Statement of Faith

Those who serve with SIM are committed to the following essential truths of biblical Christianity.

There is one God who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is the almighty Creator, Savior, and Judge who governs all things according to His sovereign will and is accomplishing His purposes in creation and in the Church to His glory.

God the Father is the source of all that is good. He initiates creation and redemption, which He accomplishes through His Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s written Word, revealing for all peoples His character and purposes. It is the final authority in all matters relating to belief and behavior. The Holy Spirit moved the human authors of the Bible so that what they wrote is inspired, fully reliable, and without error in all it affirms.

Humanity is the climax of God’s earthly creation, bearing His image, designed for relationship with Him, and being the object of His redeeming love. All people have sinned. This results in guilt, death, and alienation from God as well as the defacing of every aspect of human nature. People are unable to save themselves from sin’s penalty and power and from Satan’s dominion.

Jesus Christ, both fully God and fully man, entered history as Savior of the world. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived an exemplary, sinless life in perfect submission to the Father and in loving relationships with others. He died on a cross, rose bodily, and ascended to heaven where He is advocate for His people and is exalted as Lord of all.

Christ’s sacrificial death, in which He bore the punishment due to sinners, is the only and all-sufficient basis of God’s provision of salvation for all people of every culture and age, expressing His love and satisfying His justice. By God’s grace the repentant sinner, through trusting alone in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, is put right with God, adopted by the Father into His family and receives eternal life.

The Holy Spirit makes the work of Christ effective to sinners, giving spiritual life and placing them into the Church. He indwells all believers, empowers them to love, serve, witness and obey God, equips them with gifts, and transforms them to be increasingly like Christ.

The universal Church is made up of all who have been born of the Spirit. It finds local expression in communities of believers called by God to worship, fellowship, proclaim the gospel and make disciples among all peoples, reflect God’s character, engage in works of compassion, contend for truth and justice, and celebrate baptism and communion.

The holy angels are personal spirit beings who glorify God, serve Him, and minister to His people. Satan is a spiritual being who was created by God but fell through sin. He, along with other evil spirits, is the enemy of God and humanity, has been defeated by the work of Christ, is subject to God’s authority and faces eternal condemnation.