What we believe

BASIS OF FAITH

We accept the Bible (that is, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments alone) as originally given, to be the Word of God, inspired by Him and infallible, and so completely reliable and trustworthy, our sufficient and supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice. And, therefore, we believe all its teachings, including, in particular, the following:
We believe in the only true and living God; the Holy Trinity of divine Persons in perfect unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-equal and co-eternal, holy and righteous, and sovereign in creation, providence and redemption.
We believe in the sinful nature of everyone as a result of the fall, their being polluted, controlled and infected by sin in every part of their being, their guilt before a holy and righteous God, their being subject to the penalty which God, in His wrath and condemnation, has determined; and their need for salvation.
We believe in God the Father as full of mercy, love and grace, who in His infinite love and wisdom, sent His only Son into this fallen world that the world through Him might be saved.
We believe in God the Son incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose true humanity and full deity were really joined in the unity of His divine Person; His virgin birth, His perfect life and teaching, His substitutionary suffering and death on the cross, and triumph over Satan (making complete atonement for our sins), His bodily resurrection and triumph over death; His ascension into heaven and His priestly intercession for His people at the right hand of God the Father.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who works what is essential for the salvation of sinners, to regenerate them, to lead them to repentance and give them faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; to sanctify them in this present life and fit them to enjoy fellowship with God and enable them to serve Him effectively.
We believe in God’s free justification of sinners through their faith in Christ alone; His reckoning Christ’s righteousness to them – and not their sins, which He has forgiven – so their salvation is by His grace alone (and not by any human merit).
We believe in the universal Church, the body of which Christ is the Head, which includes all those called by God through His Word, born of His Spirit and justified by faith in Christ; the local church, being the expression of the universal Church, and the fellowship between local churches, as showing the unity of the body of Christ.
We believe in Christ’s institutions of baptism (not as conveying regenerating grace) and the Lord’s Supper (not as a sacrifice for sin or involving any change in the bread and the wine).
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ’s personal, visible and glorious return to judge the world in righteousness; the believers’ entry into the eternal joy of the Lord, their inheritance in the new heaven and new earth with the reception of resurrection bodies; the eternal condemnation of unbelievers in hell as punishment for their sins.