What We Believe

We desire to walk in the ways of Jesus and His Apostles. Therefore, we look to our past to build guardrails along our Biblical path as we walk in the teachings of the Apostle’s Creed. While this creed isn’t in the Bible, nor was it written by the Apostle’s themselves, it is still a strong connector to our past.

The Apostle's Creed came to us about 150 years after the Apostles as a memorable collection of their teachings. The glimpse it gives us is a glimpse of passionate, zealous belief in the God who saves! We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Apostle’s Creed at least a few times per year to help bolster your faith. If you are feeling really froggy, consider committing it to memory!

We have the creed in its entirety available for you to read below. Join us in seeking to be Zealous Christians who are seeking to build Zealous Homes until we are called to our eternal home with Jesus!

THE APOSTLE’S CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

The Creator of heaven and earth,

and in Jesus Christ,

His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,

whence He shall 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 Church history is important. Therefore, we look to our past to build guardrails along our Biblical path as we wrestle with the teachings of the Nicene Creed.

First adopted in A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicea and finalized in A.D.381 at the Council of Constantinople, this creed serves as a defense of the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ. While this creed isn’t in the Bible, it serves as an excellent summary of the Christian faith, while it also reminds us of God’s zealous love for us! What can be better?

We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Nicene Creed at least twice per year to help stoke the zealous fire of your faith. We have the creed in its entirety available for you to read for below.

THE NICENE CREED

A.D. 325

We believe in one God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of the Father before all worlds,

God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God,

begotten, not made,

being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made;

who for us men, and for our salvation,

came down from heaven,

and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary,

and was made man,

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered and was buried,

and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures,

and ascended into heaven,

and sitteth on the right hand of the Father.

And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead,

whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord and Giver of Life,

who proceedeth from the Father,

who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

who spoke by the prophets.

And we believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.

And we look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

Historical Note: The Nicene Creed was first adopted in A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicea. Roman Emperor, Constantine, convened the Council of Nicea in an attempt to unify the Christian church with one doctrine, especially on the theological issues of the Trinity and the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ.

*catholic: refers to the universal church, not the Roman Catholic Church of today.

We believe defending the Christian faith is of utmost importance. Therefore, we look to one of the great apologists of our past to build guardrails along our Biblical path as we learn from the teachings of the Athanasian Creed.

Athanasius was a brilliant defender of the faith during the time after the Edict of Milan in A.D. 313. He participated in the development of the Nicene Creed. He had a tremendous gift in spotting and defending against wolves in sheep's clothing. He is an example for us to emulate as we seek to zealously defend the faith.

The Creed serves as a powerful defense of trinitarian belief and of the deity and humanity of Christ. While we affirm this creed, we do want to point out that while the Athanasian Creed demands belief in all of its affirmations for salvation, we do not believe that all of them are mandatory for salvation. But they are all important to understand.

We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Athanasian Creed to help ignite and bolster your zealous faith. We have the creed in its entirety available for you to read below.

THE ATHANASIAN CREED

Whoever wants to be saved should above all cling to the catholic* faith.

Whoever does not guard it whole and inviolable

will doubtless perish eternally.

Now this is the catholic* faith:

We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity,

neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being.

For the Father is one person,

the Son is another,

and the Spirit is still another.

But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one,

equal in glory,

coeternal in majesty.

What the Father is, the Son is, and so is the Holy Spirit.

Uncreated is the Father;

uncreated is the Son;

uncreated is the Spirit.

The Father is infinite;

the Son is infinite;

the Holy Spirit is infinite.

Eternal is the Father;

eternal is the Son;

eternal is the Spirit:

And yet there are not three eternal beings,

but one who is eternal;

as there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings,

but one who is uncreated and unlimited.

Almighty is the Father;

almighty is the Son;

almighty is the Spirit:

And yet there are not three almighty beings,

but one who is almighty.

Thus the Father is God;

the Son is God;

the Holy Spirit is God:

And yet there are not three gods,

but one God.

Thus the Father is Lord;

the Son is Lord;

the Holy Spirit is Lord:

And yet there are not three lords,

but one Lord.

As Christian truth compels us

to acknowledge each distinct person as 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;

the Son was neither made nor created,

but was alone begotten of the Father;

the Spirit was neither made nor created,

but is proceeding from the Father and the Son.

Thus there is one Father, not three fathers;

one Son, not three sons;

one Holy Spirit, not three spirits.

And in this Trinity,

no one is before or after,

greater or less than the other;

but all three persons are in themselves,

coeternal and coequal;

and so we must worship the Trinity in unity

and the one God in three persons.

Whoever wants to be saved should think thus about the Trinity.

It is necessary for eternal salvation that one

also faithfully believe that our Lord Jesus Christ became flesh.

For this is the true faith that we believe and confess:

That our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is both God and man.

He is God, begotten before all worlds from the being of the Father,

and he is man, born in the world from the being of his mother

—existing fully as God,

and fully as man with a rational soul and a human body;

equal to the Father in divinity,

subordinate to the Father in humanity.

