Statement of Faith
God
We believe in God the Father, who created the universe- all of heaven and earth- with His spoken word. He breathed life into humankind, and He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe. We believe there is one true God, existing in three persons: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is unified as One but is simultaneously three separate parts.
(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; Matthew 28:19; Psalm 90:2)
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s son, who lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for human sin by dying on a cross as a substitute for us- satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father. He will return to earth to bring about God’s eternal plan as King of Kings.
(Matthew 1:22-23; Romans 1:3-4; Hebrews 4:14-15; Isaiah 9:6; Acts 1:9-11; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30)
Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit- co-equal with God and Jesus- who comes to reside in the hearts of all true believers. The Holy Spirit brings forth God’s wisdom, love, guidance, healing, restoration, and redemption, leading all into the fullness of life with Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit is a gift, residing inside of those who have received salvation by putting their faith in Jesus. He comforts, coaches, encourages, advocates, convicts, reveals, leads, and intercedes on our behalf. He empowers spiritual gifts as God wills to everyone who has received salvation.
(2 Corinthians 3:17; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; John 16:7-13, 14:16-27; 1 Corinthians 12, 2:12, 3:16; Galatians 5:25)
Bible
We believe the Bible is the holy, inspired Word of God that is living and active to heal and transform hearts, lives, and communities. We believe both the Old and New Testaments were written, without error, by human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the supreme and final authority on all matters and is relevant for all time.
(2 Timothy 1:13, 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 119, 105, 160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
People and Creation
We believe God created all of heaven, earth, and everything in it. Adam and Eve were the first humans- male and female- that God created in His image and they were without sin. We believe that everyone is created in the image of God and that no life is complete without Him in it. We were created by God for a dynamic relationship with Him, and He has deep purposes in mind for every living person. Every person’s story matters profoundly to God and they are loved by Him more than they can ever imagine.
(Genesis 1, 2:7; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:16; John 1:1-3; Psalm 24:1-2, 139:13-14; Jeremiah 10:12; Romans 3:23, 8:15)
Sin, Salvation, and Eternity
We believe all humans have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, starting with Adam and Eve, including ourselves. When Adam and Eve chose to sin against God, it caused sin, guilt, suffering, and death to enter the world and we became separated from God. God sent His son, Jesus, to take our sin onto Himself so we could experience freedom. We are saved by God’s grace, which is a free gift, through our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection alone. There is no other payment for our sins. We believe that everyone has access to salvation and complete forgiveness of their sins through a faith-based relationship with Christ, who pursues all of humankind relentlessly. We are saved by what Jesus did for us, not by our own good works or efforts. Nothing will ever separate us from His love. We believe heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence. Those who choose to remain apart from God will spend eternity in hell and will not find their names written in the book of life. Those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior are granted a completely new life, are born again spiritually, and will join Him for eternity in heaven at the end of our earthy life!
(Romans 5:1, 6:23; Titus 3:5; John 1:12, 3:16,14:6; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Revelation 20:15; 2 Peter 3:9; Isaiah 53:6, 59:1-2)
Purpose
We believe, as Christ-followers, our call is to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love others as we love ourselves. To that end, we learn to love ourselves in healthy, well-balanced ways, and seek to love others sacrificially as God loves us. We are continually growing in our new identity in Christ and into understanding our life purpose. We believe at Sea Turtle Ministries that it is our mission and calling to shine the light of Christ into the next generation, with a focus on college students and young adults. In a world full of distractions, Jesus said, “the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy- but I have come that you will have life to the full.” We believe it is our call to make disciples, learners, and followers of Jesus in a world full of brokenness. We want to see lives transformed for God’s Kingdom, on earth, in Charleston- and beyond- as it is in heaven.
We believe the years of 18-30 are crucial for young adults as they transition into adulthood. It is our desire to come alongside them to offer spiritual guidance, help them successfully navigate the transition into adulthood, and walk beside them in their journey to discover their purpose and fullness of life in Christ. We believe in following Jesus’ parting decree: to make disciples, who will make disciples, who will make disciples- of ALL people.
(Matthew 20:25-28, 22:36-40, 28:18-20; John 10:10; Luke 10:27; 1 Peter 5:8; Colossians 4:2-6)