One God: The Holy Trinity
The twelve values are grouped by who they point to.
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” — John 1:14
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” — Genesis 1:1
“By his mercy he saved us, by the washing…and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” — Titus 3:5
“Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit.” — 1 Cor 6:20
Truth
Know GodOne unchanging truth for all people, revealed in Scripture and in Jesus Christ. Everything stable is built on it, and it is opposed on every side, so it must be sought and discerned.
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” — John 17:3
There is one God-given reality for all people and places. It's either acknowledged or resisted.
Because truth reflects God’s nature, it does not evolve, contradict itself, or expire with time.
Truth is fully revealed in the living person of Jesus Christ.
Truth is the foundation on which everything depends. Without it there is no order, stability or safety.
All fundamental beliefs are objectively defined by the Bible, the authoritative, Holy-Spirit-inspired Word of God.
The Devil, and powerful earthly institutions he controls, war against the truth because it exposes sin.
Test everything by Scripture, as the Bereans did. Do not follow a crowd to do evil, and do not believe a claim because it is loud, popular or official. Truth is checked, not assumed.
Finding truth requires continually overcoming our sinful nature and the harmful influence of our corrupt culture.
The Bible is one story. The Old Testament promises, pictures and prepares; the New fulfills. Every covenant, sacrifice and prophecy points to Christ, and every promise of God is "yes" in Him.
The devil is real but defeated, and greater is He who is in you. Stand as Jesus stood: answer temptation with Scripture, resist and he flees, flee what you cannot fight, and put on the whole armor of God every day. God always provides a way of escape.
Hope
Obey God’s WordHope rests on God's promises and the resurrection, not on this world improving. Society changes one repentant heart at a time, as people examine themselves, obey God's Word and choose love.
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” — James 1:22
Regardless of present conditions, we have a confident expectation rooted in God’s holiness and faithful promises.
The long history of despair has only been briefly interrupted when Truth is known and put into practice.
Real improvement starts when we as individuals humbly examine ourselves in the mirror of God's Word.
Before we can help others, we must first renounce our own sin and ask God to forgive us and help us change.
The only hope for society is for God to redeem the people, shaping us to be more like Christ, one heart at a time.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself; on these two hang all the Law and the Prophets. Love one another as Christ loved you: this is how the world will know you are His. Love even your enemies.
Our optimism, yearning and confidence is in the resurrection and eternal life, not merely improvement in this world. God will dwell with His people in a new heaven and a new earth, and wipe away every tear.
Where truth is believed and obeyed, order, stability and harmony follow. A society at peace is the fruit of changed hearts, not of better rules.
Jesus is coming back, visibly, to judge the living and the dead and make all things new. This is the blessed hope. We live ready, as servants who expect the Master any day.
Education
Share God’s WordParents are responsible for teaching their children truth and guarding them from deception. Learning means reading, thinking, knowing history, then sharing the Gospel and discipling others, patiently and by example.
“In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:25
God assigns primary responsibility for education and spiritual formation to parents and households, who must guard children from deception and form them in truth.
To be salt that preserves, we name and answer the empty philosophies of our age: any teaching that denies the Creator, excuses sin, worships the creature, or promises salvation by human power. Their names change every generation; their root does not.
After learning the Truth and applying it in our lives, we are called to share its lifesaving "light" with others.
When souls repent, we disciple them through the process of conversion, baptism and living a new life in Christ.
We continue to improve tools and methods to motivate and equip students to learn, apply and share the truth.
We prepare students to read, write, calculate, think critically and learn not to repeat the mistakes of past generations.
We shine a powerful light in the dark world by finding ways to avoid participating in its immorality and idolatry.
Teaching takes love and patience. The best way is to humbly lead by example and establish trusting relationships.
Creator
Love and Praise GodThe triune God spoke everything into being, sustains it and rules it. Right and wrong flow from His nature, every authority answers to Him, and yet He invites us to know Him as Father.
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” — Revelation 4:11
We worship the only God, the awesome Maker of all things, who exists in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God creates by speaking, demonstrating absolute power, intentional design, and authority over matter and time.
God is perfect, eternal and infinite in His knowledge, power, glory, mercy, compassion, love, justice and patience.
Though infinite, God reveals Himself and invites relationship—calling people to know Him as Father through covenant and grace.
As Creator, God is the ultimate authority over truth, morality, life, and judgment. Right and wrong flow from His nature.