Although he is God and man,

he is not divided, but is one Christ.

He is united because God has taken humanity into himself;

he does not transform deity into humanity.

He is completely one in the unity of his person,

without confusing his natures.

For as the rational soul and body are one person,

so the one Christ is God and man.

He suffered death for our salvation.

He descended into hell

and rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

At his coming all people shall rise bodily

to give an account of their own deeds.

Those who have done good will enter eternal life,

those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.

This is the catholic* faith.

One cannot be saved without believing this firmly and faithfully.

*catholic: refers to the universal church, not the Roman Catholic Church of today.

We believe being guided by confessions of faith are helpful to living a more zealous life and building a stronger community. Therefore, we wholeheartedly affirm the teachings of the Second London Confession of 1689. In our opinion there are plenty of good confessions, but we chose the Second London Confession due to its rich Biblical Theology and practical applicability. Caution: It is lengthy, but loaded with great doctrinal guide rails for life and ministry. Be zealous!

We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Second London Confession one section at a time during your daily study. It will be a tremendous guide toward right doctrine and right living. We have the confession in its entirety available for you to read. Click the link below to read the confession!

THE SECOND LONDON CONFESSION OF 1689

We believe being guided by confessions are helpful to living a more zealous life and building a stronger community. Therefore, we wholeheartedly affirm the teachings of the Abstract of Principles of 1858.

In our opinion there are plenty of good confessions, but like we chose the Second London Confession due to its rich Biblical Theology and practical applicability, we also chose the Abstract of Principles for their brevity and clarity. They serve as a second great doctrinal guardrail for life and ministry. Be zealous!

We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Abstract of Principles one section at a time during your daily study. It will be a tremendous guide toward right doctrine and right living. We have the confession in its entirety available for you to read at the link below.

THE ABSTRACT OF PRINCIPLES OF 1858

We believe the Bible to be wholly true and inerrant in every way, therefore we affirm this statement on biblical inerrancy. The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy sets forth clear teachings on the miracle of God’s Word and it's proper interpretation. These statements help to keep us from erring one way or another. Follow them zealously!

We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. We have the statement in its entirety available for you to read. Click the link below to get your zealous on!

THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL INERRANCY, 1978

We believe the Bible has a right and wrong way to be read, therefore we affirm this statement on biblical hermeneutics. The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics outlines clear rules for rightly interpreting the Word of God.

These statements help us to keep our teaching and understanding in context with the meaning that God conveyed through Divine Inspiration. Put these rules into practice so that your zeal may grow!

We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics. We have the statement in its entirety available for you to read. Click the link below to get your zealous on!

THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS OF 1982

We believe the Bible is sufficient for every need if properly interpreted and applied, therefore we affirm this statement on biblical hermeneutics. The Chicago Statement on Biblical Application demonstrates how the Bible rightly applies to life and culture. These statements help us to live out a biblical ethic in a culture that is fallen and depraved.

Allow these guidelines to help you develop a robust biblical ethic that will translate into a more zealous life for Christ! We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Chicago Statement on Biblical Application. We have the statement in its entirety available for you to read. Click the link below to get your zealous on!

THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL APPLICATION OF 1986

We believe it is vitally important to understand how and why God made man and woman. Therefore, we affirm the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. The Danvers Statement helps us to wade through the cultural landscape and arrive at a biblical understanding of what it means to be men and women made in God’s image. The complementarian understanding of man and woman is the only biblical understanding that can truly help to build strong zealous homes and ministries for Christ’s glory!

We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. We have the statement in its entirety available for you to read below.

The Danvers Statement summarizes the need for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) and serves as an overview of our core beliefs. This statement was prepared by several evangelical leaders at a CBMW meeting in Danvers, Massachusetts, in December of 1987. It was first published in final form by the CBMW in Wheaton, Illinois in November of 1988.

RATIONALE

We have been moved in our purpose by the following contemporary developments which we observe with deep concern:

The widespread uncertainty and confusion in our culture regarding the complementary differences between masculinity and femininity;
the tragic effects of this confusion in unraveling the fabric of marriage woven by God out of the beautiful and diverse strands of manhood and womanhood;
the increasing promotion given to feminist egalitarianism with accompanying distortions or neglect of the glad harmony portrayed in Scripture between the loving, humble leadership of redeemed husbands and the intelligent, willing support of that leadership by redeemed wives;
the widespread ambivalence regarding the values of motherhood, vocational homemaking, and the many ministries historically performed by women;
the growing claims of legitimacy for sexual relationships which have Biblically and historically been considered illicit or perverse, and the increase in pornographic portrayal of human sexuality;
the upsurge of physical and emotional abuse in the family;
the emergence of roles for men and women in church leadership that do not conform to Biblical teaching but backfire in the crippling of Biblically faithful witness;
the increasing prevalence and acceptance of hermeneutical oddities devised to reinterpret apparently plain meanings of Biblical texts;
the consequent threat to Biblical authority as the clarity of Scripture is jeopardized and the accessibility of its meaning to ordinary people is withdrawn into the restricted realm of technical ingenuity;
and behind all this the apparent accommodation of some within the church to the spirit of the age at the expense of winsome, radical Biblical authenticity which in the power of the Holy Spirit may reform rather than reflect our ailing culture.

