Statement of faith
Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them
~ 1 Timothy 4:16
The following is a summary of our foundational Christian beliefs.
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God.
- The sixty-six books of the Bible, in their original writings, are God’s revelation for all people, inspired by the Holy Spirit [2 Timothy 3:16].
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness ...
× - Although written by human authors they were guided by the Holy Spirit, so that the original text is infallible [2 Peter 1:19-21; Matthew 5:17-18; Matthew 24:35]
2 Peter 1:19-21
We have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 5:17-18
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
Matthew 24:35
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.”
× - The Bible is the complete revelation of God [Revelation 22:18-19]. Nothing else is authoritative for faith and conduct. It is the exclusive guide for the life of faith in Christ [John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12]
Revelation 22:18-19
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
×John 17:17
“Your word is truth.”
Hebrews 4:12
The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
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Because we believe the Bible, this is what we believe about the following:
God …
- We believe there is only one true God, the Creator of all things visible and invisible [Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4].
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
× - We believe that God has revealed Himself as one being in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit [John 1:1-3,14; John 10:30; John 14:16,17,26; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14].
John 1:1-3,14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made ...
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.”
John 14:16,17,26
“I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you ...
The Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
Matthew 28:19
... make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ...
2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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Humans …
- We believe that God created human beings in His own image [Genesis 1:26-27]
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
× - We believe that, through the fall in Adam, all people inherited a sinful nature and became separated from God [Romans 3:23; Genesis 3:1-7]
Romans 3:23
... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ...
Genesis 3:1-7
The serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realized they were naked ...
× - We believe that humans are unable, in their own strength, to remedy their lost condition [Ephesians 2:12; Romans 5:12-14]
Ephesians 2:12
... remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
Romans 5:12-14
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned — for before the Law was given sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no Law.
Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
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Christ …
- We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God; that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of the virgin Mary [Isaiah 7:14; John 1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35]
Isaiah 7:14
The Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel.
John 1:1-2,14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning ...
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
Luke 1:35
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
× - We believe in His sinless life [Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22] and that He accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice [Romans 3:24-25]. Our redemption is proven by His physical resurrection from the dead [Romans 4:25]
Hebrews 7:26
Such a high priest meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
1 Peter 2:22
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
×Romans 3:24-25
... and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice because, in His forbearance, He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished
×Romans 4:25
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
× - We believe that He ascended to heaven [Acts 1:9] and is seated at the right hand of God where He intercedes for His people [Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:12]
Acts 1:9
After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.
×Hebrews 7:25
Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 9:12
He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
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The Holy Spirit …
- We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune Godhead.
- He convicts men of sin and He guides believers into all truth. [John 14:26; John 16:7-14; and 1 Peter 1:2; Romans 8:11]
John 14:26
“The Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
John 16:7-14
“I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in Me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you.”
×1 Peter 1-2
... who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.
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Salvation ...
- We believe that salvation is received through faith in Jesus Christ [Titus 3:4-7], relying on His righteousness alone [Ephesians 2:8-9] and continuing to trust in His atoning death on the cross and in His resurrection from the dead [1 Corinthians 15:1-4]
Titus 3:4-7
But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
×Ephesians 2:8-9
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
×1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures ...
× - We believe that there is no other way to be saved than through faith in Jesus Christ [John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 John 2:23]
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Acts 4:12
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
1 John 2:23
No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
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The devil …
- We believe in the existence of the devil, a fallen angel, a created spirit, who brought about the downfall of man by his influence and who seeks to destroy the faith of believers in Jesus Christ [Genesis 3:1-15; and Job 1:6-7; 1 Peter 5:8]
Genesis 3:1-15
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The man said, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, ‘Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.’”
×Job 1:6-7
One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.
The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”
1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
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The church ...
- We believe that the church is the body of Christ and is a spiritual organism made up of all who are in faith in Christ, irrespective of their affiliation with any Christian organisation [Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:22; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; and Hebrews 12:23]
Ephesians 1:22-23
And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 2:22
And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.
×1 Corinthians 12:12-27
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
×Hebrews 12:23
... to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect …
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The Second Coming of Christ ...
- We believe in the return of Jesus Christ to gather His people – raising the dead in Christ and receiving believers who are alive at His coming. [John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 and Matthew 24:3-34]
John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”.
×1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
×2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
×Matthew 24:3-34
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,” spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equalled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.
