Our Values

We believe God deemed it necessary to reveal Himself to mankind so that it may be possible for us to know Him truly albeit not exhaustively. As such, we believe that our Triune God gave us the Holy Scriptures, His special revelation, with every one of the 66 books being written by holy men as they were “inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:20-21).” Therefore, I believe that the Bible, in its original writings, is without error both in parts and as a whole (Matt 5:17-18; Ps 19:7). Furthermore, as the word of God, it is the final and supreme authority in all matters of which it speaks (Josh 1:7-8). Through His scriptures, our Triune God revealed unto mankind His character, His will for His people, and His plan for redemption and recreation, ultimately through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, all of the Scriptures point to and finds their fulfillment in Jesus (Lk 24:27). Therefore, while not being exhaustive in its scope in content, it is sufficient in addressing our need for salvation (Ps 19:7, in equipping the believer for the work of ministry (2 Tim 3:16-17), and in revealing the certainty of our Christian hope when our Lord Jesus Christ will return to make all things new (Rev 21-22).

We believe that there is only one true and living God (Deut 6:4), the great “I Am” (Exo 3:14), who is altogether distinct (2 Sam 7:22), perfect (Mt. 5:48), unchanging (Mal 3:6), and infinite (Rev. 1:8) in all of His divine attributes. He reigns supreme over all rulers and authorities both on Heaven and on Earth (1 Chr 29:11-12; Ps 103:19), establishing justice and righteousness (Deut 32:4; Psa 9:7-8), with love and mercy towards all His creation (Exo 34:6-7; Jn 3:16). God is one in essence (Jn 10:30; Jn 1:1; Jn 17:21), eternally and harmoniously existing in three distinct Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each person being fully God, same in attributes (Jn 1:1; Heb 13:8; 1 Cor 2:11), and equally worthy of our complete devotion and worship (Mt 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; Jn 8:58; Jn 20:27-29).

We believe that all creation in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, were created by and for our Triune God (Col 1:16; Gen 1:1; Jn 1:3), good and without sin (Gen 1:31), with the exception of angels who had fallen in their rebellion (Rev 12:7-9). God created humanity in His image and gave them the mandate to multiply and rule the Earth and all that is within it (Gen 1:28). Tragically, humanity sinned against God by becoming disobedient to God’s perfect law (Gen 3). We believe that due to humanity’s rebellion against God (Gen 3; Rom 1:21-32), all physical creation fell (Rom 8:18-22), and humanity became by nature helplessly enslaved to sin and opposed to God, condemned to death and separation from Him (Eph 2:1-3; Rom 3:23,6).

However, we believe our gracious God provided one way for humanity to receive forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (Jn 3:16-18, 14:6, 17:3; 1 Tim 2:5), the second person of the Triune God (Mt 3:17; Mt 17:5), who, while being fully God, emptied Himself of His divine privileges and became fully man without ceasing to be fully divine (Phil. 2:6-8). Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, conceived of the Holy Spirit in order that He may perfect and able to reveal God to humanity (Mt 1:18-25). We believe Jesus perfectly fulfilled God’s law (Mt 5:17-18; 1 Pet 2:22) and died our death, receiving the punishment of God’s wrath in our place and paying the cost to free us from bondage to sin (Rom 4:25; 1 Pet 2:24) in order that we may be declared righteous by God (Rom 3:22), reconciled to God (Rom 5:10), and adopted as God’s children (Rom 8:14-17). Furthermore, with His bodily resurrection, Jesus guaranteed our hope of new life, beginning from our conversion (Rom 6:5; 1 Thess. 4:14; Col 3:1). Therefore, we believe that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace made available to anyone who chooses to place their faith completely in Christ alone instead of their own works (Jn 3:16; Eph 2:8), although living faith will produce the fruit of good works (Jas 2:20-24; Eph 2:10).