PURPOSES

Recognizing our own abiding sinfulness and fallibility, and acknowledging the genuine evangelical standing of many who do not agree with all of our convictions, nevertheless, moved by the preceding observations and by the hope that the noble Biblical vision of sexual complementarity may yet win the mind and heart of Christ’s church, we engage to pursue the following purposes:

To study and set forth the Biblical view of the relationship between men and women, especially in the home and in the church.
To promote the publication of scholarly and popular materials representing this view.
To encourage the confidence of lay people to study and understand for themselves the teaching of Scripture, especially on the issue of relationships between men and women.
To encourage the considered and sensitive application of this Biblical view in the appropriate spheres of life.
And thereby

to bring healing to persons and relationships injured by an inadequate grasp of God’s will concerning manhood and womanhood,
to help both men and women realize their full ministry potential through a true understanding and practice of their God-given roles,
and to promote the spread of the gospel among all peoples by fostering a Biblical wholeness in relationships that will attract a fractured world.

AFFIRMATIONS

Based on our understanding of Biblical teachings, we affirm the following:

Both Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18).
Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find an echo in every human heart (Gen 2:18, 21-24; 1 Cor 11:7-9; 1 Tim 2:12-14).
Adam’s headship in marriage was established by God before the Fall, and was not a result of sin (Gen 2:16-18, 21-24, 3:1-13; 1 Cor 11:7-9).
The Fall introduced distortions into the relationships between men and women (Gen 3:1-7, 12, 16).

In the home, the husband’s loving, humble headship tends to be replaced by domination or passivity; the wife’s intelligent, willing submission tends to be replaced by usurpation or servility.
In the church, sin inclines men toward a worldly love of power or an abdication of spiritual responsibility, and inclines women to resist limitations on their roles or to neglect the use of their gifts in appropriate ministries.

The Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, manifests the equally high value and dignity which God attached to the roles of both men and women (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18; Gal 3:28). Both Old and New Testaments also affirm the principle of male headship in the family and in the covenant community (Gen 2:18; Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; 1 Tim 2:11-15).
Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse.

In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands’ authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands’ leadership (Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; Tit 2:3-5; 1 Pet 3:1-7).
In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men (Gal 3:28; 1 Cor 11:2-16; 1 Tim 2:11-15).

In all of life Christ is the supreme authority and guide for men and women, so that no earthly submission-domestic, religious, or civil-ever implies a mandate to follow a human authority into sin (Dan 3:10-18; Acts 4:19-20, 5:27-29; 1 Pet 3:1-2).
In both men and women a heartfelt sense of call to ministry should never be used to set aside Biblical criteria for particular ministries (1 Tim 2:11-15, 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9). Rather, Biblical teaching should remain the authority for testing our subjective discernment of God’s will.
With half the world’s population outside the reach of indigenous evangelism; with countless other lost people in those societies that have heard the gospel; with the stresses and miseries of sickness, malnutrition, homelessness, illiteracy, ignorance, aging, addiction, crime, incarceration, neuroses, and loneliness, no man or woman who feels a passion from God to make His grace known in word and deed need ever live without a fulfilling ministry for the glory of Christ and the good of this fallen world (1 Cor 12:7-21).
We are convinced that a denial or neglect of these principles will lead to increasingly destructive consequences in our families, our churches, and the culture at large.

You can learn more about Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood by visiting, “The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.”

“Know that the LORD Himself is God;It is He who has made us,and not we ourselves…”-Psalm 100:3

We believe the Bible holds the remedy to our culture’s current gender confusion and sexual depravity. Therefore, we affirm the CBMW’s Nashville Statement which presents God’s beautiful design for human gender and sexuality. The Nashville Statement helps us navigate the tempestuous waters of sexual confusion and sin, by lovingly pointing us toward a healthy image as those made in God’s image.

So many families are struggling to cope with this confusion in our day, we believe the Nashville Statement can help to move forward in discipling believers to live zealously and unconfused in our time. We strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through the Nashville Statement. We have the statement in its entirety available for you to read by clicking the link below.

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What We Believe!

What We Believe

THE NICENE CREED

THE ATHANASIAN CREED

THE SECOND LONDON CONFESSION OF 1689

THE ABSTRACT OF PRINCIPLES OF 1858

THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL INERRANCY, 1978

THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS OF 1982

THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL APPLICATION OF 1986

RATIONALE

PURPOSES

AFFIRMATIONS

THE NASHVILLE STATEMENT OF 2017

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RATIONALE

PURPOSES

AFFIRMATIONS

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What We Believe!

What We Believe

Lukewarm Christian Living? No Thanks!