All faculty must subscribe to the following doctrinal position without reservation upon employment. This form must be signed and dated to confirm your doctrinal position.
Please be aware, however, that one’s doctrinal position is only truly exhibited by one’s lifestyle and theological position ad communication in the God appointed teaching ministry. Therefore, even though a faculty member may voluntarily subscribe to this doctrinal statement by signature, if after due process it is determined that the faculty member does not actually conform to this doctrinal statement, the faculty member can be deemed in breach of all employment contracts between presbyterian theological seminary in america and the faculty member can be declared null and void by the school’s administration.
Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America subscribes to the following statement of faith:
1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the Word of God, the only inerrant, perfect rule of faith and deed. (Scripture Reference: Ex.3:14, John 4:24, Rev. 19:6)
2. There is only one God, and one shall worship only God alone; God is the spirit, is self-existent omnipresent, and distinguished from all other Gods and the created; God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in God’s being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and love. (Scripture Reference: Gen. 1:1, Exd.3:14, 31:13, Lev. 19:2, Deut. 6:4, John 4:24, I Cor. 8:4)
3. There are three Person in the Godhead; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; God is the triune God, one in trinity, equal in power and glory. (Scripture Reference: Deut. 6:4, John 1:1-3, 14, Cor. 8:4, Gal. 3:20, I Timothy 2:5)
4. God created all things visible and invisible by the power of God’s Word, and preserves and governs them, but God in God’s nature causes no sin. God plans and acts according to God’s own will and governs all things to fulfill God’s purpose which is good, wise, and holy. (Scripture Reference: Gen.1:1, Ex. 4:15, Ps. 104:24, 30, Isa. 43:15, 45:7, 64:8, Mark 10:6, Col. 1:16)
5. God created people, after God’s own image in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness with dominion over every living thing. All people of the world are of sole source; that is of same native and brother. (Scripture Reference: Gen. 1:26-27, I Cor. 11:7, Eph. 4:24, Col. 3:10, James 3:9)
Our first parents, being left with the freedom to choose between good and evil, through temptation, transgressed the commandment of God. All humankind, descending from Adam by ordinary generation sinned in him and fell with him in his transgressed. The humanity, having the potential to commit a crime, besides the original sin and the corrupted human nature, has intentionally committed sin; so as we are justly liable to God’s just displeasure and punishment in this world and that which is to come. (Scripture Reference: Gen. 6:5, I Kings 8:46, Ps. 51:5, Prov. 20:9, 21:2, Ecc. 7:20, Rom. 14:23)
6. God sent God’s eternal, only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to the world to save humanity from sin, the corruption, and the punishment thereof, to give eternal life in God’s infinite love; in Jesus Christ God become flesh and through Him can humanity be saved. The eternal Son became true human and possessed two distinctive personhoods in His nature, eternally as true God, and true power of the HolySpirit, in the womb of the virgin Mary, of her substance, born of her, yet without sin. He obeyed perfectly to God, offered His body, became a true and perfect sacrifice, and satisfied divine justice. To reconciliation between God and humanity, Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, died, and buried. One the third day, He rose again from the dead. He is sitting on the right hand of God making intercession for His people. From thence He shall come for the resurrection of the dead, and to judge the world. (Scripture Reference: John 3:17, 34, 17:3, 23, 20:21, I John 4:9, 10, 14)
7. The Holy Spirit, being out of God the Father and God the Son, works salvation in people, convicts them of their sin and misery, enlightens their hearts to know Christ, renews their will, exhorts them, empowers to accept Jesus Christ who freely offers humanity the Gospel in grace, and works in us to bear the fruit of God’s righteousness. (Scripture Reference: Gen. 2:7, John 16:9-11, Rom. 8:11, I Cor. 12:1-3, Phil. 2:5-11)
8. Before God created the world, God elected in God’s love God’s own people to make them holy and blameless, predestined and adopted God’s children through Jesus Christ according to God’s pleasure and will, to the praise of the glory of God’s grace bestowed freely in the one God loves. However, the perfect salvation offered freely is to be ordered to all humankind that they may repent of their sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, rest upon him and follow him, obey the revealed will of God, be humble and conduct themselves in holiness, to the extent that whoever believes in Christ and is obedient to him shall be saved. The benefits that are accompanied with justification, adoption as God’s children, sanctification and glorification are for the believers who are assured with God’s salvation and joy in this world. The means of the grace to the call of office by the Holy Spirit are the bible, sacraments, and prayer. (Scripture Reference: 3:7, John 1:16, Rom. 5:2, Eph. 2:8-9, II Timothy 1:9, Tit.2:11)
9. The sacraments instituted by Christ are baptism and holy communion; baptism of washing with water to be administered in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is the sign and seal of joining us in union with Christ, and the promise for our regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit and God’s possession of us. Baptism shall be served in remembrance of Christ’s death, and in the witness of the seal for the benefit derived from Christ’s death with which the believers are in union. Holy communion shall be observed by God’s people until the day of the Lord’s coming, and is a sign of a promise of a more faithful service onto the Load and a sign of communion with the Lord and his people, who believe in him, and rest upon his atonement from which God’s benefit flow to us. The benefits of the sacraments are not found in the sacraments themselves or any virtue of one by whom the sacraments are being administered, but only in the blessing by Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit in those who by faith receive the sacraments. (Scripture Reference: Matt. 3:11, John 16:7, Acts 10:44-46, 11:15-16, Gal. 1:4)
10. All believer shall dutifully join in church membership with instruction, have fellowship withone another among the believers, observe the sacraments and other ordinances, obey all the laws of the Lords, pray always, observe the Lord’s Day holy, assemble with believers to worship he Lord and listen attentively to the preaching of the Word of God, render offerings as God provides us abundantly, share with one another the mind of Christ, also share the same mind with all other people, endeavor to promote the expansion of the Kingdom of Christ upon the whole world and wait expectantly for the appearance of the Lord in his glory. (Scripture Reference: Acts 2:44-45, 4:32, Rom. 12:13, Phil. 1:3-5, 4:18, II Cor. 1:11)
11. The dead shall receive the reward according to the good and evil done in this world before the judgement seat of Christ when they will be resurrected in the last day. Those who believe in Christ, and are obedient to him shall be truly forgiven and accepted by him in Glory. (Scripture Reference: Matt.: 16:27, 24:29-31, 36, 44, Mark 8:38, John 5:24)
12. Marriage has been ordained by God and is the exclusive covenantal union between a man and a woman in which such union is a lifetime commitment. A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by the Church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of “marriage” found in these Articles. (Scripture Reference: Gen.1:27, 2: 22-24, 1 Thes. 4, Matt. 19:4-6)
14. Legitimate sexual relations are exercised solely within marriage. Hence, sexual activities outside of marriage (referred to in the New Testament as “porneia”– πορνεια) including but not limited to, adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, and pedophilia are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the Church. Further, lascivious conduct, transgender behavior, and the creation and/or distribution and/or viewing of pornography, are incompatible with the biblical witness. (Scripture Reference: Romans 1:26-27, 12: 1-2, I Cor. 6:9-10, I Timothy 1:9-10)
I , , on this day of ______________ do hereby fully subscribe to the above doctrinal statement and fully understand that at anytime it is determined by the designated administrative authority of Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America that I no longer conform to the school’s doctrinal tenets that all contracts between myself and Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America can be immediately declared null and void.
