The 12 Rules of Life · What We Believe
Messiah
"Jesus is Lord of our family. Every decision, every value, every tradition flows from His Lordship over our home."
What We Believe
Statements of Faith
"The unshakeable foundation upon which the Slifka family stands."
These twelve statements of faith are the theological bedrock of our family. They are not merely doctrines to be affirmed — they are convictions to be lived. Every generation of Slifkas is called to know what they believe, why they believe it, and to pass it on with clarity and conviction.
The 12 Codes of Messiah
1. God Reigns
We believe in One Sovereign Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — eternally co-existent, holy, and active in creation, redemption, and sanctification.
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."
— Deuteronomy 6:4
2. God Speaks
We believe the Bible is the infallible, authoritative Word of God — the supreme foundation and rule for faith and life in every generation.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
— 2 Timothy 3:16
3. God Creates
We believe God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing by the power of His Word. Creation is not an accident — it is a declaration of His glory, wisdom, and love. Every human being is made in His image and bears infinite worth.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
— Genesis 1:1
4. God Judges
We believe that humanity fell in the Garden — that Adam and Eve's rebellion introduced sin, death, and corruption into creation. Every human being is born with a nature bent away from God and in need of redemption. The Fall is not the final word, but it is the honest diagnosis that makes the gospel necessary.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
— Romans 3:23
5. God Pursues
We believe in the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ — conceived by the Holy Spirit, sinless, crucified for our sins, risen bodily, ascended, and reigning at God's right hand.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
— John 1:1
6. God Dies
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, died on the cross as the substitutionary atonement for the sins of the world — bearing God's wrath, satisfying divine justice, and purchasing our redemption. The cross is the center of history and the foundation of our hope.
"God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
— Romans 5:8
7. God Saves
We believe in salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ — repenting of sin and trusting Him as Savior and Lord. There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."
— Ephesians 2:8
8. God Gives
We affirm the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life, and who provides spiritual gifts to all believers as He wills.
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you."
— Acts 1:8
9. God Sends
We believe the Church is called to be missional — grounded in truth, culturally engaged, and fiercely committed to reaching the lost with the gospel.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
— Matthew 28:19
10. God Transforms
We believe that God, by His grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, transforms those He saves into the likeness of Christ. Sanctification is not self-improvement — it is the ongoing work of God in us, calling us out of sin and into holiness, from the inside out.
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another."
— 2 Corinthians 3:18
11. God Rules
We believe that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We live in the overlap of the ages — the Kingdom is already here and not yet fully consummated. We are citizens of heaven, agents of the Kingdom, living under the reign of King Jesus in the present world.
"The kingdom of God is in the midst of you."
— Luke 17:21
12. God Eternal
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people — the redeemed to eternal life with God in the new creation, and the unrepentant to eternal separation from Him. Heaven and hell are real. Every person will stand before God and give an account. Eternity is the horizon that gives all of life its ultimate weight and meaning.
"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
— Matthew 25:46
These are not negotiable convictions — they are the inheritance we pass to every generation of Slifkas.