Introduction
Education, at its heart, is about exploring, discovering and embracing truth. Not only must the School impart knowledge, but teachers are called to enlighten knowledge with wisdom to help their students understand the world they live in and their purpose in it. (Psalm 19); We believe that the ultimate meaning and purpose of life rests in Jesus Christ and to accept His invitation to live into the reality of the kingdom of God here and now, as well as into eternity. The School is a beacon of hope, built upon the foundation of the redeeming love of God through Jesus Christ. (Genesis 3, 2 Corinthians 5:19); and The School plays an important role in the formation of students, at the invitation of their parents - in leading and nurturing them, spirit, mind and body, to lay hold of their unique purpose and potential in God’s world, and to equip them for a life of fulfilment and significance. It is the aim of the School to provide a foundation for life so that graduating students will be transformational in their future callings and vocations. (Psalm 139:1-18 & Matt 7: 24-25).
Truth
The whole Bible is uniquely inspired by God and is therefore wholly trustworthy and of supreme and final authority in faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21); We believe that the Bible, comprising the Scriptures in the Old Testament and New Testament, teaches the truth about essential beliefs of the Christian faith including who God is, who Humanity is, what the Gospel is and what response God requires from His people. (Deuteronomy 10:12-13, Psalm 119:105, Mark 1:15; John 20:31, Romans 12:1-2); and The character and attributes of God; His everlasting power and divinity are shown in the created universe which is consistent with the specific teachings of the Scriptures. (Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:20).
God
The sovereign God is one, in three co-equal eternal persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who act together in creation, providence, redemption, and restoration. (Matthew 28:19, Colossians 1:12-16); Jesus Christ, the Son, is fully God and fully man. We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His sacrificial death in our place, His bodily resurrection, His bodily return to heaven and His continuous role representing believers before the Father, and His return to judge the living and the dead. (John 1: 1-14, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 8:34, Colossians 1:9-10, 1 Timothy 3:16);
We believe in the Holy Spirit who with the Father and the Son is worthy of our worship, who convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgement. The Holy Spirit unites us with Christ, and makes us partake in Christ’s risen life, pointing us to Jesus, freeing us from slavery to sin, producing in us His fruit, granting to us His gifts, and empowering us for service in the world. (John 3: 5-7, John 14: 16-18, John 15: 26); and In His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ took the place of humanity, making full payment for the sin of all people. For those who accept His gift of grace and exercise faith in Him, He secures forgiveness, a right relationship with God, a new life now and everlasting life that is eternal. (Romans 3:23-26, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 1:3, 1 Peter 2:24).
Humanity
God has created humanity in His image and ascribed dignity, sanctity and worth to human life from conception until death. God requires human life to be accorded respect and to be protected from harm (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13-16, Exodus 20:13);
God has created humanity as distinctly male and female and has ordained a normative connection between binary biological sex and a person’s true self-conception as male or female. (Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4) God calls some people to marriage, and some to a single state: one is not inferior or superior to another, and both have dignity, according to the Bible. God has instituted marriage between one man and one woman for life to be the only Scriptural covenantal, sexual and procreative union for humanity which signifies and mirrors the covenant love between Christ and His Church. Married couples must be sexually faithful to each other. Sexual relationships outside of marriage, understood as between one man and one woman are contrary to God’s will and command for humanity (Genesis 2:23-24, Matthew 19:5-6, Ephesians 5:22-32); God has instituted the family as the central social structure and parents have the primary responsibility for bringing up their children and discipling them in a life of following Jesus. God has also instituted the Church to make disciples from all the nations and provide spiritual teaching. He has established civil government to make laws, keep civic order and promote human flourishing. Each of these institutions has distinct roles and responsibilities which overlap but one should not usurp the role of the other. (Genesis 1:28, Mark 12:17, Romans 13:1-7); and Humanity, originally created for a relationship with God, has turned away from God and thus become sinful by nature and practice, unable by any personal merit or effort to restore that relationship. This fall has corrupted human identity and purpose, impacted sexuality, family and social relationships and has separated humanity from fellowship with God. (Genesis 1:26-31, Romans 1:18-32, Romans 3:23, Titus 3:3-7).
The Gospel
Humanity’s only means of restoring relationship with God is through salvation. Salvation is initiated in the believer solely by the grace of God, accomplished through the work of Jesus dying on the cross and applied by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is a free gift accepted by faith and includes the removal of guilt, being set apart for God, a new life of increasing transformation into the likeness of Jesus and eventually the resurrection to everlasting life. (Ephesians 2:8-10, Romans 8:28-30, Matthew 25:34-36); Believers experience salvation when they are declared righteous by God as they commit their lives to Jesus in repentance and faith. This conscious commitment is made possible only by the work of the Holy Spirit within the individual; it is not a meritorious work. (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:1-10); The Church is the company of all believers who have received new life through faith in Christ, formed by His Spirit into one body, of which Christ is the Head. The Church is commanded by Jesus to make disciples in all nations. (Ephesians 3: 4-10, Matthew 28: 19-20); Satan is a personal spiritual being, opposed to God and the salvation of humanity, sworn to enslave and destroy the human race but His ultimate purpose has been brought to nothing by the Lord Jesus Christ. (Genesis 3:1-15, Matthew 4:1-11, Revelations 20:10, Colossians 2:15); A person who rejects the gift of eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ will be eternally separated from God. (John 3:36, Revelations 20:11-15); and The Lord Jesus Christ will personally return in glory and judgement to bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal destruction to the lost, establishing a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness, where there will be no more evil, suffering or death. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, Revelations 22:12, 17-20).
The Response
Until Jesus returns, God calls believers to respond to the Gospel by living as restored disciples of His Kingdom in a broken world with a commission to spread the Gospel, to make disciples and to engage in personal, relational, communal and civic conduct that is transformed by the Gospel and which serves as an example to the world. (Matthew 28:19-20, Matthew 5:13-16); Believers are called to personal conduct which:
o conforms to the example of Jesus;
o rejects sinful actions and seeks to do good works;
o demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit;
o recognizes that the body of the believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit; and
o affirms and reflects the truth of the Bible about the nature of human beings, created, male and female, in the image of God. (Galatians 5:16-24, 1 Corinthians 6:19); Believers are called to relational conduct that conforms to and reflects the teaching of the Bible concerning human sexuality and marriage. Therefore:
o outside of marriage, a believer must live a life of chastity;
o children are a natural blessing of marriage; and
o parents must instruct and care for their children and provide for their physical, spiritual, and educational upbringing. (Genesis 1: 26-27, Psalm 127:3-4, Ephesians 5: 22-33)
• Believers are called to communal conduct which includes active participation in a local Church and the use of their gifts for works of ministry, including communicating the gospel to others, making disciples, loving each other, loving one’s neighbours including through ministries of mercy and compassion, and active witness in the world. (Hebrews 10:25, Romans 12:4-8); Believers are called to civic conduct which includes being salt and light to the world, obedience to the civil authorities in all things which do not contradict the Word of God and a commitment to living quietly and peaceably as a blessing to the community in which the believer is placed. (Matthew 5:13-16, Jeremiah 29:7, 1 Peter 2:13-17, 1 Timothy 2: 1-4); and Believers are still sinful by nature and practice and they will never perfectly respond to God’s call in this life so must continue in repentance and faith relying on the grace of God as well as extending grace to others. However, it is only by striving to respond in faith to God’s call that believers will find true meaning and purpose to live a fulfilled life. (Romans 7:23, 1 John 2:2, Jeremiah 31:34, 1 John 1:7).
