1. **The Centrality of Jesus Christ:**
* **Incarnation, Atonement, Resurrection:** Belief that Jesus is God incarnate, whose life, sacrificial death, and resurrection reconcile humanity to God and offer salvation from sin and death.
* **Lord and Savior:** Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God’s character and the source of eternal life. Following him is the path to salvation and transformation.
2. **Salvation by Grace through Faith:**
* **Unmerited Favor:** Salvation is fundamentally a gift from God (grace), not earned by human merit, works, or status.
* **Response of Faith:** This gift is received through faith – trust in, reliance upon, and commitment to Jesus Christ and his work.
* **Transformation:** Grace empowers believers for repentance, forgiveness, new life, and growth in holiness (sanctification).
3. **The Primacy of Love (Agape):**
* **God’s Nature:** “God is love” (1 John 4:8). God’s love is the source and model for all love.
* **The Great Commandment:** Love for God and love for neighbor (including enemies) are the highest commandments, summarizing the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).
* **Sacrificial Action:** This love is not merely emotional, but active, self-giving, and sacrificial, exemplified supremely in Christ’s death.
4. **The Authority of Scripture:**
* **Divine Revelation:** The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is recognized as the inspired and authoritative revelation of God’s character, will, acts in history (especially in Christ), and plan for salvation.
* **Guiding Faith and Practice:** Scripture is the primary source and norm for Christian doctrine, ethics, worship, and life, interpreted within the community of faith across tradition.
5. **The Work of the Holy Spirit:**
* **Indwelling Presence:** The Holy Spirit dwells within believers, empowering them for faith, worship, understanding, growth, and service.
* **Gifts and Guidance:** The Spirit bestows spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church and guides believers into truth and Christlikeness.
**How this Core Value Persists Through History:**
* **Early Church (1st-4th Cent.):** Focus on Christ’s divinity/humanity (Councils), salvation by grace vs. legalism (Paul), sacrificial love amidst persecution, canon formation.
* **Medieval Period (5th-15th Cent.):** Grace explored through sacraments and theology (Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas), Christocentric piety and devotion, love expressed in monastic service and mysticism.
* **Reformation (16th Cent.):** Intense focus on *Sola Gratia* (Grace Alone), *Sola Fide* (Faith Alone), *Solus Christus* (Christ Alone), and *Sola Scriptura* (Scripture Alone) as correctives.
* **Modern & Contemporary Eras (17th Cent.-Present):** Continued emphasis on Christ and grace across denominations, social justice as an expression of love (abolition, civil rights), global mission driven by love and the Great Commission, ongoing reliance on Scripture and the Spirit’s guidance.
**Enduring Implications of this Core Value:**
* **Hope:** Rooted in the resurrection, promising victory over sin, death, and ultimate restoration.
* **Human Dignity:** All people are created in God’s image and objects of His love, demanding respect and justice.
* **Mission & Evangelism:** The imperative to share the message of God’s love and salvation in Christ.
* **Community (Church):** The body of Christ, called to worship, fellowship, discipleship, service, and witness, united by the Spirit.
* **Ethical Living:** Love for God and neighbor provides the foundation for Christian morality and social engagement.
While doctrines, practices, and emphases have evolved and diversified, this constellation of values – centered on God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ, received by grace through faith, calling for love in response, witnessed in Scripture, and empowered by the Spirit – forms the unshakeable bedrock of Christian identity across all centuries.
