InterVarsity Statement of Faith

1. The unique Divine inspiration, entire trustworthiness, and authority of the Bible.

• "unique": There are many ways in which God speaks to us today: through creation, prayer, other people, personal and corporate experiences, books,and so on. But God speaks to us uniquely, pre-eminently, through His Word, the Bible.

• "Divine inspiration": The Greek word for inspiration literally means "God-breathed": the Bible is breathed out by God. Even though the Bible was written by particular men into particular cultures, God Himself remains the primary Author, speaking what He intended through His human authors.

• "entire trustworthiness": Since the Bible is inspired by none other than God Himself, we can trust it entirely. The human authors themselves were sinful and limited in their knowledge; but God is without sin, without limitation, and always tells the truth. He sovereignly moved the human authors to communicate what He intended. We can trust the Bible because we can trust God.

• "authority": Since the Bible is inspired by none other than God Himself, it has authority over our lives. In reading the Bible we humble ourselves and submit our thoughts and wills, seeking to obey. We should obey the Bible because we should obey God.

Some Key Scriptures:

Nehemiah 8:1-9; Psalm 119:97-105; Matthew 4:1-4; Matthew 5:17-19; Luke 24:25-32;
2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:20-21

2. The Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ

• "Deity": Jesus Christ is fully divine. Jesus of Nazareth was and is fully human but He, unlike any other human who has ever lived, is also fully divine. Jesus Christ is the God-man. God has revealed Himself in many ways over time but He has done so supremely, most fully, in His own Son. In Christ God is "incarnate," with us.

• "Lord": Historically the concept of lordship combines the two elements of power and authority.

Some Key Scriptures:

John 1:1-18; John 6:27-36; John 8:42-59; John 10:37-38; John 12:31-50; John 14:6-11; John 20:26-29; Acts 2:36-41; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-14

3. The necessity and efficacy of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for the redemption of the world, and the historic fact of His bodily resurrrection.

• "necessity": We human beings have become separated from God because of our sin, and thus are walking down a path which leads to eternal separation. We are unable by ourselves to become reconciled to God. We need help. Our only remedy is in what Jesus Christ has done for us in His death and resurrection.

• "efficacy": Christ's death for us was more than merely a good example but it actually "worked," it accomplished what it was intended to do--that is, Christ through His death was effective in redeeming everyone who believes.

• "substitutionary" : Jesus Christ took upon Himself the punishment for sin which we ourselves deserved: He became our substitute. Martin Luther called this the "Great Exchange."

• "redemption": Literally, deliverance from evil by payment of a price. Through His atoning death, Jesus Christ delivered from sin all who believe in Him. We thus have been freed from our sin and we now belong to (are owned by) Jesus Christ.

• "Historic fact of His bodily resurrection": Jesus Christ not only died for us but He was also physically resurrected from the dead. This was a literal resurrection: He was resurrected bodily, not merely spiritually, and the resurrection occurred historically, in time and space, not merely metaphorically or symbolically.

Some Key Scriptures:

Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 10:45; Luke 24:36-43; John 3:14-17; John 20:1-29; Acts 1:1-3; Acts 20:28; Romans 3:24-25; Romans 5:6-11; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:15; 1 Peter 1:18-21; Revelation 5:9-10

4. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the work of regeneration.

• "presence and power of the Holy Spirit": The radical change of regeneration which we desperately need is not done by us but by the very presence and power of God the Holy Spirit Himself. God the Holy Spirit has changed us and is changing us.

• "regeneration": We need not only to be made right with God within our own persons. god works change within us from the inside out--He "regenerates" us. We are given a new heart, new motivation, new desires, a new disposition. The image of getting dressed is used in the Bible: we have "put off" our old natures and have "out on" our new natures we have been given new clothes). We have been "born" a second time.

Some Key Scriptures:

John 3:3-8; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38; Acts 9:17-18; Acts 10:44-45; Romans 8:9-17; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 1:13-14;
Ephesians 4:24; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3, 23

5. The expectation of the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ

• "expectation": We live our lives here on earth with the sure hope, the expectation, that Jesus Christ is indeed going to return for us...

• "personal return": ...the same Lord Jesus Christ who was born in Bethlehem, lived some 30+ years n Palestine, died on a cross and was resurrected on the third day, one day in the future is literally, physically, personally, going to return to take us home with Him in heaven.

Some Key Scriptures:

Matthew 24:29-31; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:22-28; Philippians 3:20-21; Philippians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-2:12; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-9; 2 Peter 3:8-15; 1 John 2:28; 1 John 3:2; Jude 17:23; Revelation 22:20

InterVarsity Ministry Values

Evangelism

We belive that every person ought to have an opportunity to respond to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to accept His invitation to follow Him into a life of Christian discipleship.

Spiritual Formation

We will teach and practice spiritual discipline (e.g., personal Bible study, prayer, reliance upon the Holy Spirit, worship) so that men and women can learn to grow in Christian obedience and Christ-like maturity.

The Church

We will serve the church by helping each person to appreciate its purpose and by encouraging their activity as lifelong worshippers and participating memebers.

Human Relationships

We will teach and demonstrate by example the command of Christ that we love one another, and that healthy human relationships are a mark of true discipleship and eventuate in fruitful friendships, marriages, and working partnerships.

Righteousness

Aware of the reality of evil as it exists in the human heart and in the social structures and system of golbal community, we will teach and demonstrate repentance and humility and the importance of personal integrity, compassion, and prophetic renunciation and confrontation.

Vocational Stewardship

We will challenge Christians to acknowledge the stewardship of personal skills and vocational opportunity so as to bring honor to God through our work in the college community, in the home, or in the marketplace.

World Evangelization

Believing that God hall called all Christians to involvement in world evangelization, we seek to help each person know how to hear that call and discover their place of maximum participation.

• Black Christian Fellowship
• Graduate Christian Fellowship
• United Christian Fellowship