Creed

The Creedal Statement of Faith must be affirmed by at least one parent of enrolled family as well as all employees of Legacy Christian Academy. As a Statement of Faith, Legacy Christian Academy agrees with and holds to the Apostles’ Creed, a profession affirmed by Jesus-followers for more than 1,800 years.

[We] believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

[We] believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

[We] believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic [universal] church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Doctrine

The Doctrinal Statement of Faith must be acknowledged by all families and employees of Legacy Christian Academy as the official doctrinal position of Legacy Christian Academy in all matters of practice and instruction.

The Scriptures (Bible): We believe the Bible, as the special revelation of God to be the inspired, infallible, divine, inerrant Word of God in the original writings. As the final authority for all matters of faith and human conduct, the Word of God provides absolute moral truths and wisdom. We believe the Old and New Testaments are the true and only word of God, and that no other writings can alter, supplement, or replace it. (Psalm 119; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 1).

God, the Father: We believe in one true, living, sovereign, holy God, creator and sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – with each one being a distinct person with a distinct function, but all of one essence and all possessing the same nature, perfection, and attributes. The triune God, expressing His nature relationally, is the source of all truth, and is worthy of worship and obedience. (Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; Psalms 90:2; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Genesis 1:31).

Jesus Christ, the Son: We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary. We affirm the historical eyewitness reports recorded in the Scriptures of his sinless life, miracles, and ministry. Jesus shed His blood on the cross, dying for our sins as a substitutionary sacrifice, arose bodily from the grave, and ascended into heaven where, as truly God and truly man, He is the only mediator between God and man. Mankind finds salvation only through faith in Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. Jesus will personally and visibly return in glory to raise the dead and bring salvation and judgment to completion. (Isaiah 9:5-6, John 1:1-5, Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:35, John 2:11, John 3:16, John 11:25, John 14:10-30, Acts 1:9-11, Romans 1:3-4, Hebrews 4:14-15; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Timothy 6:14-15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Ephesians 1:7, Col 1:15-20.)

Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is God, co-equal and co-existent with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer from the moment of salvation, convicts them of sin, guides them in understanding scripture, empowers them for godly living, intercedes on their behalf according to God’s will, and equips them for service and witness. (John 16:7-13, 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:5-11, 26-28; II Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Galatians 5:22-25)

Creation/Mankind: We believe that in the beginning, God created the Heavens and the earth ex nihilo (out of nothing), and that man was created by a direct act of God in His image, not from previously existing life. We believe that God created each person, from the moment of conception and immutably endowed them with sacred value, as either male or female in accordance with their biological sex.

We believe that God reveals Himself to mankind through His creation, including His glory, power, divine nature, wisdom, and love. The goodness of his properly ordered world is consistent with the goodness of His character. As our trinitarian God is relational, so are we called to a relationship with him, and rightly ordered relationships with each other. As moral agents in God’s creation, it is the duty of mankind to pattern our lives so as to be consistent with the created order, in agreement with God’s commands. We believe that God has called mankind to “be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.” Therefore, we believe that the institution of marriage is ordained by God to be between a man and a woman, as an image of Christ’s relationship with the church, forming a family that is a pre-political unit and is the foundation of society. We also believe that God has given the parents and the home the responsibility to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We believe that this world is given for the provision of human beings and that it is the responsibility of mankind to steward this world so that it might rightly reflect God’s good order. (Genesis 1:1-31, Psalm 19:1, Psalm 33:4-9, Psalm 104, Isaiah 40:26-28, Romans 1:19-20).

The Fall – Sin: We believe that Adam and Eve, the historical parents of the entire human race, through the temptation of Satan, sinned by disobedience. This act resulted in the fall of all mankind and the decay of the created order. Therefore, all people, born with a sinful nature, have sinned and thus incurred both physical and spiritual death until there is forgiveness and salvation through the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The effects of sin and the power of Satan will continue corrupting the world until Christ’s return. (Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 3:10-23; 5:12-21; 6:23, 8:19-23, 1 John 5:19, Ephesians 6:11-12)

Salvation: We believe that Jesus Christ died as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of man. Salvation is a gift of grace secured through faith in Jesus Christ and His resurrection. He was resurrected so we could have an eternal relationship with Him. Salvation is totally apart from human merit and produces a new creation in Christ, born again of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost. (Matthew 25:46, John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 3:23, 5:8-9, 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-10, John 5:28–29,).

