Our Beliefs
We are a community of believers in Jesus Christ, unified by our faith in the gospel and committed to growing in grace and truth. While we represent various Christian denominations and theological traditions, we stand together on the foundational truths of historic Christianity. All verses in this statement are taken from the 2022 New American Standard Bible, but we do not hold to one particular translation. When different translations are used in articles, they will be cited accordingly.
God
We believe in one sovereign, holy, and loving God. Though members of our community may express differing views on the precise nature of divine sovereignty and the nature of the Trinity, we all view God as the divine Ruler of the universe.
Deuteronomy 6:4, “‘Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!’”
Isaiah 45:5, “‘I am the Lord, and there is no one else; There is no God except Me.’”
Jesus
We believe in Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, who lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death, rose bodily from the grave, ascended into heaven, and will return at a point in the future.
John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Philippians 2:8-11, “ 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. 9 For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Acts 1:11, “Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way.”
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer, empowers for holy living and witness, distributes spiritual gifts, and bears fruit in the Christian’s life. Views differ in our community regarding both the nature of the Holy Spirit in relation to the Godhead and the continuation of miraculous gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7, ” 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
Romans 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
Scripture
We affirm the Bible as the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God, sufficient for all matters of faith and practice.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, ” 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.”
2 Peter 1:20-21, ” 20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
Salvation
We believe salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone—not by human works. While most of us hold different views on predestination and eternal security, we agree that salvation is a gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8-9, ” 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Titus 3:4-7, ” 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
The Church
We affirm both the catholic Church (all believers in Christ) and the local church. The Church exists to glorify God through worship, teaching, discipleship, fellowship, and mission.
Ephesians 4:11-13, ” 11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
Romans 12:4-5, ” 4 For just as we have many parts in one body and all the body’s parts do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another.”
The Christian Mission
We believe that Christians are called to live holy lives, love God and neighbor, and participate in the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:18-20, ” 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”
Colossians 3:12-13, “ 12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.”
The Return of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ will return bodily to judge the living and the dead on a glorious day at some point in the future. While our community holds various views on eschatology, we affirm the hope of His return.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, ” 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”
Revelation 22:12-13, ” 12 ‘Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’”
Marriage and Gender
We all unequivocally affirm that marriage is a God-ordained union between one man and one woman and that gender is divinely designed and binary.
Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Conclusion and Disclaimer
While we hold to these core biblical truths, we also recognize that among genuine believers there can be differing interpretations of secondary issues. Our fellowship is grounded in a shared commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As such, we welcome sincere Christians from diverse traditions who affirm the foundational truths of the faith, as summarized above. We are committed to learning from one another in humility and love, under the supreme authority of Scripture and the Lordship of Christ.
The many contributors to this site hold to various views of secondary Christian beliefs, but it is a firm belief among the entire writing staff that we must all be willing to share our own views without feeling an obligation to a mainstream narrative or belief. Learning is a continual process, and we believe that the diversity of beliefs held by the members of the contributor team provide an opportunity for everyone to share why they believe what they believe, if they wish.
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.“
– Rubertus Meldenius