The Gospel

What we believe:

• That the Bible is the inspired and only infallible word of God. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our everyday lives.

• That there is one God, Creator of everything, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each fully God yet each personally distinct from each other.

• In the complete deity and humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ: His virgin birth, His conception by the Holy Spirit, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father as our advocate and mediator and His personal future return in power and glory.

• In the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit by whose in-dwelling the Christian is enabled to live a holy life as they participate in the ongoing process of separating from sin and becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus.

• In the baptism of the Holy Spirit by whom the believer is empowered for living the Christian life, for worship and for service.

• That all people are created in God’s image and matter deeply to Him. God loves people and desires them to have a personal relationship with Him and each other.

• Everyone has sinned and is born a sinner, and that our sin has separated us from God. We are all incapable of pleasing God or saving our souls through our own efforts.

• The only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the blood of Christ who died in our place on the cross.

• In believers’ baptism as a witness to salvation, by total immersion in water, in obedience to the command of Christ (Mark 16 vs 16)

• In the regular observance of the Lord’s Supper as set out in scripture (1 Corinthians 11 vs 23-24; Matthew 26 vs 27-29; Acts 2 vs 42)

• In the resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved, the one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting damnation.

• There is only one way to heaven, through faith in Jesus Christ

• In the priesthood of all believers, that everyone may have full and equal access to God.

• That God continues to perform miracles, including healing the sick.

• In the local church as an autonomous association of believers, focused on reaching unsaved people, and the discipleship of believers. It is the visible expression of the universal church of which Christ is the head.

• That missions are close to the heart of God, as we reach out to unsaved people across different language groups and cultures beyond our local community, making disciples of all nations in obedience to the great commission in Matthew 28vs20.

• In the power of prayer as a means of communication between us and God and to effect the change in line with God’s will, made possible through the work of Jesus on the cross.

• In the family as the most basic unit of church community and in heterosexual marriage.

• The church is a place where all can experience grace and forgiveness.

• That we have liberty in non-essentials. We accept those whose faith is weak without passing judgement on disputable matters. Each of us will give a personal account to God. In all our beliefs we show love.