OUR BELIEFS
In an age where truth seems to always be up for debate, we believe it is necessary to hold fast the confession that the truth is what is revealed to us in and through God and His Holy Word.
As an evangelical, Bible-believing church, we take seriously the claims of the Holy Scriptures and seek to uphold the received faith as passed down to us by the Apostles, from Christ.
As an evangelical, Bible-believing church, we take seriously the claims of the Holy Scriptures and seek to uphold the received faith as passed down to us by the Apostles, from Christ.
FBF STATEMENT OF FAITH
gOD
There is only one God,1 who exists as three distinct and equal Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.2 This is called the Trinity. These three have the same substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence without this essence being divided.3 God is the living God who is almighty, eternal, personal, unchanging, knows and has decreed all things past, present and future.4 He is just and holy, gracious and merciful.5 He is sovereign Creator and Ruler of all things and exercises His sovereignty in Creation, Providence and Redemption for His own glory.6 As the Maker and Ruler of all things He is deserving of all praise and glory forever.7
THE BIBLE
God’s greatness and holiness are such that, without His aid, man can neither understand Him nor find the way to a right relationship with Him.8 In His mercy however, God has definitively revealed Himself through His Word, ‘the Bible’, which consists of the Old and New Testaments.9 Every word was inspired by God through human authors.10 We therefore accept all that is written in the Bible, as originally given, as being the inspired and infallible Word of God, which is without error and the final and sufficient authority in all matters of Christian faith and life.11 We accept the sixty-six book canon as the authoritative Word of God (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The books of the New Testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation).12
MANKIND
God created man: first Adam, from the dust of the ground, and then Eve from Adam’s side.13 Man was created perfect and in His image.14 Thus, all men and women have inherent and equal dignity and worth, for all are descended from Adam and Eve, our first parents. Man’s greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God.15
THE FALL
After being tempted by the devil, that serpent of old, Adam and Eve, by their own free choice, disobeyed God and became sinners.16 All humanity, being descended from them, is now corrupted by sin, and so fellowship with God is broken and all humanity is deserving of eternal punishment.17
Salvation and the Gospel
Salvation is entirely a work of God’s free grace and cannot be earned or deserved.18 Salvation is only possible through, and has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ;19 who, after living a perfect and sinless life,20 was crucified and died on behalf of His people; then three days later rose again, securing salvation for His people.21 This salvation is freely offered to all in the gospel.22 Accordingly, God, in His love, forgives all sinners whom He effectually calls, granting them godly sorrow unto repentance leading to life, and faith in Christ and His Gospel.23 All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God by the Holy Spirit, who regenerates them, and receive eternal life.24
JESUS CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.25 He is the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,26 born of the virgin Mary,27 and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father,28 for His Father’s glory.29 He taught with authority and all His words are true.30 On the cross He died in the place of sinners, experiencing God’s just punishment for their sin,31 redeeming them by His blood.32 He physically rose from the dead,33 and in His resurrection body ascended into heaven where He is exalted forever as the Great King and Lord of all.34 He intercedes for His people in the presence of the Father.35
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ and applies His work of salvation.36 He convicts sinners,37 imparts spiritual life,38 and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures.39 He indwells all believers, seals and brings assurance of salvation to them,40 and conforms them into the image Christ through the work of salvation and sanctification.41 He builds up the Church and empowers its members,42 endowing them with gifts for worship, service and mission.43
THE CHURCH
The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong.44 It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who, by the will of God, 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, and for evangelism.45 Through Jesus, the church has direct access to God and enjoys fellowship with other assemblies of His people in a unity which transcends all barriers.46
BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances which have been positively instructed by the Lord Jesus, and are therefore meant to be practiced by the church until His return.47 Baptism is a symbol of the Christian’s union with Christ in His death and resurrection,48 of remission of sins and the salvation received,49 of submitting themselves to God through Jesus Christ to live and walk in newness of life,50 and their visible entry into His church.51 The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice which was offered once for all, and involves no change in the bread or wine.52 Just as the bread and wine nourish the body physically, so, spiritually, the faith of those who partake in a correct manner is nourished by Christ’s Spirit.53 In and of themselves, neither Baptism nor the Lord’s Supper hold saving power,54 but, rightly received by faith, are a means of grace.
THE FUTURE
The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory as He promised.55 He will return bodily, triumphantly, magisterially.56 He will raise the dead, and those saints who are found alive at that Day will also be changed:57 the bodies of the just will be raised like Christ’s and to honour;58 the bodies of the unjust raised to dishonour.59 He will judge the world in righteousness.60 The wicked will be sent to hell and endure eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God.61 God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.62
REFERENCES
- 1 1 Corinthians 8:4. 2 1 John 5:7. 3 Exodus 3:14. 4 Isaiah 46:10. 5 Revelation 15:4. 6 Genesis 1:1. 7 Psalm 145:1-3.