We believe that through His work of salvation, Christ redeemed the church, His bride (Eph 5:25-32), bringing her into a new covenant (Heb 8:6-13; 1 Cor 11:25), thereby reconciling people to God and to one another (Eph 2:11-22; Gal 3:28). Through faith in Christ, believers are indwelled and baptized by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19; 12:13), becoming members of His body, the church, which was established by the coming of the promised Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) and built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:19-20). As the head of this new community (Eph 5:23), Christ commanded its members to love one another as He loved them (Jn 15:12) and gave them the ordinance of communion to remember His covenant love (Lk 22:19- 20) until He returns (1 Cor 11:24-26). Jesus also commanded them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, (Mt 28:18-20) so that as one new people of God (1 Pet 2:9), they would grow to be like the Son (Eph 4:15) as they devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, service, the Lord’s supper, and prayer (Acts 2:42-47). To that end, He gave the church the gifts of the Spirit to be lovingly exercised by its members to build up one another in the image of Christ (1 Cor 12).

Although the exact timing and manner of the last days are only known by God (Mk 13:32), we believe that our sovereign God will one day consummate all things in Christ through the visible, personal, and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:9-10; Col 1:15-19) who upon His second coming will conquer evil once and for all and judge the living and the dead. The unjust—including Satan and all his hosts—will be resurrected and consigned to hell, the place of everlasting punishment (Rev 20:7-15). And the just will be resurrected in their glorified bodies to receive their reward and dwell in the presence of God forever and ever. We believe that at this time King Jesus will finish His work of perfectly and fully recreating the Heavens, the Earth, and all that is within it in order that all creation may triumphantly and eternally proclaim the glories of our creator God who has made all things new (Rev 21:1-5).

At Icon, we affirm that the practices of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are both ordinances and sacraments. They are ordinances in that they have been commanded by Christ (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19), and sacraments in that they signify a greater spiritual reality that undergirds the physical act (Romans 6:3–4; 1 Corinthians 10:16–17; 11:17-34).

We believe that baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace, in which the believer publicly testifies to God, the church, oneself, and the world that they are dead to sin and alive in Christ—united with Him in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3–4; Colossians 2:12). Accordingly, water baptism is reserved for those who have received the saving benefits of Christ’s atoning work (Acts 2:38–41). We affirm one baptism in the New Testament pattern—baptism is a singular, unrepeatable act of obedience that follows conversion, administered by immersion into water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:4–6; Matthew 28:19; Acts 8:36–38).

We believe that communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is likewise an outward sign of an inward grace, in which the real spiritual presence of Christ nourishes believers as they partake of the bread and cup with reverent gratitude. Through this sacrament, participants remember Christ’s sacrificial death (1 Corinthians 11:23–25), examine their lives in light of His call (1 Corinthians 11:27–28), and anticipate His return, when He will make all things new (1 Corinthians 11:26; Revelation 21:1–4). The Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16–17; Acts 2:42).

At Icon, leaders are servants who influence God’s greater mission. As such, our church is elder-led, deacon-managed, and congregation-driven (1st Tim 3; Tit 1; 1st Pt 5; Eph 4).

We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in His image, and that men and women are therefore equal in dignity, worth, and essential nature, while also distinct according to His good design.

Within the home and the church, men and women share a common calling to live under the authority of Scripture and to participate fully in God’s mission. We affirm that any distinctions in roles are not a matter of value or capability, but are understood within the framework of God’s wise and gracious ordering of His people.

We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to all believers, both men and women, for the building up of the church. Accordingly, we encourage every member to faithfully steward and actively exercise their gifts in service, teaching, and leadership, in ways that are consistent with Scripture and the unity of the body.

At the same time, we hold that the office of elder/pastor is reserved for qualified men, according to our understanding of Scripture (1st Tim 2, 3; Tit 1; 1st Pt 5). We also affirm the vital and indispensable leadership of women in the life of the church and are committed to recognizing, equipping, and empowering women to serve in every other appropriate capacity, including as deacons, on staff and executive leadership teams, and through a designated women’s council.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit that we see on display in the New Testament are still active within the life of the church. These gifts did not end with the close of the New Testament or the death of the last apostle (1 Cor. 12:1-11).

The salvation of humanity is fundamentally the work of God. Before the foundation of the world, God elected His people, setting His affection and grace upon them (Rom. 8:29-30). In love God predestined His people for adoption (Eph. 1:4-6). Faith is a gift of grace that is given by the mercy and pleasure of God, so that no one may boast. Apart from the intervention of God, humanity cannot choose of his own accord to worship God and pursue righteousness (Rom. 3; Eph. 2:1-3). God’s sovereignty in salvation is comprehensive: from first to last, all of salvation is the work of God.