Statement of Faith
The Scriptures
We believe that the Holy Bible, made up of the Old and New Testaments, is the living revelation of God. It was written by people who were divinely inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction. God is its author, salvation is its purpose, and truth without any mixture of error is its content. Scripture reveals the principles by which God will judge us. Therefore, it is now and will be to the end of the world, the true centre of Christian union and the supreme standard for evaluating all creeds, human conduct, and opinions.
The True God
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God. He is the infinite, all-wise, unchanging, eternal Spirit. His name is the LORD, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honour, confidence, and love. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are equal in every divine perfection, and they carry out distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
Humanity and the Fall
We believe that humanity is the special creation of God, made in His own image to be in harmonious relationship with Him. He created them male and female as part of the goodness of His creation. For our flourishing, God gave the gift of marriage, which is the uniting of one man and one woman in life-long, covenant commitment. Marriage is a model of the way God relates to His people. God created humanity in holiness under His law. By wilful rebellion against God, humanity fell from that holy and harmonious state. As a result, all people are now, by nature, sinners, entirely lacking the holiness that is required by the law of God, and are fundamentally inclined to evil. Therefore, they are under just condemnation to a sentence to eternal ruin, without defence or excuse.
The Way of Salvation
We believe that the salvation of sinners is completely by grace, through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is our mediator. By appointment of the Father, Jesus freely took to Himself our human nature but without sin. He honoured God’s law by personally obeying it and made full atonement for our sins through His substitutionary death on a cross. He rose from the dead and is now enthroned in heaven. Jesus unites in himself, tender sympathy with divine perfection, and is therefore qualified in every way to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient Saviour.
Justification
We believe that the great gospel blessing that Christ secures to those who believe in him is justification. Justification includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life founded on Christ’s righteousness. It is not given for any works of righteousness we have done, but only through faith in the Redeemer’s blood. By virtue of this faith, His perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us by God. Justification brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favour with God and secures every other blessing we need for time and eternity.
The Freeness of Salvation
We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all who believe the gospel. It is the urgent obligation of all sinners to accept these blessings of salvation by a heartfelt, repentant, and obedient faith. Preventing the acceptance of this salvation is every sinner’s inherent depravity and wilful rejection of the gospel; a rejection that amplifies a sinner’s condemnation.
Grace in Regeneration
We believe that sinners must be regenerated (or born again) in order to be saved. Regeneration consists of God’s gift of a holy inclination to the mind. It is accomplished in a way that is beyond our comprehension. It is carried out by the power of the Holy Spirit using divine truth to obtain our voluntary obedience to the gospel. The proper evidence of regeneration appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness of life.
Repentance and Faith
We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties as well as inseparable graces. They are produced in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, who convinces us of our guilt, danger, helplessness, and the way of salvation by Christ. They consist of turning to God with genuine sorrow, confession, and a petition for mercy; receiving heartily the Lord Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King; and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour.
God's Purpose of Grace
We believe that election is the eternal purpose of God according to which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners. It is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, which is infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable. Election is perfectly consistent with the free agency of people and does not exclude evangelism in achieving God's purposes. Election completely rules out boasting and promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust in God, and the active imitation of His free mercy. It encourages the greatest possible exercise of human responsibility. The election of individuals to life is confirmed by its effects in everyone who truly believes the gospel. Election is the foundation of Christian assurance and confirming our election deserves our greatest diligence.
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the process by which we are made partakers of God’s holiness, according to His purpose. Sanctification is progressive, beginning in regeneration and continuing in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter. We are sanctified through God’s appointed means, especially the word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, prayer, and the oversight and fellowship of the local church.
The Perseverance of the Saints
We believe that all genuine believers endure to the end. Their persevering attachment to Christ and to His people is the primary mark that distinguishes them from superficial professing believers. A special providence watches over their welfare, and they are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation.