So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
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The responsibility of believers …
- We believe that although we are not saved by our deeds [Ephesians 2:8-9], we are saved to do good deeds [Ephesians 2:10] and that faith without works is dead [James 2:17,24,26]
Ephesians 2:8-9
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
×Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
×James 2:17,24,26
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
× - We believe that Christians are called to holiness [Hebrews 12:14] and to righteous living [Galatians 5:19-21]
Hebrews 12:14
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
×Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
× - We believe that Christians are called to proclaim the gospel [Acts 1:8] and to play their part in building God’s Kingdom [Matthew 28:19-20]
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
×Matthew 28:19-20
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
× - We believe that Christians are called to love one another [Romans 13:8-10; 1 John 4:20-21] and to express this love with actions [1 John 3:18; Galatians 6:10]
Romans 13:8-10
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
1 John 4:20-21
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
×1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
Galatians 6:10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
× - We believe that it is only through Christ’s power, and not in our own strength, that we can live the life to which God has called us [John 15:1-5; and Philippians 1:6; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:3]
John 15:1-5
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”
×Philippians 1:6
... being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:8
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.
2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
× - We believe that Christians have the privilege of hearing from God [John 10:27] and that they demonstrate their love for Him by being obedient [John 14:15]
Israel …
- We believe that God loves the children of Israel [Jeremiah 31:3]
Jeremiah 31:3
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
× - We believe that the promises given to Abraham [Genesis 12:1-3] apply both to his natural seed who are of faith – the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (renamed Israel by God [Genesis 35:10]) and to his spiritual seed, all believers in Jesus Christ [Galatians 3:6-9,26-29; Ephesians 3:6]
Genesis 12:1-3
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
×Genesis 35:10
God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So He named him Israel.
×Galatians 3:6-9,26-29
Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Ephesians 3:6
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
× - We believe that God, in grace, chose Israel [Deuteronomy 7:6-8; Deuteronomy 26:17-19] and that He intends to bring glory to Himself for His mercy and faithfulness to His chosen people [Ezekiel 20:32-44]
Deuteronomy 7:6-8
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession.
The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 26:17-19
You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in His ways, that you will keep His decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey Him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are His people, His treasured possession as He promised, and that you are to keep all His commands. He has declared that He will set you in praise, fame and honour high above all the nations He has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as He promised.
×Ezekiel 20:32-44
“You say, ‘We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.’ But what you have in mind will never happen.
As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will rule over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered – with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath. I will bring you into the desert of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment upon you. As I judged your fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will take note of you as you pass under My rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge you of those who revolt and rebel against Me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to Me and no longer profane My holy name with your gifts and idols. For on My holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land the entire house of Israel will serve Me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices. I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will show Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your fathers. There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for My name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, O house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
× - We believe that all have sinned [Romans 3:23; 1 Kings 8:46] and that nobody is righteous in themselves before the holiness of God [Psalms 14:1-3]
Romans 3:23
... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ...
1 Kings 8:46
“When they sin against You – for there is no one who does not sin – and You become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near ...”
×Psalms 14:1-3
For the director of music. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
× - We believe that God’s way of righteousness is by faith [Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk 2:4] and that salvation is by faith and not by works [Ephesians 2:8-9]
Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the Lord and He credited it to him as righteousness.
Habakkuk 2:4
… the righteous will live by His faith.
×Ephesians 2:8-9
It is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
× - We believe that, although God chose Israel in sovereign grace, there has never been more than a remnant, within Israel, that has been in right standing with Him because of their faith [Romans 4:11-12,16; Romans 11:3-5]
Romans 4:11-12,16
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised ...
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are of the Law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
Romans 11:3-5
“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.
× - We believe that the Law of Moses was added because of Israel’s sin [Galatians 3:19]. For any child of Israel to be accepted by God through the Law they would have to obey all the Law without fail [Deuteronomy 6:25]. Only Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, has accomplished that [Isaiah 53:9; 1 Peter 2:21-22]
Galatians 3:19
What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come ...
×Deuteronomy 6:25
If we are careful to obey all this Law before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.
×Isaiah 53:9
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
1 Peter 2:21-22
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
× - We believe that Israel committed themselves to living under the Law of Moses in order to establish their own righteousness and that brought them under a curse [Deuteronomy 6:20-25; Exodus 19:8; Exodus 24:3,7; and Joshua 24:16-24]
Deuteronomy 6:20-25
In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders – great and terrible – upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But He brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land He promised on oath to our forefathers. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”
×Exodus 19:8
The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.
Exodus 24:3,7
When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”
×Joshua 24:16-24
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! It was the Lord our God Himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we travelled. And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because He is our God.”
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, He will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after He has been good to you.”
But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey Him.”
× - We believe that it is only in Christ (by a child of Israel placing their faith in Jesus) that the curse of the Law is removed [Galatians 3:10-13; Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:13-14]
Galatians 3:10-13
All who rely on observing the Law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one is justified before God by the Law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” The Law is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Ephesians 2:14-16
For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in His flesh the Law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.
Colossians 2:13-14
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross.
× - We believe that no matter how many promises God has made they will all be fulfilled in Christ [2 Corinthians 1:20]
- We believe that God will fulfil His promises to Israel and that the remnant will return to Him and will receive salvation by faith in Jesus, their Messiah [Romans 11:25-31]
Romans 11:25-31
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is My covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you.
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