Faith Anchored in Truth
Our Biblical beliefs always guide our classical journey.
Statement of Faith
Our institution is firmly rooted in the timeless truths of Scripture, and our statement serves as a testament to our unwavering commitment to Christ and His teachings. We believe that by adhering to these principles, we can provide an education that nurtures both the mind and the soul, preparing students to lead lives of virtue, wisdom, purpose, and faith.
Introduction to our Statement of Faith
Geneva Academy is a Protestant school but does not teach a specific denominational set of beliefs. The Statement of Faith, which all Board Members, employees, and families ascribe to, is the foundation of beliefs on which Geneva Academy is based. They are also the key elements of Christianity that will be unapologetically taught in various ways through all grade levels. The word doctrine comes from the Latin meaning teaching. The ten points of the Statement will be considered primary doctrine at Geneva Academy. Secondary or controversial doctrines and issues will not be presented as primary. When these types of doctrine or issues arise, they will be referred back to the family and local churches for final authority.
The name Geneva Academy recalls the efforts of many Reformers of the 16th and 17th Centuries to teach essential Biblical truth, freed from church errors and additions which had accrued over hundreds of years. The Protestant doctrines of that time are often summarized in what’s known as the five solas of the Reformation:
- Sola Fide – By faith alone
- Sola Gratia – By grace alone
- Sola Christus – Because of Christ’s substitutionary atonement alone
- Sola Scriptura – On the Word of God alone
- Soli Deo Gloria – To God alone be the glory
The five solas could be considered the sum of our Statement of Faith.
Geneva Academy Statement of Faith
A. We believe the Bible alone to be the word of God, the ultimate and infallible authority for faith and practice.
B. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is omnipotent; that is, He can do all things. He is omnipresent; that is, He is present to all creation and has under His immediate authority all things which are in Heaven, in the earth, and under the earth. He is omniscient; that is, He knows all things. He readily exercises His power which is present everywhere, and to Him there is nothing that is impossible or unknown, that is, He knows what has been from eternity, what now takes place everywhere, and what will be to all eternity.
C. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
D. We believe that, for the salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary.
E. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith alone.
F. We believe that faith without works is dead.
G. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
H. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of damnation.
I. We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus.
J. We uphold biblical marriage as a life-long commitment between one biologically born man and one biologically born woman. All forms of sexual activity outside of biblical marriage are sin. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and these distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. (Gen 1:26-27.)
Statement of Faith: Expanded Notes
Our Statement of Faith is concise for the purposes of clarity and utility. A more detailed statement of primary doctrines, with supporting Scriptural passages, could run to many pages. For those interested in studying our positions further, expanded statements and Bible references are provided below.
Point A: The Bible. We believe that the original manuscripts of the Old and New Testament comprise the full, word-for-word, truthful, inerrant Word of God, which is the supreme and final authority in doctrine and practice. (Isa. 40:8, II Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 4:12; II Pet. 1:20, 21) (Please note: Geneva Academy does not believe that any single English translation of Scripture is inerrant.)
Point B: The Triune God. We believe that in the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father is neither begotten, nor proceeding: The Son is eternally begotten of the Father: the Holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. (I John 5:7; Matt. 3:16, 28:19; II Cor. 13:14; John 1:14, 15:26; Gal. 4:6). Concerning God the Father, we believe that as Eternal Father, He is the Father of all men in the non-salvation, Creator-creature sense, the Father of the nation Israel, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the spiritual Father of all who believe in Christ. He is the author of salvation, the One who sent the Son, and the disciplinarian of His children. (Ex. 4:22; Ps. 2:7-9; John 5:37; Acts 17:29; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 1:3-6; Heb. 12:9; I Pet. 1:3)
Point C: The Person and Work of Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus Christ is God incarnate, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, completely God and completely man. We believe in His pre-existence, His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the grave, His ascension into Heaven, and His bodily return from Heaven. (John 1:1, 14, 18; Luke 1:35; Rom. 3:24-26, 4:25; I Pet. 1:3-5; Eph. 4:11-16; I Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 1:3, 7:23-25; I John 2:1-2)
Point D: Regeneration by The Holy Spirit. We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit precedes and enables saving faith. Upon all who place their faith in Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit then indwells, baptizes, seals, and bestows spiritual gifts. Experientially, the Holy Spirit fills, teaches, leads, assures, and prays for believers. (John 14: 26, 16:6-15; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 11:1-18; Rom. 8:14-16, 26-27; I Cor. 6:19, 12:7-11, 13; Eph. 1:13-14, 5:18; II Thess. 2:1-10; Titus 3:5)
Point E: Salvation. We believe man was created in the image of God; that Adam in his first sin condemned not only himself but also all mankind to an estate of sin. All of mankind in Adam is now separated from God and in need of a redeemer. (Gen. 1:1, 27, 2:17, 3:1-19; Isa. 14:12-14; Luke 20:36; Heb. 1:13-14, 2:5-8; I Pet. 2:4; Jude 6; John 12:31; Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:10; John 1:1-3, 8:44; Col. 1:16-17; Rom. 5:12- 21; Eph. 2:1-3). Concerning salvation, we read in Ephesians 1:11-14 the following: “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” We affirm that these believers are eternally secure, have everlasting life, will not come into condemnation, and shall never perish. We believe that assurance comes to the believer from three primary means: trusting the Word of God’s promises, the witness of the Holy Spirit, and a persevering walk with the Lord. (John 1:12, 2:3, 16; II Cor. 5:17-21; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7; Dan. 12:1-2; Matt. 25:31-46; John 3:16, 36, 5:24, 10:28-29, 11:25-26; Rom. 8:28-39; I John 4:11-13; Jude 1; Rev. 20:12-15)
Point F: Faith Without Works. We affirm the statement that “we are saved by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone.” In other words, genuine Christian faith will result in joyful obedience to God, love to fellow believers, and compassion to those who do not yet know Him. (James 2:14-26, Matthew 7:15-20. Our school community should be one of doers of the word, and not hearers only (James 1:21).
Point G: The Spirit’s Indwelling. We believe that the Holy Spirit applies to the saved the washing of regeneration, the benefits of adoption as God’s children, and all things that pertain to life and godliness (Titus 3:4-7, Eph 1:3-6, 2 Cor 1:20, 2 Peter 1:3-4).
Point H: Eternal Life. We believe in the physical resurrection of the human body (at the second coming of Christ); in the eternal conscious existence of all individuals in either Heaven or Hell; and in the rewards of the saved and the punishment of the lost for eternity. (I Cor. 15; Luke 16:19-31; II Cor. 5:8-10; I Cor. 3:11-15)
Point I: Spiritual Unity. We believe in the Church, both universally and locally, as the spiritual body of which Christ is the Head. All true believers, therefore, are united in Christ. The church (and not any school) exercises Christ’s authority until His return. We also believe that only the church is entrusted with the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (Matt. 16:18; cf. Acts 1:5, 11:15; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:22-23, 4:11-16, 5:22-23; Col. 1:18) There is unity of mission amongst believers, and we believe that those whom God has saved are sent into the world by Christ, even as He was by the Father. Those so sent are ambassadors, commissioned to go make disciples and make Christ known to the whole world. (Matt. 28:18-20; John 15:8, 17:18, 20:21; Acts 1; Rom. 10:14-15; II Cor. 5:18-20; Col. 4:2-6; II Tim. 2:14-26).
Point J: Biblical Marriage & Gender. 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). Any form of sexual immorality is sinful and offensive to God (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10. In regard to gender, we believe that God, without error, creates each person as male or female. These two distinct genders 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.