The Harmony of the Law and Gospel
We believe that the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of His moral governance. It is holy, just, and good. Fallen human beings are unable to fulfil the commands of the law, which the Scriptures attribute entirely to their love of sin. A primary purpose of the gospel is to deliver people from this love and to restore them, through Christ the mediator, to a sincere obedience to the holy law. The visible Church’s means of grace serve this great purpose.
A Gospel Church
We believe that the local church of Christ consists of baptised believers, joined together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, with Jesus Christ as its head. A local church observes the ordinances of Christ, submits to His laws, and exercises the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His word. The officers of the church are elders (also called pastors or overseers) and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are primarily given in the epistles to Timothy and Titus. The office of elder is reserved for men only.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is a solemn and beautiful outward act that symbolises an inner reality. Baptism is the declaration of our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, and our union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism precedes church membership and the Lord’s Supper. We also believe that the Supper is a symbolic act of obedience by which the members of the church, following sober self-examination, use bread and wine in a sacred manner to commemorate together the dying love of Christ. These ordinances belong to the gathered church, and serve to mark believers off from unbelievers, and to make the local church visible.
The Lord's Day
We believe that the first day of the week, Sunday, is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should prioritise public and private worship and spiritual devotion. Activities on the Lord's Day should be proportional to the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Civil Government
We believe that civil government exists by divine appointment for the benefit and good order of human society. Government officials are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured, and obeyed. The principal exception is for matters contrary to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.
The Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. Only those who are justified by faith in the name of the Lord Jesus and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His judgment. In contrast, all those who continue in unrepentance and unbelief are wicked in His sight and under the curse. This distinction among people holds at death and afterward.
The Final Judgement and the World to Come
We believe that the end of the world is approaching. At the last day Christ will descend from heaven and raise the dead from the grave to final judgement. A public separation will then take place in which the wicked will be justly assigned to endless punishment in hell, and the righteous to endless joy in the new heaven and new earth. This judgement will determine forever the final state of people in heaven or hell.
We believe that the Holy Bible, made up of the Old and New Testaments, is the living revelation of God. It was written by people who were divinely inspired and is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction. God is its author, salvation is its purpose, and truth without any mixture of error is its content. Scripture reveals the principles by which God will judge us. Therefore, it is now and will be to the end of the world, the true centre of Christian union and the supreme standard for evaluating all creeds, human conduct, and opinions.
The True God
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God. He is the infinite, all-wise, unchanging, eternal Spirit. His name is the LORD, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honour, confidence, and love. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are equal in every divine perfection, and they carry out distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
Humanity and the Fall
We believe that humanity is the special creation of God, made in His own image to be in harmonious relationship with Him. He created them male and female as part of the goodness of His creation. For our flourishing, God gave the gift of marriage, which is the uniting of one man and one woman in life-long, covenant commitment. Marriage is a model of the way God relates to His people. God created humanity in holiness under His law. By wilful rebellion against God, humanity fell from that holy and harmonious state. As a result, all people are now, by nature, sinners, entirely lacking the holiness that is required by the law of God, and are fundamentally inclined to evil. Therefore, they are under just condemnation to a sentence to eternal ruin, without defence or excuse.
The Way of Salvation
We believe that the salvation of sinners is completely by grace, through the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who is our mediator. By appointment of the Father, Jesus freely took to Himself our human nature but without sin. He honoured God’s law by personally obeying it and made full atonement for our sins through His substitutionary death on a cross. He rose from the dead and is now enthroned in heaven. Jesus unites in himself, tender sympathy with divine perfection, and is therefore qualified in every way to be a suitable, compassionate, and all-sufficient Saviour.
Justification
We believe that the great gospel blessing that Christ secures to those who believe in him is justification. Justification includes the pardon of sin and the promise of eternal life founded on Christ’s righteousness. It is not given for any works of righteousness we have done, but only through faith in the Redeemer’s blood. By virtue of this faith, His perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us by God. Justification brings us into a state of most blessed peace and favour with God and secures every other blessing we need for time and eternity.
