Doctrinal Commitments

Because the Third John Eight Fund is intended to be a means of partnering "with the truth," a conservative expression of Christian belief guides the disbursement of funds.

The Scriptures

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, without error in the original manuscripts, and completely authoritative. Submission to the Word of God is the necessary posture toward the Scriptures. Because the Bible is entirely sufficient for all of life and godliness, the Scriptures must directly impact and shape all ministry practice, preaching, and counseling. We support missions endeavors that operate out of a deep conviction that God’s Word is the ultimate authority over human wisdom, cultural trends, and pragmatic strategies.

God

We believe in one true and living God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three distinct, co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is entirely sovereign over creation, providence, and redemption. He is holy, just, loving, and entirely self-sufficient. His ultimate purpose in all that He does is the manifestation of His own glory. Because God is worthy of the worship of all peoples, missions is driven by a zeal for His glory and an obedience to see His Name exalted among every tribe, tongue, and nation.

The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a life of perfect, sinless obedience to the Father. He died on the cross as a penal, substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of His people. He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our High Priest and Advocate. Because there is salvation in no other name, the proclamation of His life, death, and resurrection is the exclusive and urgent message of Christian missions.

The Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person, co-equal with the Father and the Son. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate the spiritually dead sinner. He indwells, sanctifies, comforts, and equips every believer, empowering them for godly living and bold witness. We believe that all true spiritual fruit, both in the equipping of leaders and the conversion of the lost, is entirely dependent upon the sovereign, awakening work of the Holy Spirit working through the preached Word.

Salvation

We believe that humanity was created in the image of God, but through Adam’s rebellion, the entire human race fell into sin. Consequently, all humanity is alienated from God, radically depraved, and entirely unable to save themselves or merit God's favor. Salvation is a free gift of God’s sovereign grace, secured by Christ’s blood and received through explicit, conscious faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone. Those who repent and believe are justified by Christ’s imputed righteousness, adopted as children of God, and kept eternally by His power.

The Church

We believe the universal Church is composed of all who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and savingly united to Christ, who is the supreme Head of the Church. God’s design is for this universal reality to be expressed in visible, local bodies of baptized believers who gather for worship, the preaching of the Word, the administration of the ordinances (Baptism and the Lord's Supper), and mutual edification. The local church is God's primary instrument for global mission. Christ has established a biblical structure for the church, governed by qualified, gifted, and godly men who serve as elders/pastors. The ultimate goal of our missions endeavor is not merely individual conversions, but the planting, strengthening, and pastoral shepherding of healthy local churches to the ends of the earth.