Purpose & Belief

Purpose

Our purpose is to develop and to nurture a community of growing, responsible disciples who live by word and deed to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. To encourage this, we believe that the following principles are necessary:

a To emphasize the centrality of biblical preaching at the heart of church life, for evangelizing the lost with the Gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and for developing and nurturing Christians of every age.

b To emphasize the importance of gathering together for collective congregational worship and corporate prayer as part of the personal duty and public witness of every Christian.

c To administer the ordinances of the Lord's supper and Baptism.

d To always endeavour to maintain the unity of the faith with other Christians and with other churches, not based on the premise of institutionalism or law, but on the basis of conversion and evangelical truth.

e To encourage an interest in outreach to the community (love in action) and concern for the evangelisation of every people group (world missions) in the principle of Matthew Chapter 28.

Doctrinal Basis

We accept the Holy Scriptures, as originally given, as the infallible and inerrant Word of God, of divine inspiration. Recognising them as our sole authority in all matters of faith and practice, we believe the doctrines taught therein, including in particular the following:

i We believe in the only true and living God, the Holy Trinity of Divine Persons, in perfect unity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each of which is co-equal and co-eternal, and sovereign in creation, providence and redemption.

ii We believe in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is holy, righteous, full of grace, mercy, compassion and love. In His infinite love He sent forth the Son, that the world through Him might be saved.

iii We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, whose true humanity and full deity were mysteriously and really joined in the unity of His divine Person. We believe in His virgin birth, in His perfect life and teaching, in His substitutionary, vicarious, atoning death on the cross, where He triumphed over Satan, sin and death, in His bodily resurrection and His ascension into heaven, where He now sits in glory at the right hand of God, the Father.

iv We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, whose work is indispensable to regenerate the sinner, to lead him to repentance, to give him faith in Christ, to sanctify the believer to this present life and fit him to enjoy fellowship with God. For spiritual power and effectiveness His ministry is essential to the individual Christian and to the Church.

v We believe that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever.

vi We believe that through faith (and only faith) in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose death was a perfect oblation and satisfaction for our sins, the sinner is freely justified by God, who instead of reckoning to us our sins, reckons Christ's righteousness to our account. Salvation is therefore by grace and not by human merit.

vii We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return personally, visibly and gloriously to this earth, to receive His saints to Himself, and to be seen of all men. As the righteous Judge, He will divide all men into two, and only two, categories - the saved and the lost. Those whose faith is in Christ will be saved eternally, and will enter into the joy of their Lord, sharing with Him His inheritance in heaven. The unbelieving will be condemned by Him to hell, where eternally they will be punished for their sin under the righteous judgement of God.