What We Believe

As Christians we seek to unite around the truth. Here are some of the important truths we believe.

 

Please note, we do not expect new attendees to understand or believe all of these, but we feel it is helpful to outline the truths we hold dear.

 

Key beliefs

• God is self-existent: His name, I AM, means He depends on nothing but Himself, and everything else depends on Him, absolutely
• God is therefore the ultimate and immediate cause of all things, by definition

• God is the LORD of all reality: all things exist, and subsist, by His decree

• God has determined all things, including sin and suffering, out of love for His people

• God is love

• The reality God upholds is the best of all possible realities

• All things work together for the good of God's people

• All of God's determinations are from eternity: God has predestined all things

• The central importance of divine causality and predestination of all things

• That those who do not worship the Almighty, personal, ultimate and immediate cause of all things, worship they know not what

• God is Almighty: infinitely powerful

• God is timeless and unchanging: immutable

• God is everywhere: omnipresent 

• God is all-knowing: omniscient

• God is the creator of all that is good and all that is evil

• The unknowability of God: man's inability to comprehend the infinite

• The knowability of God: that God can be known from reason, conscience and intuition, and that everything, including all sense-perception, is evidence for the self-existent and omnipotent deity
• The Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• The full and eternal personhood of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• The full divinity, humanity and perfection of Christ
• The virgin birth of Christ
• That Mary is the Tabernacle of God
• The sacred offices of Christ as prophet, priest and King
• The divine right of Kings

• God's eternal and unconditional love for His people

• God's eternal and unconditional choice of His people

• The eternal reprobation of the wicked

• The predestination of Christ: that the incarnation, or unity between the Creator and the creature, was man's destiny, regardless of sin

• Man as made in God's image

• The immortality of the soul

• Sensus divinitatis: that a sense of the divine is built into human nature

• The sacred importance of creativity, words and the human spirit, and their vital connection to the Creator, the Word and the Holy Ghost

• The sacred importance of the individual, the family, friendship, local community, race, the nation and humanity as a whole

• The infallibility and inerrancy of Holy scripture 

• The fullness of Holy scripture: that every meaning is intended by the Most High

• The picture-fulfilment paradigm of scripture: that the gospel is depicted by many types and shadows 

• The election paradigm: that scripture has a lesser meaning for the non-elect, in justice and judgement, and a greater meaning for the elect, in salvation, unconditional love, and eternal life

• The principle of divine accommodation: that in scripture God condescends to speak to people in ways they can understand

• The sufficiency of the scriptures: that scripture is sufficient for instruction in all matters of religious doctrine and practice

• Man's duty to obey God

• Original sin

• The negativity of sin: that sin is the corruption of what is good and not the creation of anything new

• The total depravity of man, his death in sin and complete, natural inability to please God

• That both death and suffering are ordained and unavoidable on account of the Fall

• Final and everlasting judgement

• The eternal torment of the wicked in hell

• Equity in eternal judgement

• The atoning death of Christ on the cross exclusively for His people

• Wholistic redemption

• The bodily resurrection of Christ

• The all-sufficient grace of God in salvation

• The irresistible grace of the Holy Spirit in regeneration

• The gift of faith in regeneration

• Conversion from darkness to light

• Conviction of sin in the regenerate

• That faith, love, joy and peace are gifts of the Holy Ghost given to God's people

• That saving faith is a trusting in and heart-reliance upon God, His Word and work of salvation

• That God's people look to Christ for salvation by trusting in Him, Spiritually 

• The common faith-special faith distinction

• The legal repentance-evangelical repentance distinction

• The full assurance of faith—that God's people are assured of eternal life by trusting in Christ's work of salvation

• That there can be no assurance or surety in calling and election by looking to one's works or progress in this life, but only by looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith

• Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone, according to scripture alone

• That saving grace is not offered to the non-elect

• The monergistic work of God in salvation: that man's choice has no part in salvation whatsoever

• The wholistic and mystical union with God in Christ, legally, naturally and Spiritually

• The new man-old man distinction

• Indwelling sin in the flesh and the backsliding of God's people

• That God chastens His people in this life

• God's preservation of His people forever

• The perseverance of the saints until death

• The leading of the Holy Spirit by the Word

• The law-gospel distinction

• That the gospel is the believer's rule of life

• That salvation is worked out according to God's covenants

• The legal imputation of the elect's sin to Christ and Christ's righteousness to the elect

• Rejection of all heresies

• The holiness of the church

• The catholicity of the church

• The purity of the church

• The priesthood of all believers

• Sempa reformanda—"always reforming"

• Separation from error

• Mission through love

• The return of Christ

• The resurrection of the body

• The millennial reign of Christ

• The eternal life, joy and peace of the righteous

• That the central joy of heaven is being with Christ, the One God's people love

• The creation of a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells

• That the gospel is unity with God in Christ, in His death to sin, in His resurrection, and in His divine and everlasting life

 

Key attitudes and practices

• Loving, reverencing and honouring God in everything with all our strength

• Doing all for the glory of God

• Loving our neighbour

• Loving our enemy

• Patience

• Kindness

• Sincerity and truth

• Gentle and firm patriarchy

• Thankfulness for all of God's works

• Rejoicing in the LORD always

• Prayer

• Togetherness

• Listening and speaking graciously

• Avoiding all unnecessary contention and dispute

• Humility

• Encouragement, exhortation and rebuke

• Modesty and purity

• Sharing and lending

• Being good to all

• Thoughtfulness

• Hospitality to all, including friends and strangers

• Not judging

• Not shouting in anger

• Not elevating ourselves above others: rejection of all pride and arrogancy

• Rejection of all anxiety, fear and trembling that has torment, for love casts out all fear

• Not trusting in man

• Not proselytising

• Rejection of all gossip, bullying, coldness and showiness

• Obedience to authorities and political concern

• The Biblical pattern of church

• Extemporaneous prayer and preaching in church

• Bible reading in church (from the King James version)

• Restricted communion, with unleavened bread and fermented wine

• Spiritual symbolism, such as the anointing of oil, the kiss of charity, female head coverings, hair lengths for males and females, and marriage

• Believer's baptism (immersion) upon repentance and faith

• Singing in church exclusively from God's hymnbook, the Psalms

• The silence of women in the assembly

• Rejection of all false practices

• Apostolic uniqueness

• Organic church growth

• Christ-centred church government

 

If you would like to speak to us about anything we believe we would be happy to listen to you and attempt to answer any questions.

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