- 8 Romans 3:23. 9 Psalm 19:7-11. 10 2 Timothy 3:16. 11 Proverbs 30:5-6. 12 2 Peter 1:19-21.
- 13 Genesis 2:7, 21-23. 14 Genesis 1:26-27. 15 Ecclesiastes 12:13.
- 16 Genesis 3:1-7. 17 Ephesians 2:3.
- 18 Ephesians 2:4-9. 19 John 14:6. 20 1 John 3:5. 21 Acts 2:22-36. 22 Isaiah 55:1. 23 Jeremiah 32:40, Ezekiel 36:26-27. 24 Romans 4:24-25, 8:14-16.
- 25 John 1:1, 14. 26 Luke 1:35. 27 Matthew 1:23. 28 Philippians 2:8. 29 Mark 1:11. 30 Mark 1:22. 31 Isaiah 53:3-12. 32 1 Peter 1:18-19. 33 Luke 24:6-7. 34 Luke 24:51. 35 Hebrews 7:25.
- 36 John 3:5-7. 37 1 Thessalonians 5:8. 38 Titus 3:5. 39 John 14:26. 40 Ephesians 1:13-14. 41 Romans 8:29. 42 Ephesians 4:4, Acts 1:8. 43 Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Romans 12:6-8.
- 44 Colossians 1:18. 45 Acts 2:42. 46 Ephesians 1:22-23.
- 47 Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. 48 Romans 6:4-11. 49 Acts 2:38-39, 1 Peter 3:21. 50 Colossians 2:11-12. 51 Acts 22:16. 52 Luke 22:19-20. 53 1 Corinthians 10:16. 54 Romans 10:9.
- 55 John 14:2-3. 56 Acts 1:11. 57 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17. 58 Philippians 3:21. 59 Daniel 12:2, Acts 24:15. 60 John 5:22. 27. 61 2 Timothy 4:8, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10. 62 Revelation 21:5.
as a partner of the Great Commission Foundation, we believe, understand, agree, and commit to live in accordance with the beliefs unfolded below.
1. that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, and authoritative Word of God;
2. that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
3. in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory;
4. that all human beings have sinned and are thus subject to God’s just condemnation, but salvation is available to all by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation;
6. [that] God designed marriage as an exclusive union between one man and one woman, and marriage is the foundation of the family. The Bible prohibits sexual relationships outside of a biblical marriage;
7. [that] our physicality, male and female, and our sexuality are good gifts of God’s creation. As such, we do not affirm the resolution of the tension between one’s biological sex and one’s experience of gender by the adoption of a gender identity or expression discordant with one’s birth sex. We are called to accept and embrace our created biological and genetic sex;
8. We believe that human life is sacred from fertilisation to its natural death, as each person is lovingly created in the image of God. We must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of others.
9. We affirm that life is a precious gift from God, and its value is not determined by stage of development, age, ability, or circumstance.
2. that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
3. in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory;
4. that all human beings have sinned and are thus subject to God’s just condemnation, but salvation is available to all by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation;
6. [that] God designed marriage as an exclusive union between one man and one woman, and marriage is the foundation of the family. The Bible prohibits sexual relationships outside of a biblical marriage;
7. [that] our physicality, male and female, and our sexuality are good gifts of God’s creation. As such, we do not affirm the resolution of the tension between one’s biological sex and one’s experience of gender by the adoption of a gender identity or expression discordant with one’s birth sex. We are called to accept and embrace our created biological and genetic sex;
8. We believe that human life is sacred from fertilisation to its natural death, as each person is lovingly created in the image of God. We must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of others.
9. We affirm that life is a precious gift from God, and its value is not determined by stage of development, age, ability, or circumstance.
IN LIGHT OF THIS, WE ALSO CHOOSE TO CONDUCT OURSELVES IN A MANNER WORTHY OF OUR CHRISTIAN calling, as REVEALED BENEATH.
1. to love and serve others (Colossians 3:12-15; John 13:34-35; Romans 15:5; Ephesians 4:32);
2. to live a life consistent with the Scriptures and refrain from following the desires of our sinful nature (Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; Colossians 3:5-9);
3. to maintain the highest ethical standards in ministry and personal life (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 3:2-7);
4. to be an example of Christ in overall life – in speech, faith, purity, love (1 Timothy 4:12; Philippians 2:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Colossians 3:12-17; Ephesians 5:2; Colossians 3:17).
2. to live a life consistent with the Scriptures and refrain from following the desires of our sinful nature (Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; Colossians 3:5-9);
3. to maintain the highest ethical standards in ministry and personal life (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 3:2-7);
4. to be an example of Christ in overall life – in speech, faith, purity, love (1 Timothy 4:12; Philippians 2:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 4:7; Colossians 3:12-17; Ephesians 5:2; Colossians 3:17).
