What We Believe

Making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland

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Statement of Faith

We believe in the authority, inerrancy, infallibility and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testament.

By which we mean:

Authority:

We believe that ‘all scripture is breathed out by God’ (2 Timothy 3:16). Scripture is, therefore, the inspired and actual word of God. Scripture demands that we submit our opinions, feelings attitudes and lives to its authority.

Inerrancy and Infallibility:

We believe that because ‘all Scripture is breathed out by God’, every word is true (Proverbs 30:5). Furthermore, we believe that Scripture is the ultimate standard of truth. Jesus prays, ‘Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth’ (John 17:17).

Sufficiency:

We believe that Scripture contains all the words necessary for us to come to salvation and live in the light of salvation (2 Timothy 3:15-16). Scripture must not be added to, changed or superseded by any other tradition, authority or extra-biblical revelation.

 

The Godhead

We believe in one God in three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The

Father, Son and Holy Spirit are coeternal, coexistent, and coequal in power and glory (2 Corinthians 13:14, Jude 20-21).

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is both fully God (‘the Word was God’) and came to earth incarnate, fully man (‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’) (John 1:1-18).

We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary (Luke 1:26-38).

We believe that Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life (Hebrews 4:15).

We believe that Jesus Christ suffered an unjust death by crucifixion and, in doing so, accomplished our redemption as a vicarious, atoning, wrath-absorbing, substitutionary sacrifice (Romans 3:23-26).

We believe that on the third day following His death, Jesus Christ literally and physically rose from the dead demonstrating victory over death and confirming our hope in Him (1 Corinthians 15:54-55, 1 Peter 1:3-5).

We believe that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf (Acts 1:9, Hebrews 7:25).

We believe that Jesus Christ will return to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5, 2 Timothy 4:1).

The Person and the Work of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God as the third part of the Trinity.

We believe that the Holy Spirit ‘convicts the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement’ (John 16:8).

We believe that the Holy Spirit gives power for service (Acts 1:8), acts in the sanctification of believers (1 Corinthians 6:11), guides and directs believers (Romans 8:14), reveals, teaches and illuminates (1 Corinthians 2:10), gives assurance (Romans 8:16), and unifies believers (Philippians 2:1-2, Ephesians 2:18).

The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that God created man, male and female, but man disobeyed, rebelled against God and sin entered the world (Genesis 3). As a result of the fall, man became alienated from God and is utterly depraved and incapable of remedy apart from God (Romans 3:9-26, 5:12).

Salvation

We believe that salvation is the free gift of God brought to man by grace exclusively through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ and his substitutionary death (John 1:12-13, John 3:16, 1 Peter 1:18-19).

The Church

The Church is not a religious institution and is not a denomination.

We believe that the church is the body of Christ into which true believers are supernaturally incorporated on coming to faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Acts 2:41). The Church is, therefore, a trans-historical, trans-geographical, trans-denominational spiritual organism purposed to bring glory to God the Father, God the Spirit and God the Son.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the builder (Matthew 16:18), the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20), the head (Ephesians 1:22-23), and the Senior Pastor of the Church (1 Peter 5:4). We believe that Jesus Christ is the coming bridegroom returning for His bride, the Church (Revelation 19:6-8).