2000-2001 Academic Catalog

212 Doctrinal Statement All trustees, administrators, full-time faculty, and staff support and adhere to the doctrinal statement and lifestyle commitment of Cedarville University. Doctrinal Statement We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired byGod and inerrant in the originalwritings, embracing all matters which the biblical authors address, and believe that they are ofsupreme and final authority in faith and life. II Timothy 3: 16, 17; II Peter 1: 19-21. We believe in one God-eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent existing as three Persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one in nature, attributes, power, and glory. Genesis 1: 1,26; Proverbs 30:4; Mark 12:29; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; John 1:1-4, 14,18; Acts 5:3,4. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and that He is both true God and true man. Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; Philippians 2:6-11; Isaiah 7:14; John 1:14. We believe in the literal six-day account of creation, that the creation ofman lies in the special, immediate, and formative acts ofGod and not from previously existing forms oflife. Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7- 9,16,17; 3:1-19. We believe that man was created perfect in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also that spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and we are sinners in thought, word, and deed. Genesis 3: 1-6; Romans 1: 18,32; 3: 10-19; 5:12,19. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice and rose again for our justification; and that all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds ofHis shed blood and are saved by grace through faith wholly apart from human merit and works. Acts 13:39; 16:31; Romans 3:21-28; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:3-8. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus are born again by the Holy Spirit through the Word ofGod and thereby become the children ofGod forever andare eternally secure. John 1: 12,13; 3:3-16; 5:24; 10:28,29; I Peter 1:23; II Peter 1:4-11. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son; that He was active in creation; that He convicts ofsin, righteousness, andjudgment; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He baptizes all believers into the body ofChrist at conversion; that He indwells, seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer. Psalm 139:7-12; John 14: 16, 17; 16: 13,14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians6: 19. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit are completed and are not applicable to the work ofthe Holy Spirit today. I Corinthians 12:8-10,28-30; 14:1-40. We believe in the imminent "Blessed Hope," the Rapture of the church before the tribulation, when the "Lord shall descend from heaven" to catch up His bride to meet Him in the air and "so shall we ever be with the Lord." John 14: 1-3; I Thessalonians 4: 13-18; I Corinthians 15:15-58. We believe in the literal, bodily resurrection of the crucified Lord, His ascension into Heaven, His present life there as our High Priest and Advocate, and His personal, bodily, visible return to the earth at the end of the tribulation to establish His millennial Kingdom on earth, and to reign as the only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Luke 24:36-43; John 20:24-29; Acts 1:9-11; I Corinthians 15:25; Revelation 1:5-7; 19: 11-16; 20:6. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead: the saved to a life of eternal glo1y and bliss in Heaven with God; the unsaved to eternal judgment of conscious suffering and woe in the lake of fire. John 5:28,29; Revelation 20:6, 11-15; 21: 1-8; Matthew 10:28; 18:8,9; 25:41,46; Mark 9:43-49; II Thessalonians 1:6-9. We believe in personal separation from all practices and influences of the world which hinder a spirit-filled life. We believe in biblical separation from all forms of ecclesiastical apostasy. Romans 12: l; James 4:4; I John 2:15-17; II Corinthians 6:14; 7: 1; Colossians 3: 1-17; Romans 6: 1-14; Galatians 5:16-25. We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to be a personal soul winner and to do his utmost to give the gospel of Christ to the whole world. Mark 16: 15; Acts I :8; John 17: 18; 20:21; II Corinthians 5:20. We believe that the local Church is an organized congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant, observing the ordinances of Christ, having the offices ofpastor and deacon, exercising the gifts, rights, privileges, and responsibilities given them by His Word, and that it has the absolute right of self-government. We believe that the Church which is His Body includes all New Testament believers. Matthew 18:15-17; I Corinthians 1:2; 7: 17; 11: 16; I Timothy 3:1-15; I Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 1:22,23; 2:14,15; 5:23-32. We believe that the Scriptural ordinances of the local church are Baptism and the Lord's Supper; that Baptism, by immersion, should be administered to believers only, as an identifying symbol of their belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our death to sin and resurrection to a new walk in life, and that it is a prerequisite to local church membership; that the Lord's Supper is a commemoration of His death and should be preceded by believer's baptism and solemn self-examination. Matthew 28:19,20; Acts 8:36-39; 18:8; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2: 12; I Corinthians 11 :23-32. Standards of Conduct We believe that the Scriptures clearly delineate principles which govern Christian conduct. Our behavior should not hinder the faith of other believers; we should do only those things which will glorifyGod and which will edify both the individual and the group. We recognize that we have a responsibility to maintain an appropriate testimony before unbelievers. We believe that to aid personal spiritual growth, for the sake of Christian testimony and the achievemeht ofcollege purposes, we must abstain from the use ofalcoholic beverages, tobacco, and the nonmedi– cal use ofnarcotic drugs; and not participate in social dancing, gambling, the use ofunwholesomemedia materials, andmembership in secret societies. We also believe that Christians have an obligation to dress appropriately and to have sincere respect for the Lord's Day. We prayerfully seek to serve Christ in an atmosphere free from personal attitudes ofdistrust, dishonesty, selfishness, damaging criticism, racism, disrespect, unethical conduct, and irreverence.