International
If this is the first time that you’ve visited our website, you may want to know what we actually believe here at Christianityworks. That’s a good thing. A very good thing. So, in a nutshell, here is our statement of faith:
The Bible
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the revelation of God to mankind, is fully inspired by Him, is sufficient for the knowledge of God and His will that is necessary for the eternal welfare of humanity, is infallible and inerrant in its original manuscripts, and is the supreme and final authority for all Christian faith and conduct.
(2 Tim. 3:16,17; 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Cor. 2:13; Deut. 29:29; 2 Tim. 3:15; John 10:35)
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God
We believe that there is but one God, whose essential nature is that of a living, personal Spirit. He is infinitely perfect in all of His attributes, He is the creator and sustainer of all things, and He exists in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
(1 Cor. 8:4; John 4:24; 5:26; Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16,17; Matt. 28:19)
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Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man; that is, He is fully divine and also fully human. He pre-existed eternally with the Father, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life and died a substitutionary death for the sins of humanity. We believe that He arose bodily from the grave, that He ascended to heaven, where He is presently High Priest and Advocate for His people, and that He will return personally and bodily to the earth at the close of this age. He is the world’s only Saviour and is the Lord of all.
(Phil. 2:5-11; John 1:1; Matt. 1:23-25; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Tim. 2:6; 1 Cor. 15:20; Heb. 4:14-16; John 14:3; Acts 4:12)
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The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, the third Person of the Trinity. We believe that He was sent from the Father by the Son to convict the world of sin and righteousness, to regenerate and indwell those who trust in Christ, to baptise with the very Presence of God, to seal them for the final day of redemption, to guide them into truth, to fill them for a life of holiness and victory and to empower them for witness and service. We believe that He gives spiritual gifts to believers for the proper functioning of the Body of Christ, which is the Church.
(Acts 5:3,4; John 16:7-14; 3:5-8; 1 Cor. 2:9-12; 3:16; 12:3-13,28-31; Eph. 1:13,14; Acts 1:8)
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Humanity
We believe that humanity was originally created by a definite act of God in His own image and is dependent upon and accountable to its Creator. Through disobedience, the first man sinned and fell from his original state of moral perfection. As a consequence, he brought upon himself and upon the whole human race the penalty for sin, which is spiritual and physical death. Since Adam, every person is born with an inherently sinful nature and becomes a sinner in thought, word and deed. Every person, therefore, stands under the just condemnation of God and is unable to save themselves or to present deeds worthy of merit before God.
(Gen. 1:26,27; 2:7; Rom. 2:6-16; 5:12-21; 6:23; Matt. 5:20-48; John 3:36)
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Salvation
We believe that a person is saved by God’s grace alone, through faith, made possible through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, whereby He died a substitutionary death for humanity, and through the Resurrection of Christ. Salvation becomes effective when a person, by an act of faith, acknowledges Jesus Christ as his or her personal Saviour and Lord. The benefits of this salvation include the forgiveness of sins and a new standing before God, the impartation of new life and all the privileges that accompany a new family relationship with God. The assurance of salvation as a present possession is the privilege of every believer in Christ.
(Eph. 2:8,9; 1 Cor. 15:3; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9; Acts 3:19; Rom. 3:28; John 3:16; John 1:12; 10:28; Phil. 1:6)
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Sanctification
We believe that God expects every believer to live a life of obedience, in which every area of his or her life is brought under the lordship of Jesus Christ and the fruit of the Spirit becomes increasingly evident in his or her life. The goal of the Christian life is to be conformed to the image of Christ. This life is characterised supremely by self-giving love for God and for others. The life and character of Christ, which grows through the Holy Spirit, is noticeably distinct from the life of the world. A believer who resists the gracious working of the Holy Spirit and fails to grow in obedience is chastened in infinite love by his or her Heavenly Father so they may learn obedience.
(John 14:21; 2 Cor. 10:4,5; Gal. 5:22,23; 2 Cor. 3:18; Matt. 22:37-40; 1 John 2:15-17; Heb. 12:5-14)
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The Church
We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is the universal company of God’s redeemed people, His Body, of which He is the head, His Bride whom He loves infinitely, and His temple in which He dwells. This universal Body of Christ is visibly expressed in local assemblies, whose purpose is to glorify God through worship, fellowship, instruction in God’s Word, observing the ordinances and training in service to the world. The supreme task in the mission of the Church is to make disciples for Christ in all the nations through the proclamation and teaching of the Gospel. The Church is also to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ, through word and deed, in an alienated world.
(1 Pet. 2:9,10; Eph. 1:22,23; 5:25-27; 2:19-22; 1 Thess. 2:14; Eph. 3:6-10; Acts 2:42; Eph. 4:11-13; Heb. 10:25; Matt. 28:18-20; 26:26-29; 1 John 4:17)
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The Future Life
We believe in the imminent return of Christ to take His people to be with Him and to judge and rule the earth in righteousness. We believe in the resurrection of the body for both believers and unbelievers. We believe that the believer goes to be with Christ in conscious blessedness immediately after death, having escaped the condemnation of his or her sins through the death of Christ. The believer will, however, stand before God to receive rewards for works approved by God or to suffer loss for works disapproved. The believer will live eternally in the immediate presence of God, while the unbeliever must face the eternal and holy Judge, who will sentence him or her for their sins. The unbeliever will experience the punishment of eternal separation in hell from the presence of God.
(John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:16,17; Rev. 11:15; 1 Cor. 15:20,23; Phil. 1:23; Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-21:5; Rom. 2:11)
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Satan
We believe in the personality and depraved character of Satan, who is the great enemy of God and man. We believe that he, along with the company of demonic beings serving him, works out his evil plans through the ungodly world system, limited only by the sovereign rule of God. We believe that he was judged by Christ at the cross and will ultimately meet his doom in the lake of fire, where he will remain eternally.
(Matt. 4:3-11; Gen. 3:1; John 8:44; Rev. 12:9,10; 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19; Job 1:6-12; 1 John 3:8; Rev. 20:10)
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Sexuality
We believe that human sexuality is a part of God’s design for humanity and as such, physical intimacy is a beautiful gift from Him. We believe that the only right and proper expression of this gift is exclusively between one man and one woman, who have been joined together as husband and wife in a life long bond of marriage. People who continue in sexual immorality (whatever its form) will not inherit the kingdom of God.
(Gen 2:22-25, Exodus 20:14,17, Mark 10:2-12,1 Cor 7:1-3;10:8, Gal 5:19-21, Col 3:5)