God establishes order, law, and authority, calling His people to obey earthly authorities when such obedience aligns with His Word.
God rules over all He made. Nothing happens outside His will, and even what men mean for evil He turns to good.
God not only creates but continually upholds and governs all things with wisdom and care.
God is love. He loved us first, while we were still His enemies, and gave His Son. His love is not earned and cannot be lost by those who are His.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Reverence for God, not fear of man, is where every right decision starts.
Liberty
Be Free to Follow GodLiberty is the freedom to do what is right — bought by Christ, given by God, not by government. It survives only where people govern themselves, take responsibility and watch corrupt power closely.
“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” — 2 Peter 2:19
Liberty is not doing whatever we want. It is the freedom to do what is right, and not be forced to violate biblical convictions.
God ordains government to restrain evil and praise good, because we do not govern ourselves. A people who rule their own hearts need few laws; the more self-control fails, the more the state grows.
Human rulers are fallen; unchecked power tends toward corruption and oppression, endangering liberty.
All human rights are given by God, not man. Therefore, these rights should not be denied by man.
God gives the right to own what you earn and forbids taking or coveting what belongs to another. Because every heart is fallen, no system that assumes people are good can work; a just economy rewards honest work and punishes theft.
We were slaves to sin, chained and hopeless. But God still loved us and sent His Son Jesus to purchase our freedom.
Liberty must be guarded; spiritual and moral vigilance is required to preserve freedom across generations.
Freedom and responsibility are inseparable. A people who will not answer for their own choices will always be governed by someone who will.
Jesus is King now, not only later. His Kingdom is not of this world and does not advance by force; it grows like a seed, one heart at a time. We are its citizens and ambassadors, pilgrims here who seek the good of the city while our home is elsewhere.
In matters Scripture leaves open, each believer answers to God, not to a brother. We hold our convictions firmly, give others room for theirs, and never make a disputable matter a test of fellowship.
Justice
Trust in God AloneJustice flows from who God is: impartial, merciful and certain, even when it waits for His judgment. Having all broken His law, we show mercy, protect the weak and care for the poor ourselves.
“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” — Deuteronomy 32:4
Justice must not bend toward wealth, power, race, or status. It's not invented by humans; it flows from who God is.
Life here isn't fair but God is. He sees everything and will eventually judge and reward everyone according to their works. Believers are judged for reward, not condemnation.
Justice without mercy becomes cruelty; God commands compassion, forgiveness, and restoration alongside judgment. Ample warning is given to the sinner to change his ways and to avoid the eternity of the lost. God does not desire that anyone should perish but rather that all would repent.
We have all broken the Ten Commandments, so only those whose sins are forgiven can be found innocent. Heaven and hell are real places. Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels; those who die in their sins will be judged and sent there, tormented forever. Followers of Jesus Christ will spend eternity with Him in heaven.
God hates the oppression of the weak, and He commands His people to defend them: the orphan, the widow, the stranger, the poor, the prisoner. Pure religion visits them; whoever shuts his heart to a brother in need does not have God's love in him.
Jesus condemned religion performed to be seen: alms, prayers and outrage done for applause. Justice that God accepts starts in a repentant heart, not on a stage. Before demanding justice of others, ask mercy for yourself.
God shows no partiality and rewards every person according to their work, so effort and faithfulness matter. But a person's worth is never earned: it is given, in the image of God, and the weak are to be honored most.
Care for the poor begins closest to home: first the family, then the church, then the neighbor. That is the order 1 Timothy 5 gives, and it is how a widow is known by name instead of by number.
Life
Be Born of the SpiritEvery life is sacred from conception to natural death. Sin brought death, but Jesus died and rose so we can be born again, filled with His Spirit, at peace, and raised with Him.
“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” — John 3:3
We treasure God's creation, especially every human life from conception until natural death. Each of us is made male or female in the image of God, and that is good.
Life is broken by sin and subject to death apart from God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed, disease, corruption and strife entered a perfect world, and every person since is born with a sinful nature. Sin is missing the mark of God's law, from careless neglect to open rebellion, and it is first of all against God.
The wages of sin is death, and Jesus paid them. He was wounded for our transgressions; the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He bore our sins in His body on the tree, the just for the unjust, so that God could be both just and the one who justifies. His blood washes away every sin of everyone who trusts Him.
