
| About Word4Women |
| What We Believe I. The Bible is the Word of God - In accordance with II Timothy 3:16 and II Peter 1:21, the Bible was written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as a supernatural revelation of God. The Scriptures are literally God-breathed and contain no mixture of error. The truth of Scripture and the person of Christ are the foundations of the church and stand in direct opposition to the moral ills of society. II. Salvation is by Grace Alone - In accordance with Ephesians 2:8-9, we are saved by God’s grace at the point of personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Man is sinful and does not have the ability to save himself, least of all by good works. However, in accordance with James 2:14-17, our faith will be evidenced by good works, obedience, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). III. The Believer is Eternally Secure - In accordance with John 10:27-28 and Romans 8:38-39, if an individual has made been changed by the Grace of God, then they will never lose their salvation. When a saved person sins, their fellowship with God is interrupted, but never broken (I John 1:9). Likewise, those who do not trust Christ in this lifetime will spend eternity in hell (Revelation 21:8). IV. In the Priesthood of the Believer - In accordance with I John 2:1 and Hebrews 4:14-16, Christ Himself is our Advocate and High Priest. We have no need for human intermediaries because the blood of Christ has made each believer a child in God’s own family. Therefore we have direct access to God in confession, prayer, worship, and through His Word. V. Baptism is by Immersion for the Believer - In accordance with Matthew 28:19-20 and Romans 6:3-5, baptism is done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is not a means of salvation, but it is the believer’s symbolic identification with the death and resurrection of Christ and the cleansing of the Holy Spirit. In accordance with the Greek translation, true baptism is by immersion as an act of obedience, and it is reserved for persons who can express a certain degree of sincerity and understanding of their faith. Affirmations **** Based on our understanding of Biblical teachings, we affirm the following: Both Adam and Eve were created in God's image, equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18). Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find an echo in every human heart (Gen 2:18, 21-24; 1 Cor 11:7- 9; 1 Tim 2:12-14). Adam's headship in marriage was established by God before the Fall, and was not a result of sin (Gen 2:16- 18, 21-24, 3:1-13; 1 Cor 11:7-9). The Fall introduced distortions into the relationships between men and women (Gen 3:1-7, 12, 16). In the home, the husband's loving, humble headship tends to be replaced by domination or passivity; the wife's intelligent, willing submission tends to be replaced by usurpation or servility. In the church, sin inclines men toward a worldly love of power or an abdication of spiritual responsibility, and inclines women to resist limitations on their roles or to neglect the use of their gifts in appropriate ministries. The Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, manifests the equally high value and dignity which God attached to the roles of both men and women (Gen 1:26- 27, 2:18; Gal 3:28). Both Old and New Testaments also affirm the principle of male headship in the family and in the covenant community (Gen 2:18; Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; 1 Tim 2:11-15). Redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse. In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands' authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands' leadership (Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; Tit 2:3-5; 1 Pet 3:1-7). In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men (Gal 3:28; 1 Cor 11:2-16; 1 Tim 2:11- 15). In all of life Christ is the supreme authority and guide for men and women, so that no earthly submission- domestic, religious, or civil-ever implies a mandate to follow a human authority into sin (Dan 3:10-18; Acts 4: 19-20, 5:27-29; 1 Pet 3:1-2). In both men and women a heartfelt sense of call to ministry should never be used to set aside Biblical criteria for particular ministries (1 Tim 2:11-15, 3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9). Rather, Biblical teaching should remain the authority for testing our subjective discernment of God's will. With half the world's population outside the reach of indigenous evangelism; with countless other lost people in those societies that have heard the gospel; with the stresses and miseries of sickness, malnutrition, homelessness, illiteracy, ignorance, aging, addiction, crime, incarceration, neuroses, and loneliness, no man or woman who feels a passion from God to make His grace known in word and deed need ever live without a fulfilling ministry for the glory of Christ and the good of this fallen world (1 Cor 12:7-21). We are convinced that a denial or neglect of these principles will lead to increasingly destructive consequences in our families, our churches, and the culture at large. *** Word4Women is in complete agreement with the above 10 affirmations as originally presented in the Danvers Statement*** Coming Soon Cindy's Personal Testimony and The Statement of Faith and Purpose of Word4Women |