The Freeness of Salvation
We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all who believe the gospel. It is the urgent obligation of all sinners to accept these blessings of salvation by a heartfelt, repentant, and obedient faith. Preventing the acceptance of this salvation is every sinner’s inherent depravity and wilful rejection of the gospel; a rejection that amplifies a sinner’s condemnation.
Grace in Regeneration
We believe that sinners must be regenerated (or born again) in order to be saved. Regeneration consists of God’s gift of a holy inclination to the mind. It is accomplished in a way that is beyond our comprehension. It is carried out by the power of the Holy Spirit using divine truth to obtain our voluntary obedience to the gospel. The proper evidence of regeneration appears in the holy fruits of repentance, faith, and newness of life.
Repentance and Faith
We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties as well as inseparable graces. They are produced in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God, who convinces us of our guilt, danger, helplessness, and the way of salvation by Christ. They consist of turning to God with genuine sorrow, confession, and a petition for mercy; receiving heartily the Lord Jesus Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King; and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour.
God's Purpose of Grace
We believe that election is the eternal purpose of God according to which He graciously regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners. It is a most glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, which is infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable. Election is perfectly consistent with the free agency of people and does not exclude evangelism in achieving God's purposes. Election completely rules out boasting and promotes humility, love, prayer, praise, trust in God, and the active imitation of His free mercy. It encourages the greatest possible exercise of human responsibility. The election of individuals to life is confirmed by its effects in everyone who truly believes the gospel. Election is the foundation of Christian assurance and confirming our election deserves our greatest diligence.
Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is the process by which we are made partakers of God’s holiness, according to His purpose. Sanctification is progressive, beginning in regeneration and continuing in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the Sealer and Comforter. We are sanctified through God’s appointed means, especially the word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness, prayer, and the oversight and fellowship of the local church.
The Perseverance of the Saints
We believe that all genuine believers endure to the end. Their persevering attachment to Christ and to His people is the primary mark that distinguishes them from superficial professing believers. A special providence watches over their welfare, and they are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation.
The Harmony of the Law and Gospel
We believe that the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of His moral governance. It is holy, just, and good. Fallen human beings are unable to fulfil the commands of the law, which the Scriptures attribute entirely to their love of sin. A primary purpose of the gospel is to deliver people from this love and to restore them, through Christ the mediator, to a sincere obedience to the holy law. The visible Church’s means of grace serve this great purpose.
A Gospel Church
We believe that the local church of Christ consists of baptised believers, joined together by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, with Jesus Christ as its head. A local church observes the ordinances of Christ, submits to His laws, and exercises the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His word. The officers of the church are elders (also called pastors or overseers) and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are primarily given in the epistles to Timothy and Titus. The office of elder is reserved for men only.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is a solemn and beautiful outward act that symbolises an inner reality. Baptism is the declaration of our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, and our union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism precedes church membership and the Lord’s Supper. We also believe that the Supper is a symbolic act of obedience by which the members of the church, following sober self-examination, use bread and wine in a sacred manner to commemorate together the dying love of Christ. These ordinances belong to the gathered church, and serve to mark believers off from unbelievers, and to make the local church visible.
The Lord's Day
We believe that the first day of the week, Sunday, is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should prioritise public and private worship and spiritual devotion. Activities on the Lord's Day should be proportional to the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Civil Government
We believe that civil government exists by divine appointment for the benefit and good order of human society. Government officials are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured, and obeyed. The principal exception is for matters contrary to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the Prince of the kings of the earth.
The Righteous and the Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. Only those who are justified by faith in the name of the Lord Jesus and sanctified by the Spirit of our God are truly righteous in His judgment. In contrast, all those who continue in unrepentance and unbelief are wicked in His sight and under the curse. This distinction among people holds at death and afterward.
The Final Judgement and the World to Come
We believe that the end of the world is approaching. At the last day Christ will descend from heaven and raise the dead from the grave to final judgement. A public separation will then take place in which the wicked will be justly assigned to endless punishment in hell, and the righteous to endless joy in the new heaven and new earth. This judgement will determine forever the final state of people in heaven or hell.