We believe that the Bible – the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments – is the inspired word and self-revelation of God. It is the ultimate authority for what we believe and how we live, without error in all that it intends to affirm, and is sufficient to make us wise for salvation and equip us for every good work.
We believe there is only one true and living God, who exists eternally in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and who sovereignly created, sustains and directs all things. He is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. He is worthy of all worship, love and obedience.
We believe that all men and women are created in the image of God, for the ultimate purpose of glorifying and enjoying him forever. However, through the fall of our first parents, sin entered the world and has thoroughly corrupted our human nature. All people are guilty of rebelling against God, and because he is perfect in holiness and justice, he cannot simply overlook or tolerate sin. The just penalty we face for sinning against him is eternal death and judgement, and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. He is both fully God and fully man, and the only Saviour for sinful humanity. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. On the cross he willingly gave his life as a substitute for sinners, taking upon himself the full penalty of their sin. He rose again bodily in victory over sin and death, and ascended to the Father’s right hand, where he is now exalted as ruler of all.
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It is entirely the sovereign work of God, and cannot be earned or deserved, but is freely given to all who trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Those who trust in Jesus are united to him by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous in God’s sight, adopted as God’s children, and secured for eternal life with him.
We believe the Holy Spirit is fully God, the third person of the Trinity, and not merely an impersonal force. He brings spiritually dead hearts to life, enabling people to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. He indwells all of God’s people, assuring them of their salvation, progressively making them more like Christ, and equipping them with gifts for the good of the church and the world.
We believe the church is the people of God, united to Christ and to one another by faith in him. Christ himself is the church’s only head, and Scripture alone is its infallible rule of faith and practice. The church is called to gather locally on the Lord’s Day to worship God, hear from his Word, share in the sacraments, encourage one another in loving fellowship, and be equipped for service and mission.
We believe Christ instituted two sacraments for his church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is a sign, not of anything we do, but of God’s saving work for us – uniting us to Christ, washing away our sins, and giving us new life by his Spirit. It marks a person as belonging among God’s covenant people, and is properly administered only once to both believers and their children. However, it is not the sacrament of baptism, but faith in what baptism signifies, that saves.
In the Lord’s Supper, those who have put their faith in Christ remember his all-sufficient sacrifice for them at the cross, receive spiritual nourishment from him, and renew their covenantal commitment to him and one another.
We believe Jesus Christ will return visibly and bodily to judge the living and the dead. Those who rejected him will receive the just penalty of their sins in everlasting death and condemnation. Those who trusted in him will be raised to eternal life with him in a renewed and perfect creation. On that day all sin, suffering and death will be destroyed, and all of God’s people will perfectly glorify and enjoy him forever.