This statement of faith contains the essential biblical doctrines that guide the ministry of Providence Hall.These primary doctrines define the perspective from which all classes are taught and are tools that are used in the hiring of faculty and administration.
Issues not discussed below will not be emphasized in the instruction of the school.Many such subjects are important, and they may arise on occasion within the curriculum, but the school recognizes that Christians are at liberty to reach different conclusions regarding them.The school’s acknowledgment that Christians disagree on these topics, however, should not be interpreted to mean that the school believes that there are no right answers to questions regarding these matters. Issues arising in the context of the school, which are not settled by this statement of faith, will ultimately be resolved by reference to historic, orthodox Christianity as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
We believe that every educational philosophy and methodology is built upon information about the world and man’s purpose in the world.Therefore, we set forth this statement of faith to define the basis for all subject matter taught at Providence Hall.
Authoritative Source of Truth
We believe that the only infallible, inerrant and authoritative source of truth is Holy Scripture, which is the Word of God, and that Scripture is the final rule in all matters of faith and practice.
We believe that from Holy Scripture we gain an understanding of God and His creation; man and his purpose; and God and His relationship with man.
God and His Creation
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three Persons:Father, Son and Holy Spirit.He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.In all things He is limited by nothing other than His own nature and character.We believe that the God we serve is holy, righteous and good, hates all sin, is loving, just and full of mercy.He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Governor of everything that He has made.
God alone has existed from eternity past and in His wisdom created the universe from nothing.God spoke and it came into existence.As His handiwork, all creation declared the glory of God.
God alone is sovereign and foreordains all that occurs in His world and in His church.His plans and purposes always prevail; nothing can thwart them.
Man and His Purpose
God did His work of creation in the space of six days and thus established a pattern for man to follow in the pursuit of His purpose.It was the seventh day that He set apart and made holy, that man might have one day of every seven to worship God by remembering His work of creation and (after the fall) His redemption.This Sabbath principle puts all of life and the pursuit of purpose in perspective, reminding us that we are His creation and were raised up to bring glory to God and not ourselves.Man’s chief purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.God’s Word instructs us in how to do this as it teaches us what we are to believe concerning God and what our duties to God are.
Man was created from the dust of the earth.By God’s good pleasure he was created, both male and female, in the image of God.As God’s image bearer man is set apart from the rest of creation and given the task of exercising dominion over all of creation.This cultural mandate forms the basis for training in wisdom and charity.
Adam was alone and in need of a suitable helper in this task.Having brought Adam to an awareness of his incompleteness, God created Eve and brought the man and the woman together to become one.Marriage thus established God’s means of subduing the earth through new generations trained to be faithful in their God given purpose of glorifying Him.
“The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam; and in him to his posterity, upon condition of perfect and personal obedience.”(Westminster Confession of Faith VII. 2)
In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve rebelled against God.As a result Adam fell from innocence and subjected himself and all of his posterity to the wrath of God.Therefore any and all ability man may have had to stand in the presence of God was lost, so that now any right relationship between man and God must be initiated and sustained by the work of God alone.
God and His Relationship with Man
Yet God’s purpose for man was not undone by the rebellion of Adam and Eve.God entered into a second covenant commonly called the covenant of grace, wherein He freely offered life and salvation to sinners through Jesus Christ.He required faith in order to be saved and promised His children eternal life and His Holy Spirit to make them able to have faith.
“. . . the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace.”(Westminster Confession of Faith XIV.2)
Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God and the only Savior of the world.Fully God and fully man, He was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life.He alone secured our salvation by accepting the punishment we deserve on the cross and by imputing to us His totally righteous life.Jesus rose bodily from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will come again in power and glory.
Sinners are justified before God by faith alone.By our own merit, we deserve eternal punishment.Justification is granted by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
Every true believer in Jesus Christ is indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit, who enables believers to live a godly life and to perform good works.This does not mean that believers become perfect upon conversion, but that they are growing in the knowledge of grace and godliness through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost:those who are saved to the resurrection of life; and those who are lost to the resurrection of damnation.We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers with our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe and embrace the truth expressed in the Apostles’ Creed printed here in the traditional English version:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.
These primary doctrines, along with the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the Westminster Larger Catechism, form our statement of faith and the basis for pursuing the glory of God through the preparing of the next generation to be faithful in their relationship with God and their pursuit of His purposes.
