The Basic Message
The Christian faith is unique among all the world's religions. It does not begin with our upward reach for God but with his downward reach for us. It claims that humanity is lost in its proud desire for autonomy, but God sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). Jesus achieved this by dying to suffer our punishment and rising from the dead to lead us into eternal life with God. This saving work of Christ is the basis upon which a restored relationship with God is possible.
Beginning this relationship with God involves a conscious turning away from our own proud independence from God and turning towards God as we put our trust in Jesus and his salvation. At that point, we receive forgiveness for our sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, who helps us to live the new Christian life with God. Then, the lost person has been truly found!
The Christian life is a life of ongoing repentance from sin and active trust in Jesus Christ in all areas of life. Underlying the Christian life is always the ongoing experience of God's boundless love, mercy and grace in the forgiveness of sin. The Holy Spirit works in the life of the Christian to transform them into the moral likeness of Jesus Christ as they live in relationship with God. The Christian life is a communal life, as Jesus draws us into fellowship with other Christians as part of his family. It is also a hope-filled life, as the Christian waits for the return of Jesus to complete the redemption of the whole created order by putting a final end to all evil.
The Underlying Doctrine
Our church stands proudly in the reformed, protestant, evangelical Anglican tradition. As such, we hold firmly to the historic orthodox formulations of the faith: the Apostles, Nicene and Athanasian creeds. We believe that the Anglican Thirty Nine Articles of Religion faithfully reflect the teaching of the Bible.
As such, the doctrines that are regarded by our church as essential to biblical faith include:
- The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture as originally given and its supreme authority and complete sufficiency in all matters of Christian faith and conduct
- The absolute sovereignty of God in everything as the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe
- The unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Godhead
- The universal sinfulness and guilt of human nature since the fall, rendering humanity subject to God's wrath and condemnation
- The conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, his birth of the virgin Mary and his exemplary life of perfect humanity
- Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin only through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, as our Representative and Substitute
- Salvation, consisting of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the sinner, by God's grace, through faith in Jesus Christ alone
- The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as the firstfruits of the Resurrection and his ascension to rule at God's right hand
- The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Christ effective to the individual sinner, granting him/her repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ
- The indwelling and work of the Holy Spirit, transforming and empowering the believer for Christian love and witness as part of Christ's church
- The certainty of the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to judge all people: his people to eternal life and his enemies to eternal death