OUR BELIEFS
THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible with its sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the complete, reliable and powerful Word of God to humanity. We believe that God inspired its writing, and that it is without error in the original manuscripts. We also believe it is the final rule of all of faith and life.
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one true and living God, who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable and exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that these three divine persons are one and the same undivided God, and are equal in power and purpose, and that whilst each one has a unique role, they are all working together in harmony.
GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, love, and power. We believe that he concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of human beings, that he hears and answers prayer, and that he saves from sin and eternal death all who come to him through Jesus Christ. We believe that those who do come are sovereignly drawn by him because he chose them and predestined them for salvation, and that he will ensure that none of them are lost. We also believe in his infinite, holy and pent up wrath against sin and his right to judge according to it.
JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only and eternal Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in his virgin-birth, his sinless life, his miracles, and his teachings. We believe in his substitutionary atoning death, his bodily resurrection, his ascension into heaven, his perpetual intercession for his people, and his personal visible return to earth one day.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit, sent into the world by God to glorify the Son of God. We believe that he raises people’s awareness of their sin and their need for salvation, and without his work no one can come to faith. We believe that his work of new birth in a person is not the result of water baptism or any outward ritual. We believe he lives in the soul of everyone who trusts in Jesus, providing guidance and power, and that he helps them make progress in overcoming sin and in becoming more like Jesus in thought and deed, and love for God the Father.
THE HUMAN CONDITION AND SALVATION
We believe that humanity was created by God, in his own image, and for his glory; but that humanity sinned and fell short of God’s glory, bringing about physical, spiritual, and eternal separation from him. We believe that all humans are born with a sinful nature, and as a law of that nature, follow the sinful desires of their hearts; they are therefore under God’s righteous wrath. We reject justification based on any human effort, and we believe that only those who have been born again, and trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour, through his atoning death on the cross, submitting to him as Lord, and embracing him as the prize of their lives, are adopted into his family, delivered from condemnation, and will receive eternal life. We believe that this faith leads to a heartfelt turning away from sin. The Christian life includes growth in grace, perseverance, and Spirit-empowered resolve to count ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ.
THE CHURCH, BAPTISM, AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
We believe in one holy church made up of all who trust Jesus Christ as Saviour, Lord, and prize of their lives. We believe that God calls us to unite with other believers in local church expressions to help each other to value Jesus above all else, to praise and worship him together, to make disciples, to grow in our love and knowledge of him, to hold and be held accountable, and to stir each other up to good works. We believe that Christians should be baptised in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and regularly share in the Lord’s Table to remember Jesus until He returns.
THE LAST THINGS AND TWO DESTINIES
We believe in the personal, visible, and bodily return of Jesus to earth one day and the establishment of his kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment of all people, the eternal happiness of all believers in God’s presence, and the eternal misery of all unbelievers in hell. We believe God will make a new heavens and a new earth, the home of righteousness.