GRCS Full Statement of Faith
The Bible. God, by His Holy Word, reveals Himself; renews human beings’ understanding of God, of themselves, of others, and of the world; directs human beings in all their relationships and activities; and guides His people in the education of their children. (2 Timothy 3:16)
God. There is one infinite, holy, loving, personal God who speaks to believers in Scripture and reveals Himself in His acts of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, One God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As finite human beings created in God’s image, we declare that it is our purpose and privilege to worship, honor, serve, and obey Him. (John 10:34, John 10:37-38)
Creation. The world belongs to God, who created it and faithfully sustains it by His providence. Creation is the theater of God’s glory, displaying His power and majesty. God calls us to discover creation’s resources, to receive these gifts with thanksgiving and delight, and to use them wisely as stewards and caretakers who are responsible to God and to our neighbor. (Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 5:1-2)
Sin. Our ability to carry out our human calling to honor God, serve our neighbor, and care for the creation is marred by the corrosive effects of sin, which touch every part of life, including education. Human sin brought upon all people the curse of God, alienating them from their Creator, their neighbor, and the world, distorting their view of the true meaning and purpose of life, and misdirecting human culture. Brokenness, disease, hate, arrogance, alienation, abuse of creation, and, ultimately, death are all the inevitable fruits of sin in our world. We believe that man is sinful by nature and that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential and an absolute necessity for salvation. (Romans 3:19-23, John 3:16-19, John 5:24, Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:5-6)
Covenant. However, God has not rejected or abandoned His world but has redeemed it in love. He pledges to be faithful and to care for all His children. God always keeps His promises. We acknowledge with gratitude and joy that He is our God and the God of our children, that we are His people, and that this is His world. (Mat. 5:17-19, Luke 22:19-20)
Jesus Christ. Through our Savior Jesus Christ, there is renewal because He is the Redeemer, the Light, and the Way. Only through Him and the work of His Spirit are we guided in the truth and recommitted to our original calling. (Col 1:13-20, Phil 2:5-11, Rev. 1:17-18)
Redemption. As He promised, God, in love, sent Jesus Christ into the world to save it from sin and its consequences. The atoning death of the Son of God is the only payment for the debt of human sin, and Christ’s resurrection is the only liberation from the powers of evil and death. The victorious Lord sends the Holy Spirt to create faith, cleanse and renew hearts, and build a community of love and holiness. It is this community’s mission to proclaim and live this good news and to make disciples of nations. 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. (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:35, Hebrews 4:15, John 2:11, Hebrews 9:12, Colossians 1:14, John 11:25, Acts 1:11, Revelation 19:11-16)
Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and He reigns over all things for our good. To be a citizen of His Kingdom is a privilege, a joy, and a responsibility. Led by the Spirit, we place our every thought, word, and deed in service of Christ’s present and coming reign, and we live daily in the confident hope of the triumphant return. We believe in the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. (Ephesians 4:30, 1 Corinthians 3:16)
Schools. The purpose of the Christian school is to educate children for a life of obedience to their calling in this world as image bearers of God. This calling is to know God’s Word and His creation, to dedicate their lives to God, to love all people, and to be stewards in their God-given tasks, talents, and calling. The Christian school enables and equips all its children to serve the Lord, to love their fellow human beings, and to care for God’s creation. The school provides an environment of love and care with which students are nurtured. As an indispensable partner with the home and the church, the Christian school leads children to live according to biblical wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)
Parents. The primary responsibility for education rests upon parents to whom children are entrusted by God. Christian parents should accept this obligation in view of the covenantal relationship that God established with believers and their children. Parents partner with the Christian school to train up their children in the way they should go. (Deut. 8:5; Prov. 17:6, 22:6)
Community. Because God’s covenant embraces not only parents and their children but also the entire Christian community to which they belong, and because Christian education contributes directly to the advancement of God’s Kingdom, it is the obligation not only of parents but of the entire Christian community to establish and maintain Christian schools, to pray for them, to work for them, and to give generously for their support.
Staff. Staff members of the Christian school, living in joyful fellowship with God, model the love of Christ to children. Empowered by the Holy Spirit and dedicated to the highest standards of excellence and professionalism, Christian staff members view their work as a calling from God. The calling of a Christian staff member is to pass on Christian principles to students and to help them understand and apply the transforming power of the gospel to contemporary society and culture. In all things, they cooperate with parents, who have the ultimate responsibility for their children. (Eph. 4:11)
Students. Students are God’s image bearers, entrusted to parents and the Christian community as His gifts. The Christian school encourages students to develop their gifts in response to God and in loving service to fellow human beings. Students are led to know God and to respond to Him in every dimension of the creation and in every aspect of their lives in obedient and faithful service. Christian schools must take into account the variety of abilities, needs, and responsibilities of students, and adults should view students as fellow disciples.
Curriculum. The Christian school curriculum is developed and organized so that children may come to know God more deeply and richly and live for Him more faithfully. GRCS acknowledges that human experience in all its rich variety is a good gift from the Creator, we choose to use a Christian school curriculum that teaches a biblical worldview of creation. God’s design for the creation and His will for human society and culture must be understood and obeyed. This is the way of godly wisdom. Students are taught to recognize the brokenness that sin brings to God’s carefully designed world and are challenged to bring the healing power of Jesus Christ to a fallen world.
Educational Freedom. Christian schools, organized and administered in accordance with legitimate standards and provisions for schools, should be fully recognized in society as free to function according to these principles.
Sexuality. God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person and is against Christian belief and practice. (Gen 1:27; Lev 18:22, 20:13; Mat. 19:4-6; Rom. 1:25-27)
Marriage. The term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union. God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, cohabitation, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, or use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. (Gen 2:20-24; Mat. 19:4-6; 1 Cor. 7:14)
Life. All human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Psalm 139)