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On First Order Matters…
- The Bible, containing 66 books in the Old and New Testament, is God’s word to humanity. It is divinely inspired and infallible. It is complete in its revelation and supreme in its authority in all areas of faith and conduct.
- The Godhead consists of three divine and equal persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These are in perfect and timeless relationship with one another. God is the creator of all things, sustainer of all things, knower of all things and ruler of all things. All things were made by and for him. God is eternal, just, loving and holy.
- Sin affects every single person to ever have lived, and all people are entangled in it by nature and by choice. Sin is the grievous rejection of God’s good and right reign, in thought, word and deed, both through commission and omission, and is a failure to love, trust and obey God. This failure corrupts human hearts, corrupting all people, who have been made in God’s image. Sin creates brokenness and hopelessness at every level: spiritual, relational, emotional, and physical. Redemption from the penalty and power of sin is only possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, who transforms the regenerate believer.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is both fully human and fully divine. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is sinless. His death on the cross was an atoning sacrifice for sin, willingly substituting himself in the place of condemned sinners. His resurrection from the dead was physical, literal and miraculous. In rising from the dead, he demonstrated victory over the grave, and won freedom and forgiveness for all those who entrust themselves to him through repentance and faith.
- The Holy Spirit enables people to repent of sin and believe in the salvation won for us by Jesus. The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin and guides the believer as they seek to live in accordance with God’s will for their life, as revealed in the Bible. The Holy Spirit works to sanctify the heart and life of the believer so that they come to increasingly conform to the likeness of Jesus.
- The Christian seeks to live a life of worship to God, in grateful response for the salvation they have freely received in Jesus. They seek to live according to the truth, teaching and ethics of the Bible, as they expectantly await the glorious return of Christ, who reigns even now, and the time when all that is broken will be restored and all that is evil will be banished forever.
On Second Order Matters…
- Men and women have both been made in the image of God. They are equal in dignity and value, equal recipients of redemption in Christ and equally indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Men and women are equally commissioned to take up their cross and follow Jesus, to live for him, and to share the gospel with the nations. They have been appointed certain responsibilities within the particular context of marriage and the church, and these are not interchangeable, but are equal in both value and necessity.
- Different denominations have arrived at different understandings about what the Bible teaches on matters such as baptism, church governance and the continuation of certain spiritual gifts. These differences may result in variations in church practices, but ought not prohibit Christians from being united in Christ. Partnership across different denominations is a reflection of gospel unity.