God commands us to glorify him in all we do. Furthermore, he requires us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (1 Corinthians 10:31; Mark 12:30).
- Therefore we affirm that our lives in their entirety must be lived before God, under his authority, and for his glory alone. In the light of this, we will endeavour to be focused on honouring and pleasing God in our personal lives, our worship and all our co-operative activities (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
- We deny that there is a place for man-centredness or for the promotion of our own popularity, carnal success or self-image (Jeremiah 45:5; Romans 2:29).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- How does the opening statement present God-centredness as a comprehensive focus in our lives?
- In the first sentence of the affirmation there are three ways our lives are to be lived if they are to be God-centred. Explain what each one looks like in practice.
- The second sentence of the affirmation says we are to honour and please God in three spheres of life. Apply your answers to Question 2 above to each of these spheres.
- The denial speaks against man-centredness and three expressions of it. How do these things express themselves in the church? How can they be avoided?
THE CORE VALUES OF SOLA 5
- Core Value 1: God-Centredness
- Core Value 2: Logic and Reason
- Core Value 3: Authority
- Core Value 4: Sanctity of Life
- Core Value 5: Marriage and Sexuality
- Core Value 6: Discipline
- Core Value 7: Gender Roles
- Core Value 8: Vocation
- Core Value 9: Racial Harmony
- Core Value 10: Creation
- Core Value 11: Animals and the Environment
- Core Value 12: Pluralism
- Core Value 13: Freedom of Religion
- Core Value 14: Evangelism
- Core Value 15: Sufficiency of Scripture
- Core Value 16: Expository Preaching
- Core Value 17: Genuine Christianity
- Core Value 18: Personal Devotion to God
- Core Value 19: Good Works and Social Concern
- Core Value 20: Autonomy and Interdependency
- Core Value 21: The Unity of the Church
- Core Value 22: Liberty of Conscience
- Core Value 23: Hyper-Orthodoxy