Basis of Faith

We believe in:-

1. The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture as originally given, and its sole authority in all matters of faith and conduct.  (2 Timothy 3: 15-17)

15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

2. The unity of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit eternally in the Godhead.

(John 17: 3, 5, & 21;  Matthew 28: 19)

3  Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

5  And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

9  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

 

3. The Sovereignty of God in Redemption, Creation, Revelation and Final Judgement.

(Colossians 1: 12-20)

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

 

4. The full deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Virgin birth, and His real and sinless humanity.  
(Matthew 16: 16;  Luke 1: 26-35;  Hebrews 7: 26)

MT 16:16  Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, n the Son of the living God."

LK 1:26  In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin's name was Mary.  28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you."  29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  30 But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.  31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."  34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"  35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

 

HEB 7:26  Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

 

5. The universal sinfulness and guilt of human nature since the Fall, rendering man subject to God's wrath and condemnation.  (Isaiah 53: 6;  John 3: 36)

ISA 53:6  We all, like sheep, have gone astray,  each of us has turned to his own way;  and the LORD has laid on him  the iniquity of us all.

36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

 

6. Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin and from the dominion of Satan only through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, as our representative and substitute.  (2 Corinthians 5: 15-21;  Hebrews 2: 14)

 

2COR5:15  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.  Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ's behalf:  Be reconciled to God.  21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

HEB 2:14  Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--

 

7. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  (1 Corinthians 15: 3-8)

3  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

 

8. The necessity of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Christ effective to the repentant sinner, granting him repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ.  
(John 3: 3 & 8;  John 16: 7-11)

 

JN 3:3  In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

8  The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.  So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

 

JN16:7  But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.  Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

 

 

9. The justification of the sinner freely by grace through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Romans 3: 24-26)

24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

 

10. The indwelling and continuing work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.  (Ephesians 1: 13 & 14)

13  And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

 

 

11. The future personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Acts 1: 6-11)

6  So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"  7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

 

 

12. The resurrection of the Dead; the judgement of all; the eternal blessedness in Heaven of the redeemed and the eternal punishment in hell of the unbelieving.

(Acts 4: 2;  Romans 14: 10;  Matthew 25: 46)

2  They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

10  You, then, why do you judge your brother?  Or why do you look down on your brother?  For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.

MT 25:46  "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

 

13. The One Holy Universal Church, which is the Body of Christ, to which all true believers belong.  (Ephesians 4: 4-6)

4  There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.