ACTS Bible College 7 Core Doctrinal Beliefs
with scriptural referencesAll students will be required to agree to our 7 Core Doctrinal Beliefs, Statement on Gender and Marriage, and Doctrinal Commitment.It is our understanding that the following 7 Core Doctrinal Beliefs are central to biblical Christiantiy and saving faith traditionally held by all the saints since the apostolic age and that any true believer can agree to these beliefs without hesitation. It is our aim to admit believers who are consistently "Christian" in the traditional, evangelical sense. We work to teach all of our students how to think biblically and Christianly, to carefully study the Bible, and to apply scriptural wisdom and truth to questions of doctrine, life, and practice. We do not intend to turn out adherents of a narrow denominational position, but we prefer to help students to understand the biblical support behind their theological beliefs and to be able to competently study the word of God with thoroughness, depth, and attention to the whole of biblical teaching on any given subject.Please note that we are deliberately not requiring agreement to specific positions that would differentiate between opposing views that we believe are not central to salvation by grace through faith in Christ. While individual professors will be open with students on their personal doctrinal commitments, we do not believe that divisive issues affect eternal salvation. Such issues that are seen as opposing in denominational settings, but which we believe should be able to learn together in an environment of trust and careful attention to the Bible, are: Reformed/Calvinism vs Arminianism, Covenantalism vs Dispensationalism, Amillennialism vs Premillennialism vs Postmillennialism, Cessationist vs Continuist views about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and so on. Please feel free to contact our administration via the information request button on the main page with any questions about this statement.7 Core Doctrinal Beliefs
1. The Trinity (God is Triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit): Matthew 28:18–19; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3–4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1–3; Revelation 1:4–6
2. The full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ: Luke 1:30–35; 2:40; John 1:1–2, 18; 3:16; Philippians 2:5–8; Hebrews 4:15
3. The spiritual lostness of the human race: Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Psalms 14:1–3; 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:35; Romans 3:10–19; 8:6–7; Ephesians 2:1–3; 1 Timothy 5:6; 1 John 3:8
4. The substitutionary atonement and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ: Substitutionary atonement: John 1:11, 29; Acts 2:22–24; Romans 3:25–26; 2 Corinthians 5:14; 1 Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 10:5–14; 1 Peter 3:18; Bodily resurrection: Job 19:25; John 20:20; 1 Corinthians 15:1–58; Philippians 3:20–21
5. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone: Leviticus 17:11; Isaiah 64:6; Matthew 26:28; John 1:12; 3:7–18, 36; 5:24; 6:29; Acts 13:39; 16:31; Romans 1:16–17; 3:22, 26; 4:5; 5:6–9; 10:4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13, 22; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 3:4–9; Titus 3:5; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:18–19, 23
6. The physical return of Jesus Christ: Deuteronomy 30:1–10; Isaiah 11:9; Ezekiel 37:21–28; Matthew 24:15–25:46; Acts 15:16–17; Romans 8:19–23; 11:25–27; 1 Timothy 4:1–3; 2 Timothy 3:1–5; Revelation 20:1–3
7. The authority and inerrancy of Scripture: Mark 12:26, 36; 13:11; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2–3; 18:28; 26:22–23; 28:23; Romans 15:4;1 Corinthians 2:13; 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21
Statement on Gender and Marriage
We believe that the Bible, as the inspired word of God, teaches on human gender and sexuality as ordained by God. We believe that God created humanity (males/men and females/women) in his image and likeness, with dignity and unique value above all other creatures, and that he created each (male and female) with immutable gender as determined by genetics and physiology present before and at the time of birth. We affirm biological sex/gender as unchangeable and we believe that people ought to refrain from any attempts to change genders or alter predominant biological sex, to live or act as a different biological sex than that which aligns with their natural born gender and sexuality, or to participate in any sexual acts with the same gender or a person who has altered or denied their gender.
We believe that all sexual acts outside of marriage are prohibited and sinful and that marriage is created by God as the conjugal “one flesh” union of a man with a woman to be monogamous and oriented toward procreation, family, and the moral and spiritual good of the family as a whole: father, mother, and child/children (naturally born or adopted). Sinful sexual acts include but are not limited to the following: co-habitation, adultery, fornication, incest, pornography, prostitution, voyeurism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, sodomy, polygamy, polyamory, or same-sex sexual acts. God’s created order and intended relations between man and woman in monogamous marriage are part of God’s whole design for human flourishing and his glory, and sexual immorality and inappropriate handling of gender identities, attitudes, and actions are a result of the fall of all creation into sin and symptoms of the created world groaning in pain and strain until Christ returns to restore all things. The struggles in the world because of sin are not cause nor occasion for acting in sinful ways despite anything one might feel to the contrary.
Knowing that it is true that all people have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, we also believe that forgiveness, redemption, and cleansing are available for any and all sins, and so those who are repentant can find forgiveness and redemption by grace through faith in Jesus Christ no matter the sin(s) that they have committed, whether of a sexual or gender-related nature or not. We believe that we must welcome and respect any who struggle with sin or sin-behaviors/feelings and treat with compassion, patience, grace, and sensitivity any who feel same-sex attractions, have sexual sin of any kind in their past, confess immoral acts or temptations to act, or any other related issues. In addition we believe that any who have such attractions or have experienced or been tempted to experience any sexual, gender-related, or other sins must be repentant, committed to resisting temptation, avoiding sin, and refraining from immorality, and that they must seek to conform their lives, actions, and thought-lives to the moral standards of the scriptures and to seek aid, counseling, or any other help needed to submit their lives to Christ and to live for the glory of God.
We believe that God grants, through his word, two healthy options for human sexual behavior: one is the monogamous “one-flesh” union of one man and one woman in Christian marriage, and the other is celibacy and faithful Christian singleness. Both are provisions from God as grants of his will and are to be lived for his glory, the good of his church, and the Christian flourishing of the single person or married persons.
(Gen 1:27–28; 2:18–24; Exod 20:14; Lev 18:7–23; 20:10–21; Deut 5:18; Isa 54:1; 56:3–5; Matt 5:27–28; 10:5–8; 11:28–30; 15:19; 19:4–12; Mark 10:5–9; Rom 1:26–27; 3:23; 5:8; 6:23; 10:9–10; 12:10; 1 Cor 6:9–20; 7:1–40; 10:13; 12:1–31; Gal 5:19–25; Eph 2:1–10; 4:17–19; 5:25–33; Col 3:1–17; 1 Thess 4:3; 1 Tim 5:1–2; Heb 2:17–18; 4:14–16; 13:4; 1 John 1:9; Rev 19:7–9; 21:1–8)
Doctrinal Commitment
All of our students, employees, faculty, administration, and volunteers must affirm and adhere to the 7 Core Doctrinal Values and the school Statement on Gender and Marriage in order to be involved with Acts Bible College in any of these capacities. Actions, speech, attitudes, or behaviors to the contrary of these willfully indulged in and for which the perpetrator is unrepentant or remains determinedly committed to being contrary toward will obstruct involvement with the school in any of these capacities at the discretion of the board and the administration in whom the board invests proper authority and power. These statements and biblical commitments are necessary for the religious mission of this institution to equip men and women for gospel ministry for the glory of God and the good of his church in the world.