God
We believe in one God who exists as three eternally consubstantial divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three Persons are each fully, equally, and uniquely God, yet are one God, not three gods. The Persons have one divine essence and are distinguished only by their internal relations to one another. The Godhead possesses a singular will and works inseparably and simultaneously in every external action. Being the transcendent Creator, God is the sovereign, infallible sustainer of the universe. We affirm—in unity with the historic church’s discernment—all the classical attributes of God.
Scriptures: Gen. 1:1-3, 26; Ex. 15:11; 2Chron 2:5-6; Job 11:7-9; Ps. 2:7; 93; 119-9, 147:3-5; Is. 40:12-26,28; Jer. 23:23-24; John 1:1-3, 6:27, 8:58, 20:28; Rom 11:33; 1Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:8; 2Pet 3:8; Rev. 1:8.
The Bible
We believe the sixty–six books of the Old and New Testament to be verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original text, and that they alone are of supreme and final authority in faith and life. We affirm the "Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy" drafted by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI), 1979 (https://library.dts.edu/Pages/TL/Special/ICBI_1.pdf).
Scriptures: Ps. 47:7-8; Is. 10:5-13; Matt. 4:4-7, 11:10; Mark 14:27; Luke 4:4-12; 24:14-35; John 6:63, 17:12; Acts 17:26; Rom 1:18, 2 Tim 3:16-17; Heb 1:1;2 Pet. 3:15-16.
Creation
We believe that the physical universe, the realm of nature, is the visible creation of God. It declares God’s existence and gives a trustworthy revelation of God’s character and purpose. In Scripture, God declares that through His creation all humanity recognizes His existence, power, glory, and wisdom.
When properly understood as two revelations (one verbal, one physical) from the same God, both His Word (Scripture) and His world (nature), will never contradict each other.
Scriptures: Gen 1;1Chr 29:11-12; Ps 104, 139:13; Is 40:10-26; Jer 33:25; Matt. 6:26; John 1:1-3; Rom 1:20; 1Cor 8:6; Col 1:16; Heb 1:3; 1Pet 3:18; 2Pet 3:5-7; Rev 4:11, 22
Man & the Fall
We believe God created mankind in His image—with rational, moral, relational, and spiritual capacities—to fellowship with Him and give Him glory. Humans were created de novo as a new kind of being and as such, are the crown of God’s creation, possessing inherent dignity and moral worth.
Rejecting theistic evolution, we believe Adam and Eve, the first human beings, chose to rebel against God and go their own autonomous way. As a result, all of mankind became separated from God, with the image of God in man distorted, and the sinful nature passed on to all their progeny. Because of original sin unregenerate human beings are incapable of pleasing or commending themselves to God. The only remedy for mankind’s hopeless predicament is salvation by God’s grace through saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Scriptures: Gen 2:4-26, 3:1-24; Ps 25:6-7, 89:30-32; Rom 3:11-23, 5:12; 2 Cor. 2:11; 1Pet 5:8; 1Jn 4:4; Eph 2:8-9.
Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the living Word who united human nature to Himself when He was conceived in the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, He is truly God and truly man, both natures united in one person forever. God accomplished our salvation as Man for man, doing what we could not do for ourselves. He lived a sinless life, and voluntarily atoned for human sins by dying on the cross as a substitute, thus satisfying God’s divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone.
He rose from the dead in the same body—now glorified—in which He lived and died. He ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and humanity, continually makes intercession for His own.
Scriptures: Matt 7:21-23, 15:16-17, 26:63-65; Luke 1:1-2:52, 4:14, 19:20; John 1:1-14,8:58, 11:25, 14:6, 16:5-7; 17:5, 19-21; Rom 1:4, 8:9-11, 32; 1Cor 1:24; Heb 1:3, 2:17; 1Jn 4:15
Salvation
Men are justified by the shed blood of Christ and upon the condition of faith in Him who shed His blood on their behalf for the forgiveness of their sins. They are born again from the Father through the Son and by the Holy Spirit.
All those who receive Jesus Christ as their Savior become children of God and joint heirs of the Father with Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. They receive the gift eternal life in unceasing union with God. This new life is characterized by a submission to the authority of Christ.
At death their spirits depart to be with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in conscious blessedness, and at the Second Coming of Christ their bodies shall be raised and transformed into the likeness of the body of His glory. They will enter into full possession of eternal bliss in the unhindered presence of God.
All those who willfully reject Jesus Christ during their earthly life will also be raised from the dead, but they will be condemned to eternal death. This is the second death characterized by eternal separation from God.
Scriptures: John 12:27, 15:14-16; Acts 2:23 Rom 4:25, 6:23, 8:32, 12:2; 2Cor 4:15; Gal 3:1-13; 1Pet 1:1:2, 20; Rev 2:11, 13:8, 20:6, 20:14, 21:8.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead who proceeds from the Father and the Son. In unity with them He was active in the Creation account in Genesis 1 and came upon multiple Old Testament individuals to empower them. The larger anticipation of the Old Testament was in the eschatological hope that the Spirit of the Lord would be poured out on the house of Israel to usher in a new age and inaugurate a new covenant.
Through the atoning death and resurrection of Christ—and in indivisible unity with the Father and Son—the Holy Spirit regenerates sinful people by convicting and forgiving them of their sins and makes them children of God and co-heirs with Christ. He inspired sacred Scripture and illuminates the Word to believers. He abides in them as a guarantee of their eternal inheritance and conveys His manifold gifts to the Church.
Scriptures: John 3:8, 14:16, 15:16-17, 16:8-14, Acts 5:3-4,13:2, 20:28; Rom 8:11-14; 1Cor 3:16, 12:4-11; Eph 4:30, 5:18; 1Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 1:20; 1Jn 2;1-2, Rev 13:8
The Church
Jesus Christ is the Head of His Body which is composed of all people, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith. According to Hebrews 10:25, God instructs believers to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, for edification through the Scriptures, and for mutual encouragement.
Scriptures: Matt 16:18, 18:17; Acts 5:11, 6:4, 8:3; 9:31, 11:26, 12:1-5, 12:28, 15:3, 18:22, 20:17; Rom 16:1-11; 1Cor 11:18, 4:17, 6:4, 14:4-34, 16:19; 2 Cor. 5:12-21, Phil 3:6-11, 4:15; Col 1:18, 24, 4:15; Eph 1:22, 2:13-16, 3:10, 21; 5:23-31; 1Tim 5:16; Phlm 2; Jam 5:14.
Responsibility of the Christian
We believe that being disciples of Jesus means serving Him as Lord in every sphere of our lives: secular and spiritual, public and private, in deeds and words all our days on earth. Disciples reach out as He did to those who are lost, poor, sick, hungry, oppressed, and socially despised. Serving Him includes being faithful stewards of creation and our fellow-creatures.
Scripture: Matt 10:43, 22:36-40; Mark 16:15; Luke 14:26; Acts 6:4; Rom 8:7; 2Cor. 5:20; Gal 6:1-3; Eph 4:11; 1 Thess. 2:4; 1Tim. 4:12; Ti 3:1-7; 1Pet 2:9; Heb 10:35, 12:1; 1Pet 1:15-16; 1Jn 2:28, 3:18-19.
Local Church
The local church is the New Testament means of God's kingdom-building and Great Commission initiative(s). As a para-church ministry, Eat Steak Not Cake does not replace the local church, but instead comes alongside to strengthen and expand the ministry of the local church.