Doctrinal Statement of Faith

Below are listed Anchor Bible College’s doctrinal statements of faith regarding matters of Scripture, the nature of God, the nature of man, salvation, the church, Christian conduct, authority and liberty, and the last things. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of theological topics but is designed to define a theological framework based in Scripture that any student, faculty, or staff would be willing to agree to in relation to the fundamentals of the Christian faith.

Scripture: We believe that the Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the inspired Word of God. It was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and is therefore infallible in its original manuscripts. The Bible is our supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and life (Ps. 19:7-11; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21).
God: We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (the Trinity). The Father is God (Matt. 6:26, 30). Jesus Christ is God (Jn. 1:1; Jn. 20:28, CoI. 2:9). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). Each person of the Trinity shares in the same divine nature and attributes (1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14). As loving creator of the universe, God continues to personally sustain, rule, and care for all He has made (Gen. 1:1; Heb. 1:3; 2 Chr. 20:6; Matt. 7:11).
God the Father: We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit (John 4:24). He is perfect in holiness (Is. 6:1-4), wisdom and justice (Gen. 18:25), power (Mat 19:26), and love (1 John 4:8). We believe that He cares about our needs, hears and answers prayer (Mat 21:22), and saves from sin and eternal death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
God the Son: We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. He is fully God and fully man; conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Lk. 1:31-35). We believe that He lived a sinless life (Heb 4:15); that He paid for our sins by dying on the cross as our substitute (Rom. 5:8); that He bodily rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:3-4, 17-20) and ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). Further, we believe that He will personally, visibly return to earth as He has promised (Matt. 25:31-33; Acts 1:11).
God the Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is also fully God. He convicts people of their sin (Jn. 16:8-11), and He dwells within those who have come to salvation through Christ (Jn. 4:13; 1 Cor 3:16). Through the Holy Spirit, Christians receive power (Acts 1:8), instruction (Jn. 16:13), and Spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-7). The Spirit-controlled Christian will show evidence of an increasingly Christlike character (Gal. 5:22-26). His very presence in our lives gives us assurance that we will inherit eternal life when Christ returns (Eph. 1:13-14).
Mankind: We believe that God created mankind — male and female — in the image of God and free from sin (Gen. 1:27); therefore, all persons have essential dignity and worth. But the Bible also teaches that mankind fell into sin (Gen. 3:1-19); each aspect of our character is corrupted; each person is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1), and therefore each of us is in need of salvation (Rom. 3:23; Rom. 5:12-21).
Salvation: We believe that the only way of salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift from God (Rom. 6:23). It cannot be earned through any human merit, works, or ritual (Eph. 2:8-9). Those who are saved acknowledge Christ as Lord (Rom. 10:9-1 2), serve God in this lifetime (Eph. 2:10), and have the promise of heaven for the future (Jn. 14:1-6).
The Church: We believe in the “universal church,” a spiritual body consisting of all true Christians with Christ as head (Col. 1:18). We also believe in the “local church,” which is a visible assembly of believers (Heb. 10:24-25). Members of a local church have been baptized upon a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:41), and they organize themselves for the purposes of evangelism (Matt. 28:18), worship (Jn. 4:23), edifying one another (Eph. 4:16), and caring for the needy (Jam. 1:27; Acts 2:42, 46). The two ordinances of the church are the baptism of believers (Matt. 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
Christian Conduct: We believe that the supreme task for every believer is to glorify God in his life (1 Cor. 10:31). The Christian should seek to live blamelessly before the world (1 Pet. 1:15; Rom. 12:16-1 8), to be a faithful steward of the possessions, time and abilities that God has given each of us (Lk. 16:10-13), and to seek for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ (Eph. 4:11-13).
Authority and Liberty: We believe that proper authorities have been established by God in human governments (Rom. 13:1-2,7), families (Eph. 5:22,25,6:1), workplaces (Eph 6:5), and churches (Heb. 13:17). The Lord commends and rewards those who submit to such authority (Matt. 8:5-13; Eph. 6:7-8). However, the highest honor is reserved for God alone (Ex. 20:3). A Christian must not give homage to any other god or obey a human directive that contradicts God’s written Word (Dan. 3:16-18). Consequently, we believe that every church should experience religious liberty, free to obey God’s word without interference from external political or religious powers (Acts 4:18-20), and we believe each person has religious liberty in choosing a church to join.
The Last Things: We believe that at the time of Christ’s return, dead Christians will bodily rise from the dead, then those who are alive will be caught up to be with Him, as described in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. We also believe in the resurrection and judgment of the unsaved (Rev. 20:11-15). All people will experience eternal conscious existence either in heaven or in hell (Jn. 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:51-58; 2 Cor. 5:6-10; Matt. 13:41-43; Matt. 25:46).