MISSION STATEMENT:
Joan’s mission for her writing and speaking is to be Biblical and Beneficial. She desires to give others a confident trust in God’s character and Word that is practical and relevant to their everyday lives. She longs for them to understand the depth of God’s love, grace, and mercy, to know His hope and peace in daily challenges, and to experience God’s presence deeply, even in the mundane.
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DOCTRINAL STATEMENT/STATEMENT OF FAITH:
1. THE BIBLE
I believe the Bible (comprised of 66 books —39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament), to be the inspired Word of God, completely true in all it affirms and without error as originally written. It is the complete revelation of God’s plan of salvation, sufficient and authoritative for faith, life, and practice.
(Ps. 119:9,105; Matt. 5:17-18; John 10:34-36; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:19-21; 3:15-16 )
2. GOD
I believe in one God, who exists eternally as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that God is unchangeable in His attributes, infinite in wisdom, and righteous and loving in all His ways. I believe that God personally and actively sustains His creation and that He sovereignly orders the affairs of men and nations according to His perfect plan. I also believe that He has revealed Himself in the Bible, in nature, and in man’s conscience, and can therefore be known.
(Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1-3; 10:30; Acts 5:3-4; Ephesians 1:3-14)
3. HUMAN BEINGS
I believe that human beings are created in the image of God and designed to live in fellowship with Him. I believe that Adam and Eve, as representative of the human race, were tempted by Satan, rebelled against God, and were alienated from Him. As a result, all human beings became subject to sin’s power and death, are inclined toward disobedience to God’s moral law (have a sinful nature), are guilty before God, unable to please God apart from His saving grace, and helpless to make themselves right with Him.
(Genesis 1:26-27; 3; Psalm 8; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:18-3:23; 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-5)
4. JESUS CHRIST
I believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and became fully human by miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for the sins of men and women by dying (once, for all) on the cross in substitute payment for their sin, thus satisfying divine justice. He rose bodily from the grave, achieving victory over death and evil, and ascended into heaven where, as the only mediator between God and humanity, He continually intercedes for His people. Jesus’ death and bodily resurrection achieved salvation for all who trust in Him alone. I believe that Jesus will come again for the final judgment of mankind, the deliverance of His people, and the consummation of His kingdom. (Come quickly, Lord.)
(Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-3,14,18; 3:16-18; 1 Cor. 15:3-5, 20-26; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-23; Heb. 1:1-4; 1 John 2:1-2)
5. HOLY SPIRIT
I believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God (a full person of the triune Godhead) and applies the saving work of Jesus Christ to sinful human beings. I believe that the Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates indwells, guides, instructs, empowers, and uniquely gifts each believer for godly living and service. (John 14:15-31; 16:8-15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 12:4-26; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:18; Titus 3:5)
6. SALVATION
I believe that the central purpose of God’s revelation in the Bible is to call human beings into fellowship with Himself. Salvation is deliverance from alienation from God, guilt, bondage, and death, as well as restoration to fellowship with God, righteousness, freedom, and life for all who trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Salvation originates with and is sustained by God’s sovereign grace, is based on Christ’s saving work, is received by grace through faith alone, and is expressed in a lifetime of growth in holiness, obedience, and love. (Romans 3:21-31; 5:1-2; 6:23; 8:1-17; Galatians 2:15-21; Eph. 2:1-10)
7. THE CHURCH
I believe the Church to be the Body of Christ (the community of all believers, united to Christ and one another by salvation and the Holy Spirit). I believe the Church is called to worship God and to demonstrate His character to the world by proclaiming the Gospel, making disciples from all nations, observing baptism and the Lord’s Supper, maintaining the unity and purity of the Body, and seeking to apply the truths of Scripture to live and needs. The Church should be known by love for God and love for one another.
(Matt. 16:18; 28:18-20; Jn.17:20-26; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; Eph. 4:1-16)
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