Our Beliefs

These statements are the Scriptural teachings that sit behind who we are and motivate how we live our lives.

 

We are called to join with God in His ongoing project of restoring the world. He has invited us, commissioned us, in the name and way of Jesus so that the world will know that God loves them, is grieved by their current condition and rebellion, and has offered them a way back to the family that they were created to live in. We show this love in a variety of ways in order to let people know that we care and that God loves them and wants them to come home.
Matthew 25:31-46; Matthew 28:18-20; II Corinthians 5:11-21; I Peter 1:9-12

 

God (Yahweh) is the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of everything that exists. He is the one and only God manifesting Himself in three persons-the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (i.e. Trinity). These three persons have the same nature, are co-equal and co-existent.

 

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He was God in the flesh, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He was sinless, yet He gave His life for the sins of the world by dying on the cross. He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, and is our great High Priest and Advocate. He alone can restore the relationship of mankind to God.

 

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity. He is the Spirit of God and Christ, filling, comforting, empowering and guiding those obedient to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the present and active person and power of Jesus that empowers God’s people to live into the mission of the kingdom of God.

 

Man is created in the image and likeness of God. The first man, Adam, rebelled against God, fell from a right relationship with Him, and in so doing, introduced sin and death into the world. All human beings share Adam's sinful, fallen nature. We are all naturally sinful and we need Jesus to rescue us from our sin.

 

God sent Jesus to save mankind from his sins and restore his relationship with God. Jesus was sacrificed on the cross, died, and was resurrected, atoning for the sins of all who believe in Him. Man can do nothing to earn his salvation. It is grace — a free gift of God through faith.

 

The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are inspired by God and are the Divine authority for all Christian faith and life.

 

The return of Jesus is to be eagerly anticipated. It gives Christians the courage to pray without ceasing, to work with energy, to expose falsehood, and to strive for justice and peace. Godly men and women hold a number of views concerning the return of Jesus Christ. These are matters of scriptural interpretation and so should not be used as a test of faith or fellowship.

 

Those who are “in Christ” have already been raised with Christ and seated in the heavenly place where Christ is (Ephesians 2:1-10). Eternity is already under way and we are awaiting the time when Jesus will return to finish what He started and make all things new. Those who have trusted Jesus and died before His return will be raised back to life and given new bodies that are equipped for their eternal existence in this new creation Those who have rejected Jesus in this age will spend eternity apart from Him.

 

Baptism is integral to becoming a follower of Christ. In baptism, a believer participates in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is raised to walk with Him in a new kind of life, is freed from bondage to sin and death, and is empowered to walk in God's grace. In a way, baptism is like a wedding ceremony — it is a public expression of a commitment already made.