LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Statement of Faith:
Scripture Through Creation
Submitted to :
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
CHMN679 – B01 LUO
Capstone
by
September
Contents
SCRIPTURE.................................................................................................................................................................1
GOD THE FATHER....................................................................................................................................................2
GOD THE SON.............................................................................................................................................................4
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT...........................................................................................................................................5
TRINITY.......................................................................................................................................................................7
CREATION...................................................................................................................................................................8
Bibliography................................................................................................................................................................10
ii
1
SCRIPTURE
SUMMARY
I believe that Scripture, which is contained in each of the sixty-six books of the New and
Old Testaments, is the written Word of God that is immutable. God, through the Holy Spirit,
worked through 40 different authors, on three different continents, and three languages to deliver
one complete revelation. It is the revelation of God Himself and His plan for redeeming a fallen
world. It contains everything which is necessary to know God and to be in the right relationship
with Him. I believe that Scripture is the inerrant and infallible Word of God in the context, genre,
and culture in which it was given. Therefore, it is alive and will be used to fulfill God’s purpose,
which is to save souls. The Word of God is infallible because God cannot make a mistake; He
does not error. I believe that the Scriptures, with the completion of the New Testament canon, is
the complete and final authority in all matters and situations.
HISTORICAL QUOTE – JOHN CALVIN
“Hence the Scriptures obtain full authority among believers only when men regard them as
having sprung from heaven, as if there the living words of God were heard.” 1
VERSES GIVEN IN FULL
1. “All Scripture is=inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
for=training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16)2
2. “God, after He=spoke long ago to the fathers in=the prophets in many portions and=in many
ways,=in these last days=has spoken to us=in=His Son, whom He appointed=heir of all
things,=through whom also He made the=world” (Heb. 1:1-2).
3. “for you have been=born again=not of seed which is perishable but imperishable,=that is,
through the living and enduring=word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).
1 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles, vol. 1,
The Library of Christian Classics (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 74.
2Unless otherwise stated all Scripture is from the New American Standard Bible. 1995
2
4. “But=know this first of all, that=no prophecy of Scripture is=a matter=of one’s own
interpretation,=21)for=no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men=moved by
the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
5. “For=the word of God is=living and=active and sharper than any two-edged=sword, and
piercing as far as the division of=soul and=spirit, of both joints and marrow, and=able to judge
the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
6. “The grass withers, the flower fades, But=the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).
7. “Now go,=write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may=serve in the
time to come As a witness forever” (Isaiah 30:8).
8. “)Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
9. “In the exercise of=His will He=brought us forth by=the word of truth, so that we would be=a
kind of=first fruits=among His creatures” (James 1:18).
10. “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a
book” (Jeremiah 30:2).
GOD THE FATHER
SUMMARY
I believe in the one true and living God existing in three distinct persons. God the Father
is the Godhead. I believe in God the Father who is the Creator of all things. He is infinite and
eternal. He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (ever-
present). God the Father is the immutable Sovereign Lord over all things created, both physically
and spiritually, both now and forever. God the Father is perfectly holy, wise, just, gracious,
loving, merciful, patient, kind, and righteous. He is consistently working all things according to
His will. He concerns Himself with the affairs of men, saving those from sin and death who
come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. Due to His glory and majesty, He is worthy to be
worshipped and praised.
3
HISTORICAL QUOTE – KARL BARTH
“All the perfections of God’s freedom and therefore of His love, and therefore the one whole
divine essence, can and must be recognised and expressed by recognising and saying that God is
constant.”3
VERSES GIVEN IN FULL
1. “In the beginning=God=created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).
2. “Before=the mountains were born Or You=gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even=from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Ps. 90:2).
3. “To you it was shown that you might know that the=Lord, He is God;=there is no other besides
Him” (Duet. 4:35).
4. “one God and Father of all=who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:6).
5. “The=heavens are Yours; the earth also is Yours; The=world and=all it contains, You have
founded them” (Ps. 89-11).
6. “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I
the=Lord=your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2).
7. “For=I, the=Lord,=do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob,=are not consumed” (Mal.
3:6).
8. “For=He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Ps. 33:9).
9. “For God so=loved the world, that He=gave His=[a]only begotten Son, that whoever=believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
10. “Now to the=King=eternal,=immortal,=invisible, the=only God,=be=honor and glory forever and
ever. Amen” (1 Tim. 1:17).