Discipleship: In response to the person and work of Jesus Christ, it is the calling and privilege of every Christian to grow as Christ-followers, proclaim the gospel, and make disciples of all nations. Recognizing that until the return of Christ and the restoration of all things, disciples are a work in progress, wrestling with a sinful nature and seeking to serve God. We rely on the power of the Holy Spirit for our sanctification. As Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God, so the goal of discipleship and sanctification is to produce Christ-likeness, through confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. We acknowledge that the holiness of God is the ultimate standard for life, that God has adequately revealed this standard to us, and that we are held to this standard, with restoration to fellowship with God and others as our goal. (Matthew 28:16-20; Romans 7:21-8:2; 1 Peter 13-22; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 1 John 1:8-9)

Church: We believe in one holy, universal, and apostolic Church, uniting all believers under the lordship of Jesus Christ, its head. Its purpose is to worship God in community, proclaim the Gospel among all nations, serve the needs of human beings compassionately, and promote righteousness and biblical justice. (Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 12:12–13, Galatians 3:26–28, Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:26-28).

Morality

The morality Statement of Faith along with the school’s core values must be acknowledged by all families
and employees of Legacy Christian Academy as the LCA community’s standard regarding lifestyle,
relationships, and values. This statement informs policies and the behavioral expectations of trustees,
faculty/staff, students, and families.

LCA believes that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV), but “the grace of God
has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11 ESV). All who confess and repent of their sin and
believe in the Son of God, who gave Himself for us, will be redeemed from all lawlessness and cleansed from all iniquity. The grace of God compels believers to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a righteous and
godly way. LCA members must treat with respect and compassion all persons, especially those who confess their
transgressions and are eager to do good works, as expounded by LCA’s Statement of Faith (Romans 3:23;
Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:14-16).

LCA does not want to place students whose parents disagree with or live contrary to LCA’s Statement of Faith in
the moral dilemma of choosing to believe what the school teaches or what the parents teach and model at home.
Families who disagree with LCA’s Statement of Faith should seek a school that is more aligned with their personal
convictions so as to not confuse and disrupt the development of their child (2 Corinthians 6:14-15).

LCA believes that humans’ first and greatest moral obligation is to love the one true, living God with all their heart,
soul, mind, and strength. This is evidenced by a commitment to grow in worship, faith, and obedience in accordance
with Scripture (Matthew 22:35-40; Luke 2:52, 10:27).

LCA believes each person holds intrinsic value as an image bearer of God. Any act that violates this inherent
dignity is sinful. Such acts include but are not limited to dishonoring authority, slander and gossip, bullying,
disrespect, assault, and abuse (Colossians 3:8-10; James 2:1-7, Exodus 20:7-16, Duet. 5:20, Proverbs 6:16-20,
Romans 14:10-13, Romans 15:7, Ephesians 4:32, 1 Thessalonians 5:11-13).

LCA believes that God created humankind in His image; He made them binary as either male or female, distinct by
design but equal in value and dignity. Therefore, we are to affirm our biological sex and refrain from attempts to
alter our biological sex or embrace an identity that is inconsistent with it. The sexual difference between men and
women is essential to the institution of marriage, as it is a holy covenant intended to picture Jesus’s relationship
with the church. To this end, God instituted marriage as the exclusive, comprehensive, and conjugal union of one
man and one woman, intrinsically ordered to procreation and the biological family (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:18-24;
Matthew 19:4-9, 15:19; Ephesians 5:31-33; Mark 10:5-9).

LCA believes that marriage is the only appropriate context for sexual relations. All sexual activities outside the
confines of marriage are contrary to God’s intention and are therefore sinful. As identified in Scripture, these
activities include but are not limited to adultery, homosexual activity, premarital sex, and the use of pornography
(Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:7-23, 20:10-21; Deuteronomy 5:18; Matthew 5:27-28, 19:4-9; Romans 1:26-27; 1
Corinthians 6:9-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 13:4; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 4:17-19; Colossians 3:5).

LCA believes that all Christians are obligated to live lives that exemplify integrity, refraining from a dualistic
approach to morality. Christians should also seek contentment in God’s provision for their lives, avoiding
covetousness in their hearts. Actions contrary to these principles include but are not limited to bearing false witness,
cheating, greed, stealing another’s property, and plagiarism (Exodus 20:1-17; Leviticus 19:11; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11;
Hebrews 13:5).

In summary, believers should live lives that reflect the biblical perspective of integrity in relationships, character,
and conduct, striving to honor God in all they do. All matters of faith and personal conduct must be evaluated and
guided on the basis of the Scriptures and the life principles contained within them (Philippians 4:8).

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and
worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed
hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us
from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works” (Titus
2:11-14 CSB).