Statement of Faith
Each Board, faculty and staff member of GRACE, having accepted Jesus Christ as personal Savior, shall affirm publicly and have a lifestyle consistent with this statement of faith and the GRACE Mission, Vision and Core Values. This affirmation shall be subscribed to annually in writing.
Final Authority for Matters of Belief and Conduct: The statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of GRACE’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Head of School and Board of Trustees are GRACE’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
Statement of Faith
The Scriptures
We believe that the Bible was written by men divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is the perfect treasure for divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and its contents are without error. It will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions are tried.
God
We believe that there is only one living and true God – immortal and invisible. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite, holy and perfect. The eternal God reveals Himself to His people as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without divisions of nature, essence or being.
Man
We believe that man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. In the beginning, man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God and fell from his original innocence; whereby his descendants inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin; and as soon as they are capable of moral choice, become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God brings man into His holy fellowship and enables man to fulfill the creative purpose of God – “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”.
Statement on Marriage, Gender & Sexuality
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. Sex means the biological condition of being male or female as determined at birth.
Notwithstanding any other policy, GRACE restrooms, locker rooms, and showers designated for one sex shall only be used by members of that sex.
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18-25.) We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4.) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10.) GRACE encourages members of the GRACE community who are struggling with their sexual immorality as described to seek help from their pastor and other trained professionals who might best assist them. Continued inappropriate behavior constitutes a person’s failure to adhere to his/her commitment to abide by the behavioral standards established by GRACE which may be cause for removing his/her privilege of membership in the GRACE community.
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of GRACE Christian School as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the GRACE Christian School faculty, staff, students and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by GRACE Christian School in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. (Matt 5:16; Phil 2:14-16; 1 Thess 5:22.)
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11.)
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31.) Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of GRACE Christian School.
Salvation
We believe that salvation includes every divine action on behalf of the believer, from deliverance out of his lost estate to his final presentation in glory, conformed to the image of Christ. The believer was saved when he, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, died to sin and was spiritually born again as a child of God.