Our Distinctives
At SGA, we share many aspects of faith with others, but one distinct aspect sets us apart: our conviction that Christ has ordained all things out of love for His people, including sin and suffering. As both Creator and King, Jesus is the ultimate and immediate cause of everything. He interacts with creation on multiple levels—existentially, creatively, sovereignly and personally.
Unlike a regular human who can merely create and rule, Christ is both God and man, and so He is the very foundation and source of all existence.
For us, a crucial aspect of what it means to believe in Christ is trusting that He has good intentions and purposes—not only for the good aspects of our lives, but for all the bad as well—and that He orchestrates all things, bringing them to pass for His glory.
Joined to this is our conviction that our choices or decisions play no role in His salvation. Christ's salvation of us from sin, unto eternal life with Him, is not obtained by "praying a prayer," or "making a decision for Christ," or anything of that sort. Instead, God applies the blood of Jesus to our consciences, cleansing us from sin, and at the same time gives us a heart to know, love, and trust in Him. This faith is not the result of a decision or choice, but the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, giving us a deep, heart-reliance on Christ—causing us to trust in His love, mercy, kindness, and truth, depending on Him for everything.
In this way, our faith is distinguished by the knowledge that the whole gospel testifies to the One upon whom reality depends. We firmly believe that the total dependency of all things on God is the core doctrine of Christianity and the primary truth behind His blesséd name, I AM.
Furthermore, we affirm that every aspect of reality not only depends on God but represents the total reliance of all things on Him. The gospel illustrates this through the complete dependence of God's people on Christ as their Lord and Saviour, symbolising the entire universe’s dependence on God as Creator, Lord and King.
Our emphasis therefore is God's grace in Christ. We trust that every aspect of our lives serves a purpose, as ordained by God for good: fatherhood to reflect the Fatherhood of God, motherhood to reflect the Church above, husbands to represent Christ as the bridegroom of the Church, wives to reflect the Church itself, and so on.
We believe that our daily work reflects God’s work in salvation; and our sufferings reflect the sufferings of Christ. Our political engagement is rooted in our belief that those in authority represent God’s authority. In this way, everything—both good and evil—holds meaning within God’s sovereign purposes for our world.
If you are new to the faith, you may also find it distinguished by its logical approach. Spiritual logic is powerful, and yet there is a blesséd simplicity to it. In many traditions, especially Eastern Hinduism and Buddhism, beliefs and stories can feel more random and disconnected, whereas Sovereign Grace Assembly embraces God as the One who orders all things by His divine Logos, namely His Son, Jesus Christ, the Word of God.
If you would like to find out more about our faith, please feel free to come to one of our services.
