The JoshuaOne Statement of Faith
1. There is one God: the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, the God of Jesus. (Exodus 20:3)
2. God is one, yet God exists and has existed eternally as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)
3. Jesus is God, Son of God, Savior, Lord, and Christ. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, atoning death on the cross, bodily resurrection, ascension to heaven, and promised return.
4. Salvation is possible only through Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12, John 14:6)
5. Salvation is made possible through Christ’s atoning, substitutionary death on the cross. (Romans 3:25)
6. Salvation is made possible through God’s grace and not through human efforts. (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 11:8)
7. We should respond to God’s grace and Christ’s death by having faith in Christ. (Galatians 2:16)
8. Genuine faith should include:
- Professing Jesus as Savior and Lord. (Romans 10:9)
- Confessing and repenting of one’s sins. (Luke 18:13, Acts 2:38)
- Being baptized. (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:37-38)
- Serving Christ. (James 2:17, Matthew 16:24, John 14:15)
9. The Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21)
We recognize all believers — of any church, denomination, nationality, race, ethnicity — who share our faith in the above truths as our brothers and sisters in Christ. We trust that you will likewise recognize us. After all, we will be spending all of eternity together worshiping and serving the Lord!
Secondary Issues
Christians can agree to disagree on a host of secondary doctrinal questions, as long as we agree on the essentials, such as those listed above. Christians and churches should not allow secondary issues to divide us.
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
“All of you be harmonious, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble.” (1 Peter 3:8)
The founders of The JoshuaOne Project are products of the Restoration Movement. The Restoration Movement was a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit that sprang up in the U.S. in the early 1800s, when America was a young republic. Most U.S. churches of that time had been established by European denominations. After those early Americans threw off European governmental rule, they questioned why their churches should answer to denominational bureaucracies on the other side of the ocean.
Those pioneer Christians began to strip away the traditions and trappings of denominationalism and pursue the “restoration” of the teachings and practices of the original 1st century Christian Church, following the example of the churches described in the New Testament.
The Restoration Movement continues today among more than 5000 “independent Christian churches” in the U.S. and many more such churches in other countries and continents. The word “independent” underscores that these Christian churches are nondenominational and self-governed.