Statement of Faith

1. The Father
There is only one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is the Almighty Creator of all things, the Supreme Ruler over all things and the Holy Judge of all people. He sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will, for his own glory. Even though God is more powerful, wise and holy than we can imagine, because of his kindness revealed in the Gospel, we can know him as our loving Father.
Genesis 1:1-2:25; Psalm 90:2, 96:10-13; Isaiah 45:5-18; Daniel 4:34-35; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 John 3:1

2. The Son
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. In his life, death, teaching and miracles he perfectly reveals the Father. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s anger and punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. Salvation is in and through Christ alone.
Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-18; Acts 2:22-36; Colossians 1:15-22; Hebrews 2:14-18, 7:23-28, 10:11-14

3. The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Bible – for he inspired all Scripture and he speaks in Scripture to us today. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for service and mission.
John 3:1-8, 16:5-16; Romans 8:1-17; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, 3:17-18, 12:1-31; Galatians 5:16-26

4. The Bible
God has revealed himself, his actions and his promises in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.
Psalm 19:7-11; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:19-21

5. The Human Race
All men and women are created in the image of God and therefore have inherent dignity and worth. Because there is equality and difference within God himself, men and women are equal before God, yet have different roles under God. Both men and women are created to love, obey and glorify God. However, as a result of the disobedience of our first parents, Adam & Eve, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted so that naturally all people are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and enemies of God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be forgiven and reconciled to God through Christ in order to know him & please him.
Genesis 1:26-27, 3:1-24; Matthew 22:34-40; Romans 1:18-32, 5:12-19; 2 Corinthians 5:16-19; Eph 2:1-3

6. The Gospel
The Gospel is the wonderful news that because of God’s love, sinners can be saved from God’s wrath through the sacrificial death and resurrection of God’s Son. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross we can be saved from wrath for relationship; from Hell for Heaven. This salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It is God who calls sinners, granting them repentance and faith so that all who believe in Jesus are justified by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Believers are adopted into the family of God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit and preserved for the coming Kingdom.
John 1:12-13, 6:35-51; Romans 3:21-26; Galatians 2:15-16; Ephesians 2:4-9; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; Titus 3:4-7

7. The Church
The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, for pastoral care and discipline, for building up believers for service and reaching out to non-believers in evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement.
Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:1-6, 5:25-33; Philippians 2:1-11; Colossians 1:18

8. The Future
The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. Those who have not been saved by Christ will be sent to eternal punishment in Hell and those who have will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God in the promised New Creation. God will make all things new and will be glorified in all things forever.
Matthew 24:1-44, 25:31-46; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:11-21:8, 22:1-5

Statement of Faith – Part B

1. Bible teaching and prayer lie at the heart of gospel ministry.
Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 1:38; Acts 6:4; 2 Timothy 4:2

2. The chief role of the Holy Spirit is to work through his Word to give faith and grow godliness.
John 3:1-8, 16:7-11; Galatians 6:22-23; 1 Peter 1:23

3. A ‘complementarian’ view of the roles of men and women in the home and the church. Men and women are made in God’s image and just as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are equal in divinity yet different in role, so too, men and women are equal in humanity yet different in role.
Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Timothy 2:8-15

4. That marriage is between one man and one woman and that heterosexual marriage is the right, best and only context for sex.
Matthew 19:3-6; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:3, 22-33