{"id":1270,"date":"2024-07-31T15:02:25","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T15:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reasonsstg.wpenginepowered.com\/?page_id=1270"},"modified":"2024-07-31T15:02:25","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T15:02:25","slug":"what-we-believe","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe","title":{"rendered":"Statement of Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Statement of Faith<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

What We Believe<\/h5>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

God<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe in one infinitely perfect, eternal, and personal God, the transcendent Creator and sovereign Sustainer of the universe. This one God is Triune, existing eternally and simultaneously as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three persons in the Godhead share equally and completely the one divine nature, and are therefore the same God, coequal in power, nature, and glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scripture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe the Bible (the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is the Word of God, written. As a \u201cGod-breathed\u201d revelation, it is thus verbally inspired and completely without error (historically, scientifically, morally, and spiritually) in its original writings. While God the Holy Spirit supernaturally superintended the writing of the Bible, that writing nevertheless reflects the words and literary styles of its individual human authors. Scripture reveals the being, nature, and character of God; the nature of God\u2019s creation; and especially his will for the salvation of human beings through Jesus Christ. The Bible is therefore our supreme and final authority in all matters that it addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe that the physical universe, the realm of nature, is the visible creation of God. It declares God\u2019s existence and gives a trustworthy revelation of God\u2019s character and purpose. In Scripture, God declares that through his creation all humanity recognizes his existence, power, glory, and wisdom. An honest study of nature\u2014its physical, biological, and social aspects\u2014can prove useful in a person\u2019s search for truth. Properly understood, God\u2019s Word (Scripture) and God\u2019s world (nature), as two revelations (one verbal, one physical) from the same God, will never contradict each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Person of Christ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe that Jesus Christ is both true God (the second Person of the Trinity) and true man (the Incarnate Son of God). We also believe in the great events surrounding Jesus Christ\u2019s life and ministry, including his eternal preexistence, his virgin birth, his attesting miracles, his sinless life, his sacrificial death on the cross, his glorious bodily resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, and his present work in heaven as High Priest and Advocate. He will return in glory to resurrect and judge all mankind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Person of the Holy Spirit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is indeed a Divine Person, coequal with the Father and the Son. We also believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in salvation, a ministry which includes anointing and glorifying Christ, convicting men of their sin, bringing about the regeneration of lost sinners, and indwelling believers and empowering them for godly living and spiritual service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mankind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe God created mankind in his image and likeness (having rational, moral, relational, and spiritual capacities) to fellowship with him and give him glory. Human beings are therefore the crown of God\u2019s creation (possessing inherent dignity and moral worth), and thus distinct in kind from all other life on earth. Adam and Eve, the first human beings, chose to rebel against God and go their own autonomous way. As a result, all of mankind became separated from God, the image of God in man distorted, and the sinful nature passed on to all their progeny. Because of original sin (which includes both corruption and guilt), unregenerate human beings are incapable of pleasing or commending themselves to God. The only remedy for mankind\u2019s pitiful predicament is redemption through faith in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redemption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe God has acted sovereignly to bridge the gap that separates people from himself. He sent his Son to bear the full penalty for humanity\u2019s sin. He demonstrated himself to be God in that he was born of a virgin, performed miracles, and led a sinless life. Jesus Christ suffered and died in the place of sinners, thus satisfying the Father\u2019s just wrath against human sin, and effecting true reconciliation between God and mankind for those who believe. In the atoning death of Christ, both God\u2019s love and God\u2019s justice are fully manifested. The righteousness of Jesus Christ in perfectly fulfilling the law of God has been graciously credited to all believers. Redemption is solely a work of God\u2019s grace, received exclusively through faith in Jesus Christ and never by works of human merit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justification<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe justification is a judicial act of God\u2019s grace wherein he acquits a person of all sin and accepts that person as righteous in his sight because of the imputed righteousness of Christ. Justification is strictly a work of God\u2019s grace, apprehended through faith alone and solely on the account of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resurrection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe Jesus Christ rose bodily from the dead, conquering sin, death, and all the powers of Satan. The resurrection is God\u2019s historical affirmation and vindication of Jesus Christ\u2019s unique identity, mission, and message. Historical evidence of the resurrection is manifest in Christ\u2019s empty tomb, his many resurrection appearances, and in the emergence of the Christian church. Jesus Christ now resides at the right hand of the Father, and lives to indwell all who recognize their sinfulness, who repent, and who turn their lives over to his authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Church<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe the church is the spiritual body of Jesus Christ (its Founder, Head, and Shepherd) and that it encompasses all true believers at all times and places. The function of the church is to carry out the Lord\u2019s expressed will through the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the central purposes of the church is to preach the gospel in both word and life, the good news that humankind can find salvation from sin through faith in Jesus Christ. All people who have placed their faith (confident trust) in Jesus Christ for salvation belong to the church and are, thus, the people of God. This community of believers is made up of people who are neither perfect nor sinless, but by grace their lives are coming more and more under the control of the Holy Spirit, expressing his love, joy, peace, and other Christlike qualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future Things<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth personally, bodily, and visibly to establish his glorious reign in a kingdom that will never end. As the sovereign Lord, he will resurrect and judge all humanity. Those who have received his offer of life through the gospel will go to eternal blessings in heaven; those who have rejected it, to eternal conscious torment in hell. We look forward to the blessed hope, Christ\u2019s Second Coming in glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Commission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation. And since Christ has commissioned his people, the church, to go into all the world to disciple, to baptize, and to teach everyone everywhere to obey his Word, we desire, by his grace, to play our part in reaching the world with the gospel of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sexual Issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe that God created humanity in His image, making them distinctly male and female, equal in dignity and worth but different in their roles. Marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, reflecting the relationship between Christ and the Church. Sexual relations are intended only within the bounds of marriage. People with same-sex attraction can live lives pleasing to God through faith in Jesus Christ, and physical differences or psychological conditions do not change the fundamental unity of biological sex and self-conception as male or female.

