will enter eternal life,
and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.
This is the catholic faith:
one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.