We can live forever if we are "born again." Our old, sin-loving self must die. Then God's Spirit can fill our heart.
The Holy Spirit gives believers comfort, conviction, direction and the power to overcome sin and grow in faith.
On the narrow way we are not promised everything we want, but peace, joy, hope, purpose and everything we need. Life in God’s way brings peace, purpose, and hope—even amid suffering.
Blessed are the peacemakers. We do not repay evil for evil, we overcome evil with good, and we refuse to feed on violence for entertainment. The LORD's soul hates the one who loves violence.
Christ rose from the grave, and everyone who belongs to Him will rise too. Death is real, but for the believer it is not the end of the story.
Following Jesus means denying yourself, taking up your cross daily and counting the cost. The world hated Him and will hate His people; all who live godly will be persecuted. Rejoice: the reward is great.
God breathed into man a living soul. The body dies; the soul does not. Every person will stand before Him and go on forever, with Him or apart from Him.
Faith
Be a Child of GodFaith begins when God opens our eyes and we surrender to Christ. It changes how we live, feeds on Scripture and prayer, grows among believers, and holds on through every trial.
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” — Romans 8:16-17
No one comes to Christ unless the Father draws him. God opens blind eyes to see that we are sinners under judgment, and that our only hope is His grace. Salvation is His gift from first to last, not our achievement.
True faith begins by turning from self and submitting to God. Faith acknowledges guilt and entrusts life entirely to Christ.
We are declared righteous by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Not by being good, not by religion, not by works, so that no one can boast. Good works are the fruit of salvation, never its root.
Saving faith shows. Once we see what our sin cost God's Son, we no longer want to do the things that nailed Him to the cross; although we still sin, by His grace we do not practice it. Faith without works is dead.
God gives us the desire to study His Word, to know Him and his plan better, and be prepared to share with others.
We develop a close relationship with God by sharing our hopes, concerns, thanks and praise through prayer. Sometimes we fast, setting food aside to seek Him.
The Church is Christ's body and His bride, and He is its head. Our spiritual health depends on contributing to, and being accountable to, a local body of sincere Bible believers.
Jesus commanded it and the apostles practiced it: everyone who repents and believes is baptized. The water symbolizes His burial and resurrection, and ours with Him: the old life buried, a new one raised. It saves no one; it declares, in public, whose you now are.
Saving faith continues despite trials and suffering. True faith holds fast to Christ until the end.
Jesus rose, ascended, and lives to intercede for us. He is the one Mediator between God and man and our great High Priest, so we come boldly to the throne of grace. No priest, saint, ritual, prophet or guru stands between you and God.
Jesus gave His people a meal. Bread and cup, taken together, remember His body broken and His blood shed, and proclaim His death until He comes. We examine ourselves and come to His table as one body.
We were made to worship. We praise God in spirit and truth, sing to Him, and give thanks in everything. Worship is the response of a heart that has seen who He is.
Family
Build God’s KingdomGod made marriage a lifelong union of one man and one woman, picturing Christ and His Church. Families raise and disciple children — hard, embattled work, best prepared for long before the wedding.
“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children.” — Deuteronomy 6:6-7
Family is a divine institution established by God. He created marriage as integral for humanity.
Marriage is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, modeled after the spiritual union of Christ and the Church.
The husband/father spiritually leads the home, provides, protects, disciplines the children, and sets a good example. He loves his wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her. Biblical leadership is sacrificial, loving, and accountable to God.
The wife/mother manages the many details of the family, nurturing the children, encouraging her husband, and following his lead as the Church follows Christ.
Families are God’s primary means of raising and discipling children. Children are a blessing and a responsibility, not a burden.
The traditional family unit is efficient and sustainable. It's the crucial, indispensable component of any society or economy.
Marriages and families are under attack and deserve our full support. Parenting is the hardest job, but also the most important.
Success starts long before the wedding, with spiritual preparation, sexual purity, and developing godly character and life skills. Purity here is one part of preparing for marriage; the virtue itself is Pure, under Character.
Children obey their parents in the Lord; this is the first commandment with a promise. Honor does not end at adulthood: grown children care for aging parents, and anyone who will not provide for his own has denied the faith.
Jesus took children in His arms and said the Kingdom belongs to such as these. We bring them to Him early, we never despise or hinder them, and we fear the millstone He promised to anyone who causes one of them to stumble. Faith like a child's is the pattern, not the exception.
