Because of the spiritual unity of believers, by our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, individual doctrinal differences and church practices should not hinder the unity of Christian home educators.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
NJHSA is open to all Christian families who fulfill the requirements for membership as set forth in Article IV of the handbook, regardless of other doctrinal differences, denomination affiliation, or individual church practices.
The following Statement of Faith represents certain core beliefs of the Board of NJHSA, ASC leadership teams and NJHSA membership which must not be compromised or diminished in our common goal of Christian Education. Each Board member and NJHSA member attests to this Statement of Faith with clear conscience before God as a condition of his or her service and association with NJHSA.
Because of the spiritual unity of believers, by our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, individual doctrinal differences and church practices should not hinder the unity of Christian home educators. At the same time, we desire a Statement of Faith that is specific enough to exclude those who belong to groups generally regarded as cults or those who would call themselves “Christian” but reject the biblical truths and principles below. Without apology, NJHSA espouses a creationist approach. Paragraphs 3 and 4 are included, therefore, not as a test of whether the subscriber is a Christian, but for consistency of approach in all coursework endorsed by NJHSA. Similarly, as society and Government regulation condone actions and behaviors contrary to God’s word, paragraphs 12 and 13 are included, not to put a stumbling block before members, but to affirm a common Biblical worldview amongst the NJHSA community, rejecting all that is contrary to Scripture, that adds to it, or takes away from it.
1. We believe there is but one eternal triune God, the Creator of the universe, who has revealed Himself in three distinct Persons: the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (John 1:1-3, 14; John 14:6-18; Revelation 1:8)
2. We believe the Bible is the only divinely inspired written revelation of the Creator to man; infallible and completely authoritative in all matters. (2Timothy 3:16; Revelation 22:18-19)
3. We believe all things in the universe were created and made by God as described in Genesis 1:1-2:3 and that the Biblical record of history in Genesis 1-11 is fully historical and factual. (Exodus 20:8-11; Job 38:1- 11; Isaiah 44:24)
4. We believe all things, which now exist, continue to be sustained by their Creator who has instructed mankind to exercise dominion over all other created organisms, and over the earth itself (an implicit mandate for true science, technology, commerce, fine art, and education.) (Genesis 1:27-31; 2:4-23; Job 38 - 41)
5. We believe that Jesus Christ is God come in human flesh, born of a virgin, being both fully God and fully man, except without sin. (Matthew 1; Luke 1:26-35; Luke 3:21-38;
John 1:1-3, 14)
6. We believe in the historic fact of Jesus' death and bodily resurrection. (Matthew 27-28; Mark 15-16; Luke 23-24; John 19-20; 1 Corinthians 15:12-28)
7. We believe that fallen man is by nature sinful and is inherently in need of salvation. Salvation is the free gift of God given to the sinner by grace and received by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ezekiel 18: 19-32; Romans 3:22-24; Romans 5:17; Ephesians 2:8-9)
8. We believe in the necessity and sufficiency of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ as the only atonement for our sins.
(Isaiah 53, Acts 4:10-12; Romans 3:25-26; Hebrews 9: 11-15; Hebrews 10:10, 12; Galatians 2:20).
9. We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convict sinners of their need of salvation, and to indwell, guide, instruct, and empower believers for godly living and service. (Matthew 28:19; John 14:16- 17, 26; Acts 1:8; Acts 9:31; Ephesians 1:13)
10. We believe in the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ [He himself and not another] coming with power and great glory as King to judge both the living and the dead. (Luke 21:27-28; Revelation 20:11- 15; Revelation 21:1-5; Revelation 22:12)
11. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
12. We believe that to love Jesus Christ is to obey Him and to affirm His commands. (John 14:15; 14:21; 1 John 5:2-3, 2 John 1:6) Christ’s commandments are summarized as follows: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36–40; Exodus 20:1-17;
13. We believe Christ’s love is a love that restores sinners to the Father and that we are to love as He loved. (John 14:6, John 13:34) We therefore believe that those who would affirm sin, who call evil good and good evil, are acting in hatred toward God and neighbor, by affirming that which separates humanity from our heavenly Father. (Isaiah 5:20, Amos 5:14-15, Micah 3:2-4, Mal 2:17, Romans 12:9, 2, Romans 1:28-32, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 1 Cor. 6:9, Isaiah 59:2,
We affirm the following:
A. We affirm sexuality within a lifelong monogamous historical biblical and legal marriage relationship between one natural man and one natural woman. (Gen. 1:27-28)
B. We affirm that all human life from the moment of conception to death has profound worth and dignity regardless of race, gender, mental capacity and physical capability as image bearers of God. (Gen. 1:27, Psalm 51:5, Psalm 139:13-16)
C. We affirm the traditional biblical family as one husband and one wife along with the children God has blessed them with, both natural and adopted, along with those families having a single head of household (no partner) as the result of a loss of spouse, biblical divorce, conversion, or having never been married.