What We Believe

The objective of the Collegiate Ministry in Cincinnati shall be to encourage students to reflect the following commitments: As a seeker of the cross of Christ, I am called to break away from trite, nonchalant, laissez-fare Christian living. I accept the challenge to divine daring, to consecrated recklessness for Christ, to devout adventure in the face of ridiculing contemporaries. Created in the image of God and committed to excellence as a disciple of Jesus Christ:

• I will be a person of integrity (2 Tim. 2:15). My attitudes and actions reveal my commitment to live the kind of life Christ modeled for me – to speak the truth in love, to stand firm in my convictions, to be honest and trustworthy.
• I will pursue consistent spiritual growth (Col. 2:6-7). The Christian life is a continuing journey, and I am committed to a consistent, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to faithful study of His Word, and to regular corporate spiritual growth through the ministry of the New Testament Church.
• I will speak and live a relevant, authentic, and consistent witness (1 Pet. 3:15). I will tell others the story of how Jesus changed my life, and I will seek to live a radically changed life each day.
• I will seek opportunities to serve in Christ’s name (Luke 4:18-19). I believe that God desires to draw all people into a loving, redeeming relationship with Him. As His disciple, I will give myself to be His hands to reach others in ministry and missions.
• I will honor my body as a temple of God, dedicated to a lifestyle of purity (1 Cor 6:19-20). Following the example of Christ, I will keep my body healthy and strong, avoiding temptations and destructive personal vices. I will honor the gift of life by keeping myself sexually pure and free from addictive drugs.
• I will be godly in all things, Christlike in all relationships (Col. 3:12-14). In every relationship and in every situation, I will seek to live as Christ would. I will work to heal brokenness, to value each person as a child of God, to avoid petty quarrels and harsh words, to let go of bitterness and resentment that hinder genuine Christian love.

What We Believe

I. The Scriptures

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.

II. God

There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence and obedience. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. God as Father reigns with providential care over all things. He is all powerful, all loving, and all wise. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, he was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Even though Jesus took on the nature of a man, He did not sin. He died a substitutionary death on the cross for the disobedience (sin) of mankind. Raised on the third day from the grave, He rose to heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father mediating on our behalf. It is only through Jesus that man can be reconciled to God. He will return again to the earth to establish His eternal kingdom at the appointed time. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of God. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. He helps mankind to understand truth. He exalts Jesus, convicts of sin, and calls men to the Savior, Jesus. He cultivates Christian character and gives gifts to mankind by which man serves God.

III. Man

Man was created by the special act of God, in His own image, and is the crowning work of His creation. Man was created to worship God. Man was given freedom of choice by God from creation. Man chose to embrace disobedience and rebellion from God. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. Jesus died for man and therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.

IV. Salvation

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. Regeneration is a work of God’s grace where a person becomes a new creature. Conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit leads a person to repent of their disobedience before God and faithfully believe that God forgives them and through the substitutionary death of Jesus no longer counts their sin against them. Sanctification is the process of the new creature growing into the person that pleases God. This growth will continue throughout the person’s life until the return of the Christ Jesus. Glorification is the culmination of the salvation experience and is the final blessing and abiding of the created with their Creator in eternal relationship, unhindered by disobedience, time, or space.

(These statements were taken from the statement of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention)