Oswego County LEAH Statement Of Faith
Preface:
Our Statement of Faith includes only those truths upon which all true Christians agree. It concerns the Authority of Scripture, Deity of Christ, the Person and Work of Jesus Christ (the Gospel) as revealed in Scripture. It is the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 2, Ephesians 4:5) which distinguishes believers from non-believers. There are many other precious truths taught in the Bible over which godly men have differed in understanding. Therefore, this is not a statement of all that is important to believe, but of all that is essential to believe for Christian fellowship and unity (Romans 15:1-7).
We affirm the spiritual unity of believers through our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that individual doctrinal or practical differences which may exist, outside of the succeeding, should not hinder the unity of Christian home educators.
We believe:
→ The Bible to be the inspired, infallible, divinely preserved Word of God, the supreme and final authority for all faith and life.
→ That there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
→ In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, His bodily resurrection, His ascension, and His imminent bodily return in power and glory.
→ That man was created in the image of God, but fell into sin and is therefore lost, and only those who put their faith in Jesus Christ alone, not trusting in any personal works whatsoever, can be saved.
→ That salvation is the free gift of God brought to the sinner by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose substitutionary death on the cross paid the penalty for man’s sin.
→ That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict mankind; indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service.
→ That God created mankind in His own image: male (man) and female (woman), sexually different, but with equal personal dignity. Consequently, members must affirm their (and all others) biological sex and refrain from any and all attempts to physically change, alter, or disagree with their predominant biological sex. (Genesis 1:26-28, Romans 1:26-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
→ That God created and ordered human sexuality to the permanent, exclusive, comprehensive, and conjugal “one flesh” union of man and woman, intrinsically ordered to procreation and biological family, and in furtherance of the moral, spiritual, and public good of binding father, mother, and child. Consequently, members must affirm the sexual complementarity of man and woman and resist any and all same-sex sexual attractions and refrain from any and all same-sex sexual acts or conduct. (Genesis 1:27, Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, Mark 10:5-9, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Ephesians 5:25-27, Revelation 19:7-9, Revelation 21:2)
→ That the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated by Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25). God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4). God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
→ That any form of sexual immorality (including but not limited to: adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
→ That the term “family” means either a married couple, as defined above, who are usually blessed with one or more biological and/or adopted children or grandchildren; or a single adult with one or more biological and/or adopted children or grandchildren.