The Gospel Matters
Wahrheit & Vernunft is all about the message but not any message. We are about the gospel of Christ—the message of God’s means of redemption as communicated throughout the Bible. Therefore, we are, first and foremost, gospel partners; secondly, we are whatever else we do—whether consultants, editors, proofreaders, publishers, etc.
As followers of Christ, we want to serve like-minded individuals who share our joint mission in fulfilling the Great Commission and proclaiming Christ’s message of good news. We are “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).
But what precisely is the gospel message?
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as the first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, ESV).
The gospel message is our heartbeat at Wahrheit & Vernunft and everything we do as a company. That said, we must be good stewards of our God-given gifts, resources, and talents. Hence, we will only partner with those who fully affirm and share our theological convictions and are willing to uphold them.
Consequently, we are defined by the gospel, which carries over to our doctrinal beliefs, affirmations and denials, and practice.
Doctrinal Beliefs
We believe the Bible to be the only inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God. Furthermore, we believe the Bible has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter.
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is JEHOVAH, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love. We believe God eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We, furthermore, believe in the unity of the Godhead, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
We believe in the deity and humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his penal substitutionary, atoning death through his shed blood as a propitiation, in his bodily resurrection, in his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in his personal return in power and glory. Therefore, we believe Christ is the all-sufficient Savior.
We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential for the redemption and salvation of lost and sinful people.
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian can progress through sanctification, according to God’s will. We are partakers of his holiness and are to strive to live godly and holy lives.
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the unregenerate; the saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Doctrinal Affirmations & Denials
Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
We affirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. We deny that any creed, council, or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.
Sola Christus (Christ Alone)
We affirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father. We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ’s substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
We affirm that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
We affirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice. We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ’s righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.
Soli Deo Gloria (God's Glory Alone)
We affirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God, and for his glory alone. We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem, or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.
Doctrinal Practice
In addition to our doctrinal beliefs, affirmations, and denials, we affirm a doctrinal practice of biblical marriage, the union between one man and one woman as defined by God’s Word. God first instituted marriage in the order of creation as an unchangeable foundation for human life (Genesis 1:27-28). Thereby, marriage exists to serve God through raising children, faithful intimacy, and properly ordered sexual relationships.
He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:4-6, ESV).
The apostle Paul illuminates these words of Jesus with the following statement: “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32, ESV). He continues, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” (Ephesians 5:25-26, ESV).
Marriage is a great mystery that illustrates the gospel (Ephesians 5:25-32). Jesus is the bridegroom, and the church is his bride (John 3:29; Revelation 19:7-9). Therefore, our definition of marriage is directly linked to and depicted in Scripture.