We affirm the dignity and worth of those born with physical disorders of sex development and welcome them as faithful followers of Christ. However, we hold that it is sinful to approve of homosexual activity or transgenderism, as it contradicts scriptural teachings. God\u2019s grace through Christ enables believers to align their self-conception with their biological sex, forsake sinful desires, and live in accordance with God\u2019s design. The grace of God offers both pardon and transformative power to turn away from sexual sin, affirming that no one is beyond the saving grace of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanctity of Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reasons to Believe upholds the belief that God created humankind distinctly, in His image and likeness. Human beings are the crown of God\u2019s creation\u2014possessing inherent God-given dignity and moral worth (Psalm 8:4-5). Thus, we believe all human life is sacred, in all its dimensions, from conception (the moment of fertilization) through natural death (Psalm 139: 13-16). An expression of our Biblical view on the sanctity of life includes the protection of unborn and newborn babies from abortion or infanticide. The painful decision to abort an unborn baby to protect the physical life of the mother is not a violation of the sanctity of life, as the primary goal is to save the physical life of the mother, with the unavoidable consequence of the loss of the baby.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Read our Statement of Faith outlining what we believe about God, Scripture, creation, Jesus Christ, salvation, the church, and Christian apologetics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":599,"featured_media":433570,"parent":0,"menu_order":32,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"standard-page","meta":{"_person_authors":[],"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1270","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStatement of Faith - Reasons to Believe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read our Statement of Faith outlining what we believe about God, Scripture, creation, Jesus Christ, salvation, the church, and Christian apologetics.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Statement of Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read our Statement of Faith outlining what we believe about God, Scripture, creation, Jesus Christ, salvation, the church, and Christian apologetics.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Reasons to Believe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RTBOfficial\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@rtb_official\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/what-we-believe\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/what-we-believe\",\"name\":\"Statement of Faith - Reasons to Believe\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/what-we-believe#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/what-we-believe#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-31T15:02:25+00:00\",\"description\":\"Read our Statement of Faith outlining what we believe about God, Scripture, creation, Jesus Christ, salvation, the church, and Christian apologetics.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/what-we-believe#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/what-we-believe\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/what-we-believe#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg\",\"width\":333,\"height\":333},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/what-we-believe#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Statement of Faith\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Reasons to Believe\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Reasons to Believe\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/RTB_minimal_swirl_logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/05\\\/RTB_minimal_swirl_logo.png\",\"width\":365,\"height\":365,\"caption\":\"Reasons to Believe\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/reasons.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/RTBOfficial\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/rtb_official\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/rtb_official\\\/?utm_source=reasons.org&amp;ampampampamputm_medium=sm-icons\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCYn91p__adK3Vcml9_CY26Q?utm_source=reasons.org&amp;ampamputm_medium=sm-icons\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@reasonstobelieve?utm_source=reasons.org&amp;ampampampamputm_medium=sm-icons\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Statement of Faith - Reasons to Believe","description":"Read our Statement of Faith outlining what we believe about God, Scripture, creation, Jesus Christ, salvation, the church, and Christian apologetics.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Statement of Faith","og_description":"Read our Statement of Faith outlining what we believe about God, Scripture, creation, Jesus Christ, salvation, the church, and Christian apologetics.","og_url":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe","og_site_name":"Reasons to Believe","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RTBOfficial\/","og_image":[{"width":333,"height":333,"url":"https:\/\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@rtb_official","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe","url":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe","name":"Statement of Faith - Reasons to Believe","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg","datePublished":"2024-07-31T15:02:25+00:00","description":"Read our Statement of Faith outlining what we believe about God, Scripture, creation, Jesus Christ, salvation, the church, and Christian apologetics.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg","width":333,"height":333},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/what-we-believe#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Statement of Faith"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/","name":"Reasons to Believe","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/#organization","name":"Reasons to Believe","url":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RTB_minimal_swirl_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/RTB_minimal_swirl_logo.png","width":365,"height":365,"caption":"Reasons to Believe"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RTBOfficial\/","https:\/\/x.com\/rtb_official","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rtb_official\/?utm_source=reasons.org&amp;ampampampamputm_medium=sm-icons","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCYn91p__adK3Vcml9_CY26Q?utm_source=reasons.org&amp;ampamputm_medium=sm-icons","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@reasonstobelieve?utm_source=reasons.org&amp;ampampampamputm_medium=sm-icons"]}]}},"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/reasons-prod.storage.googleapis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/statement-of-faith-menu.jpg",333,333,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Reasons to Believe","author_link":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/author\/reasonstobelieve"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/599"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reasons.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}