Singleness is honored: Jesus and Paul were single, and an unmarried believer can serve the Lord without distraction. No one in Christ is without a family, because the Church is family to everyone in it.
Glory
Honor God in EverythingLife has purpose because we belong to the King. We seek His will first, trust His promises, care for the bodies He gave us, stay set apart and unselfish, and honor Him in everything.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” — Matthew 6:33
As adopted children of The King, we have the ultimate privilege to seek His will and do what He calls each of us to do.
We give thanks in everything, because every good gift comes from above. Gratitude is the posture of a creature who knows who made him and who saved him.
As adopted children we rest on God's promises that He is faithful, supplies our needs and works all things for good. Nothing in creation can separate us from His love, and no one can pluck us out of His hand.
We take care of our bodies so that we have the strength to serve others, our families, churches and communities.
Contentment comes from Christ, not circumstances. Cast every care on Him, bring every request with thanksgiving, and His peace will guard your heart. Bear one another's burdens; no one carries theirs alone.
We grow stronger together by investing in real relationships, planning, networking and partnering to build God's Kingdom.
Purpose moves outward in love and obedience. God calls His people to serve others and advance His kingdom.
We are set apart for God's own use. Being holy means being separated from what is common and devoted to what He calls us to do.
Our days are numbered, so we walk carefully and redeem the time. What gets our eyes and our hours is decided before God, not by a screen or a crowd.
Character
Be More Like ChristCharacter is Christ formed in us: honest, kind, humble and brave. There are no shortcuts — discipline, patience and persistence through trials make a person others can trust and God can use.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7
Honesty reflects God’s nature and builds trust. God’s people are called to integrity in speech and conduct.
Treat other people as you would want to be treated, with courtesy, respect, loyalty and kindness.
As long as we are on God's side, we need not fear. We can prayerfully make good plans and boldly step out in faith.
God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Christ, though He was God, made Himself nothing and washed His disciples' feet; the greatest in His Kingdom is the servant of all. Think of others as more important than yourself.
Trials can draw us closer to God and help us grow spiritually. We're called to be resilient, diligent and determined.
There are no "short cuts" in the race of life. To win, one must develop self-control and the ability to consistently perform.
God's timing often does not meet our short term expectations, but waiting and seeking can teach us valuable lessons.
Faithfulness reflects loyalty to God and responsibility toward others. God values consistency, dependability, and perseverance.
Forgive as God in Christ forgave you: fully, repeatedly, from the heart. Jesus tied the two together: if you will not forgive, you will not be forgiven. Bitterness is a root that defiles everyone it touches.
Life and death are in the power of the tongue. No gossip, slander, coarse joking or cutting words, online or off; only what builds up and gives grace to the hearer. We will give account for every idle word.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. God's will is that we keep our bodies holy and honorable, not in lust. Sex belongs in marriage, and purity starts with the eyes and the mind. It is who we are before God, married or single; Deliberate, under Family, is how it prepares us for marriage.
Work
Bear Fruit for GodWork belongs to God and is done for Him: excellent, diligent and creative. We manage money wisely, provide for our families, give generously, build a track record, and trust Him with the outcome.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10
When it counts, create a masterpiece. Do the best you can at everything. Your effort reflects on God and His people.
Look for opportunities to lead. Pursue continuous improvement. Permanently solve problems. Believe and take action.
Faithful people work steadily rather than passively waiting. God values initiative, consistency, and responsible effort.
We're called to serve. Whether it is family, church, a customer or the less fortunate, we share our time, talent and treasure. We open our homes to strangers; some have entertained angels.
Everything we have is God's; we manage it for Him. Provide for your family, owe no one, and save for your children's children. But you cannot serve God and money: the love of it is a root of every evil, so lay up treasure in heaven and hold the rest loosely.
You can’t steer a boat that's not moving. Stay active and productive while you study or prepare. You learn more by doing.
Give an account of yourself. Confess faults to one another, welcome correction, and keep the kind of record you would show God. What is measured improves.
Work ultimately belongs to God and is done under His authority. Believers work in obedience, trusting God with outcomes.
God worked six days and rested, and He commands the same of us. One day in seven belongs to Him. Rest is not laziness; it is trust that the world runs on His labor, not ours. Come to Jesus and find rest for your soul.
Every believer has received a gift from the Spirit to serve the body, and natural talents besides. Use them for others, not for show; a buried talent is judged.