God
There is one God, who exists eternally in
three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit. He is unchanging in His character and attributes.
As creator and Lord of the universe He governs all things
according to His sovereign will for His own glory.
The Bible
The Bible, comprising the Old and New testaments,
is the Word of God. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit through
human authors and is an entirely true revelation of God’s
will and purposes. The Bible is our final and infallible
authority in every matter of belief and conduct.
The Human Race
God created all men and women in His image
to love and worship Him; consequently we have inherent and
equal dignity and worth. As a result of the disobedience
of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been
corrupted. We have become alienated from God as guilty sinners,
incapable of saving ourselves. We are under God’s
just condemnation and need to be forgiven and reconciled
to God to know, enjoy and worship Him.
Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully
man. He is the eternal Son of God who was conceived by the
Holy Spirit and given birth by the virgin Mary. He lived
a sinless life in obedience to His Father, was crucified
as the only substitutionary sacrifice for our sins to redeem
us and reconcile us to God through His shed blood. He was
raised bodily from death and ascended to heaven where He
is now exalted as Lord over all.
Salvation
God in His love and mercy reconciles sinners
to Himself through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ
on the cross. As sinners repent and turn to God from their
sin they receive God’s forgiveness, are adopted into
His family and given eternal life. Salvation, by God’s
grace alone, is received through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ
and to apply His work of salvation. He convicts sinners,
imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of
the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance
of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ.
He builds up the church and empowers its members for worship,
service and worldwide proclamation of the Gospel in obedience
to the Great Commission.
The Church
The one universal church, the body of Christ, of which
each local church is a visible expression, consists of all
true believers born again by the Holy Spirit. As a fellowship
of believers, the church is called to worship God, grow
in grace and bear witness to Christ and His kingdom throughout
the world. This calling is opposed by Satan, the enemy of
God, who still works to frustrate God’s purpose. Through
His death on the cross, Jesus Christ has deprived Satan
of his power, a victory in which all believers through faith
can share.
The Future
The Lord Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly,
to raise the dead and bring to completion His work of salvation
and judgement. Believers will be welcomed into the presence
of God forever, while unbelievers, together with a finally
defeated Satan, will suffer eternal punishment in separation
from God.
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