Statement of Faith
For many people in today's troubled and highly secular world it's not clear why anyone should believe in God, far less why some choose to base their whole lives on their faith.
That's a problem we all understand well. No-one can inherit faith from their parents, nor can we be bullied into belief by pressure from friends, family or even the church.
Everyone who comes to God as discovered for him- or her-self that the teachings of the bible are true : that there really is a God who loves us beyond measure, that real peace and freedom are a simple matter of accepting the free gift of forgiveness paid for in Jesus' death and that knowing God's love in our everyday lives is the key to real fulfilment.
If you would like to know more about the Christian faith, why not come along to an Alpha course? They are designed to give people the information they need to make their own decision about Jesus without any obligation to respond.
Many churches run Alpha courses, and though Christian denominations may differ in style we all agree on the fundamentals of the faith so you can go along an Alpha course anywhere you like and receive substantially the same information.It can be difficult to put such an important issue as faith into words. There are many creeds and statements of faith to choose from, but one of the best is that published by the Evangelical Alliance:
The Evangelical Alliance Basis of Faith
Evangelical Christians accept the revelation of the triune God given in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and confess the historic faith of the Gospel therein set forth. They here assert doctrines that they regard as crucial to the understanding of the faith, and which should issue in mutual love, practical Christian service and evangelistic concern.
- The sovereignty and grace of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in creation, providence, revelation, redemption and final judgement.- The divine inspiration of the Holy Scripture and its consequent entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
- The universal sinfulness and guilt of fallen man, making him subject to God's wrath and condemnation.
- The substitutionary sacrifice of the incarnate Son of God as the sole all sufficient ground of redemption from the guilt and power of sin and from its eternal consequences.
- The justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ crucified and risen from the dead.
- The illuminating, regenerating, indwelling and sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit.
- The priesthood of all believers, who form the universal Church, the Body of which Christ is the Head and which is committed by His command to the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world.
- The expectation of the personal, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory.