Our beliefs

The Bible – the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments – is God’s Word. Every part is inspired by the Holy Spirit, so it is true and trustworthy, and it tells us all we need to know to be saved and to live for God. At its heart is Jesus. It is our supreme authority in all matters of faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

There is one living and true God, the Creator of all things, holy and loving. He is sovereign: He rules over all things, and nothing happens outside His wise and good purposes (Romans 8:28). That is why we can trust Him completely and depend on Him in everything.

The one true God eternally exists as three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are not three gods, but one God – each fully God, equal in power and glory. This is the Trinity, a mystery beyond our full understanding, yet at the heart of the good news: the Father sent the Son to save us, and the Spirit brings us to new life in Him (Matthew 28:19).

God made men and women in His own image, giving every person dignity and worth, and made us to know Him and enjoy Him forever (Genesis 1:27). But we have all turned away from God to live our own way. Sin spoils every part of our lives, separates us from God, and leaves us facing His judgment and unable to save ourselves (Romans 3:23).

Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became fully human, born of the Virgin Mary – fully God and fully man. He lived the perfect life we could never live, died on the cross in the place of sinners, bearing the punishment our sins deserved, and rose bodily from the dead. He now reigns in heaven as Lord and prays for His people (1 Peter 3:18).

We are made right with God not by our own goodness, but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–9). When we trust in Jesus, God forgives all our sins, counts Christ’s perfect life as ours and adopts us as His children. Salvation is God’s work from start to finish, and it is offered freely to everyone who turns from sin and trusts in Jesus (John 3:16).

The Holy Spirit is fully God, equal with the Father and the Son. He gives us new life, opens our eyes to the truth about Jesus and unites us to Him. He lives in every believer, helping us to pray, to understand God’s Word and to grow more like Christ, and He gives every Christian gifts to serve others and build up the church (Galatians 5:22–23).

Those who belong to Christ are called to live for Him – not to earn God’s love, but in grateful response to it. That means loving God and our neighbour, turning from sin each day, and growing through the Bible, prayer, the sacraments and fellowship with other Christians. We will never be perfect in this life, but God is at work in His people and will keep them safe to the end (Philippians 1:6).

The Church is the family of all God’s people, and Jesus Christ is its only Head (Colossians 1:18). He has given His Church the Word, the sacraments and prayer to gather people to Himself and help them grow. Our mission is the one He gave us: to make disciples (Matthew 28:19–20). We gather on the Lord’s Day to worship God, and we are sent out to share the good news of Jesus.

Jesus gave His Church two sacraments, as signs and seals of God’s promises. Baptism is the sign of belonging to God’s family, and it is given only once. It is an outward declaration of an inward transformation. It symbolises new life in Christ and a believer’s commitment to follow Him. We also baptise the children of believers, because God’s covenant promise is “for you and your children” (Acts 2:39). Just as children in the Old Testament received the sign of God’s covenant (Genesis 17:7), our children are marked out as belonging among His people, and are brought up to trust in Christ for themselves.

In the Lord’s Supper, the bread and wine are spiritual signs, given as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice – His body broken and His blood shed for us on the cross. As we receive it together, we remember His grace, celebrate His love, and proclaim our faith until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). It is for everyone who trusts in Jesus and wants to follow Him.

Jesus will return personally and visibly. The dead will be raised, and Jesus will judge the world with perfect justice. All who trust in Him will live with Him forever in a new heaven and a new earth, where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). That is our great hope, and why we long for others to know Jesus too.