We are men and women gathered from many nations who share:
– A desire to see Jesus Christ lifted high,
– A commitment to honor the Word of God,
– A passion to see the kingdom proclaimed to all ethnic groups, and
– A hope to see more men and women empowered and equipped to run fast and far together to complete the Great Commission for God’s glory.
God
We believe God is One. God exists eternally as three distinct Persons – differentiated as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The triune Godhead is co-equal in essence, glory, power, and authority. All Persons of the Trinity participate(d) in creation, crucifixion, resurrection, empowered mission, and consummation.
Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Ephesians 4:4-6
Jesus
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ – anointed Messiah, eternally pre-existent, 100% God and 100% human. We believe in Jesus’ birth through the virgin Mary, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his sacrificial death and atonement through his blood shed on the cross, in his bodily resurrection, in his ascension to the right hand of God the Father, and in his personal return in power and glory. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-4, and 1:29; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 1:1-4; Philippians 2:5-11
Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is fully God, equal with the Father and the Son. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who indwells Christians and enables them to live godly lives. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ, convicts people of sin, imparts new life to sinners, and empowers Christians for bold witness to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
John 3:5-8; John 14:15-26; Acts 1:8; Acts 4:31
Scripture
We believe the Bible (Older and Newer Testaments) is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. As God’s gracious self-communication, the Bible is the unchangeable and authoritative standard for living out the Christian faith in all cultures and times. In its original writings, the Bible is without error – spiritually, historically, and morally. We affirm historical Christianity (which opposes the current “progressive Christian” trends growing in the West.)
2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:16-21
Humanity
We believe God blesses all creation, but he gives inherent value to human beings whom God made in his image, both male and female. God graciously bestows dignity and value upon all people from the moment of conception.
We believe God designed male and female as the crown of God’s creation, and thus humans stand out as unique in kind from all other created life.
We believe God made the first man and woman as miraculous creations, designed them as equal strengths (ezer k’negedu), and commissioned both to “be fruitful, multiply, subdue, fill the earth, and have dominion.” Because they chose to disobey God, sin entered the world and immediate separation/brokenness took place: between God and people, between people, between people and the earth, and within a person. Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection offers the only, complete remedy for humanity’s sin and separation from God. Through God’s supernatural grace, men and women again have the possibility to live as a redeemed community as a light to the nations!
Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:20; Psalm 8:3-6; Psalm 139:13-16; Matthew 5:16; Acts 4:12
Salvation
We believe that salvation for sinful people is only possible because God in his holy justice and holy love provided the ransom to pay the penalty for sin. People are enemies of God through sin, yet deeply loved by God. To show his love, Jesus took humanity’s sin upon himself on the cross where he suffered and died, paying the penalty for sin and providing the only path for salvation. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Forgiveness only comes through putting one’s faith in the gracious sacrifice of the crucified and resurrected Christ. Those who receive Jesus as Savior and Lord are “born spiritually” and become children adopted into God’s forever family.
John 3:16; John 14:6; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9-10, 13; Ephesians 2:8-9
Spiritual Warfare
We believe spiritual beings exist, and conflict rages in the spiritual realm between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom remains far superior and infinitely more powerful. Yet, the kingdom of darkness seeks to accomplish two primary spiritual goals: 1. Blind the eyes of nonbelievers so they will not hear/understand/believe Truth, and 2. Distract, discourage, and devalue the redeemed, to minimize their God-ordained identity and impact. God equips believers with protection and power for victory over the darkness.
Ephesians 6:10-20; Colossians 1:13; Romans 16:20: 2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; 1 John 3:8
Discipleship
We believe Jesus directs Christians to make disciples of all nations, as they proclaim the Gospel to “every nation, tribe and tongue.” Christians are to live as ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom and re-present his character and actions, since their destiny is to “be conformed to the image of Christ.” Every believer should be equipped to live out their faith and “give an answer… for the hope you have.” Jesus started a disciple-making movement. Christians today should complete it, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Revelation 7:9-10; 1 Peter 3:15; Acts 17:6; 2 Timothy 2:2
The Church
We believe the Church is the Bride of Christ, partnered with Jesus to fulfill God’s mission on earth. From all nations and all generations, anyone who repents, turns to Jesus, and pledges allegiance to the King of Kings joins this universal Body. God’s people should love, honor, and serve the Bride of Christ. As the Church multiplies and fulfills the Great Commission, Jesus’ disciples should expect to suffer for his sake. As Jesus overcame, the Bride will also overcome and celebrate with Jesus at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Acts 10:27-28; Ephesians 5:25-32; Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Peter 3:13-18; Revelation 19:7; Revelation 21:9
Marriage
We believe that marriage is God’s beautiful and powerful structure given to bless individuals, communities, and nations. God designed marriage as one biological male and one biological female, committed and faithful for life. Out of reverence for Christ, both men and women should love, honor, serve, and submit to one another. Mutual submission, leading to unity, will “let the world know” of Jesus’ love. Whether single, married, or widowed, Jesus’ disciples are to honor God with their whole lives and live with sexual purity.
Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 13:34-35; Ephesians 5:21; John 17:23; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Future
We believe Jesus is coming again! He will not return as a tiny, vulnerable baby but as the conquering, roaring Lion of Judah. Jesus will resurrect and judge all humanity. Those without faith in Christ will be judged at the White Throne judgment based on their own insufficient righteous acts, and they will remain permanently separated from the Most Holy God for all eternity. Those who by faith have received Jesus’ offer of life and forgiveness, will appear at the judgment seat of Christ and receive rewards for acts of righteousness done in faith for his purposes. These faithful and forgiven ones will live forever with God in perfect righteousness, joy, and peace.
John 14:2-3; Matthew 24:27-31; Revelation 5:5; Revelation 20:11; Matthew 25:40, 45-46
In addition to this statement of faith, as a network, we affirm the Lausanne Covenant, the Manila Manifesto, and the Cape Town Commitment. In 1974, members of the International Congress on World Evangelization, representing the Church from more than 150 nations, agreed upon the following statement of belief called the Lausanne Covenant.
This covenant demonstrates the unity of believers from multiple nations, beginning with the statement:
“We, members of the Church of Jesus Christ, from more than 150 nations, participants in the International Congress on World Evangelization at Lausanne, praise God for his great salvation and rejoice in the fellowship he has given us with himself and with each other. We are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to penitence by our failures and challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization. We believe the gospel is God’s good news for the whole world, and we are determined by his grace to obey Christ’s commission to proclaim it to all humankind and to make disciples of every nation. We desire, therefore, to affirm our faith and our resolve, and to make public our covenant.”
Currently, the S2S founders serve with the Lausanne Movement as Catalysts for the issue of Men and Women in Partnership for the Gospel. You can see more information and the full statement of faith here.