3 Karl Barth, Geoffrey William Bromiley, and Thomas F. Torrance, Church Dogmatics: The Doctrine of God,
Part 1, vol. 2 (London; New York: T&T Clark, 2004), 491.
4
GOD THE SON
SUMMARY
I believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten eternal Son of the Living God. He was
with God before the foundations of the Earth and through Him, all things are created. He is God
incarnate, born of the virgin Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the second
person of the Trinity co-equal Jesus Christ is one person with two natures being fully human and
fully Divine. He was predestined to be the One whom through all humanity shall be saved.
Though He experienced temptations to sin, He knew no sin and was able to be the perfect lamb
to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. By His death, resurrection, and ascension to the right
hand of the Father, He overcame the power of sin and death and intercedes on behalf of those
who trust in Him. Jesus’ will return one day, with all authority, to rule and reign.
HISTORICAL QUOTE – GEORGE WHITEFIELD
“By Jesus Christ, we are to understand the eternal Son of God.” 4
VERSES GIVEN IN FULL
1. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold,=a virgin will be with child and
bear a son, and she will call His name=Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
2. “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the
Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
3. “Now the birth of Jesus [r]Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed
to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit”
(Mark 1:18).
4. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him
nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light
of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:1-
4).
4 George Whitefield, Selected Sermons of George Whitefield (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems,
Inc., 1999), Sermon 45.
5
5. “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in
the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil” (Luke 4:1-2a).
6. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
7. “For I delivered to you [a]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3).
8. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
9. “Therefore He is able also to=save=[a]forever those who=draw near to God through Him, since
He always lives to=make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).
10. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a [a]shout, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16)
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
SUMMARY
I believe the Holy Spirit is the divine, third person of the Trinity. While the Holy Spirit is
co-equal to God the Father and God the Son, He was sent to glorify Jesus Christ and sanctify the
believer. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is eternal and was intimately involved with the creation of
the world and the inspiration of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit is to convict unbelievers of sin
and justify upon repentance and surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. For sanctifying the saints, the
Holy Spirit the source for regenerating the hearts of the saints lives in the hearts of all believers
providing the fruits of the Spirit, and sealing them for the inheritance for which they are
promised through faith. The Holy Spirit calls the believer to daily obedience, the illuminator of
God’s Word, supplier of spiritual gifts, and intercedes and speaks for the believer in prayer.
HISTORICAL QUOTE – ARTHUR PINK
6
“Until the Holy Spirit is again given His rightful place in our hearts, thoughts, and activities,
there can be no improvement.”5
VERSES GIVEN IN FULL
1. “The earth was=formless and void, and=darkness was over the=surface of the deep, and=the
Spirit of God=was=moving over the=surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
2. “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).
3. “for=no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men=moved by the Holy Spirit
spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21).
4. “But the=Helper, the Holy Spirit,=whom the Father will send in My name,=He will teach you
all things, and=bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14-26).
5. “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and
judgment” (Jon 16:8).
6. “He saved us,=not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but=according
to His mercy, by the=washing of regeneration and=renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
7. “For who among men knows the=thoughts=of a man except the=spirit of the man which is in
him? Even so the=thoughts=of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11).
8. “Now we=have received, not the spirit of=the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that
we may know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12).
9. “But the fruit=of the Spirit is love,=joy, peace,=forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,=gentleness and self-control.=Against such things there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).
10. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to
pray for, but the Spirit=himself intercedes for us=through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26).
TRINITY
SUMMARY
5 Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).
7
I believe in the one true God who exists in three distinct persons: God the Father who is
the Godhead, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirt. Each person of the Godhead encompasses
the blessed Trinity. While Scripture does not use the term Trinity to describe the relationship
between the three, the relationship is described throughout the canon of Scripture. Each person of
the blessed Trinity is co-equal in authority and each deserving of worship and praise. Each
person is eternal and possesses the same attributes and perfections. Though equal in authority
they are distinct in their roles and interactions with creation, especially humanity. It is the shared
work of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit that God’s plan for the salvation of
humanity comes to completion. Therefore, it is each person who is the name by which all men
should confess their sins, be baptized, and be saved.
HISTORICAL QUOTE – CHRISTOPHER WORDSWORTH
“The doctrine of the blessed Trinity is here represented to us, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit: And in order to set this article of our faith in the most plain and easy light, for the use of
common christians, I would draw it out, as far as scripture evidently leads the way, into several
propositions.”6
VERSES GIVEN IN FULL
1. “Hear, O Israel! The=Lord=is our God, the=Lord=is one!” (Deut. 6:4).
2. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where=the Spirit of the Lord is,=there=is liberty” (2 Cor.
3:17).
3. “In the beginning was=the Word, and the Word was=with God, and=the Word was God” (John
1:1).
4. “And=the Word=became flesh, and=[a]dwelt among us, and=we saw His glory, glory as of=[b]the
only begotten from the Father, full of=grace and=truth” (John 1:1-14).
5. “For=in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead=bodily” (Col. 2:9)7
6 Isaac Watts, The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts, vol. 2 (London; Leeds: William Baynes; Thomas Williams
and Son; Thomas Hamilton; Josiah Conder; Edward Baines, 1812), 1.
7 Scripture is from the New King James Version.
8
6. “I and the Father are=one.”
7. “After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens
were opened, and=he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove=and=lighting on Him,=and
behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is=My beloved Son, in whom I am well-
pleased” (Matt. 3:16-17).
8. “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces
of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient
to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance” (1
Peter 1:1-2).
9. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the=love of God, and the=fellowship of the Holy
Spirit, be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).
10. “Go therefore and=make disciples of=all the nations,=baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).
CREATION
SUMMARY
I believe that God is the creator of heaven and earth in six days as narrated in the Holy
Scriptures. God chose, outside of himself, to create the universe and all that it contains from
nothing. God created the birds of the air, the creatures of the seas, and animals that roamed the
land. God created all the vegetation upon the earth. Along with all things physical, God created
all things spiritual. His final creation was humanity in His own image, which is Spirit. After
seeing what He had created, He said it was very good.
I believe that through humanity, sin entered God’s creation and caused the world to be
fallen and corrupt. However, God had predestined a plan before the creation of the world,
through His Son Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, to one day bring about a new
heaven and new earth that will be void of sin and corruption.
HISTORICAL QUOTE -KARL BARTH
9
“The distinctive element in creation consists in the fact that it comes first among God’s works.”8
VERSES GIVEN IN FULL
1. “In the beginning=God=created the heavens and the earth.=The earth was=formless and void,
and=darkness was over the=surface of the deep, and=the Spirit of God=was=moving over
the=surface of the waters” (Gen. 1:1-2).
2. “Then God said, ‘Let the waters=teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above
the earth=in the open=expanse of the heavens’” (Gen. 1:20).
3. “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures after=their kind: cattle and creeping
things and beasts of the earth after=their kind’; and it was so” (Gen. 1:24).
4. “God created man=in His own image, in the image of God He created him;=male and female
He created them” (Gen. 1:27).=
5. “Of old You=founded the earth,
And the=heavens are the work of Your hands” (Ps 102:25).
6. “The=heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their=expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (19:1).
7. “When I=consider=Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The=moon and the stars, which You have=ordained” (Ps. 83).
8. “For in six days the=Lord=made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and
rested on the seventh day; therefore the=Lord=blessed the sabbath day and made it holy”
(Exodus 20:11).
9. “He=is before all things, and in Him all things=hold together” (Col. 1:17).
10. “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that
has come into being” (John 1:3).
Bibliography
Barth, Karl, Geoffrey William Bromiley, and Thomas F. Torrance. Church Dogmatics: The
Doctrine of Creation, Part 1, vol. 3. London; New York: T&T Clark, 2004.
Barth, Karl, Geoffrey William Bromiley, and Thomas F. Torrance. Church Dogmatics: The
Doctrine of God, Part 1, vol. 2. London; New York: T&T Clark, 2004.
8 Karl Barth, Geoffrey William Bromiley, and Thomas F. Torrance, Church Dogmatics: The Doctrine of
Creation, Part 1, vol. 3 (London; New York: T&T Clark, 2004), 42.
10
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion & 2. ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis
Battles, vol. 1. The Library of Christian Classics. Louisville, KY: Westminster John
Knox Press, 2011.
Pink, Arthur Walkington. The Holy Spirit. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.
Watts, Isaac. The Works of the Rev. Isaac Watts. vol. 2. London; Leeds: William Baynes;
Thomas Williams and Son; Thomas Hamilton; Josiah Conder; Edward Baines, 1812.
Whitefield, George. Selected Sermons of George Whitefield. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research
Systems, Inc., 1999.
