OUR BELIEFS

What if I told you that God is real, and way more real than you have heard or imagined? What if I told you that if you seek Him, you will find Him? What if I told you that if you pursue a relationship with God, you will find love, acceptance, purpose, and freedom.   Aren’t those the things that you really long for? Well, God, who made you, knows it.

But humanity has a serious problem. The Bible calls it ‘sin’. It’s that moment when people choose to do anything wrong, ranging from a white lie to terrible crimes. While we might often see sin as trivial, we couldn’t be more wrong. The damage goes deep and always has long-lasting, painful, results. God has always known this. So, he keeps sin, and those who engage in it, far from Himself because of His perfect character. This is a problem for every single person on earth because we are very good at sinning.

The good news is that God has always had a plan to address this problem. In His great love for His creation, God sent Jesus, his own son, down to earth from heaven. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life on earth, while spreading the message that the ‘Kingdom of God is at hand’. Then, in a tragic series of events that was always a part of God’s plan to save humanity, Jesus paid the ultimate price: he laid down his life willingly, knowing that his death would have the power to save people from their sins. Then three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead! Jesus is now in heaven preparing a place for those who believe that Jesus is the son of God and have confessed their sin and been forgiven. When we believe in Jesus and confess our sin, the barrier to communication with God is removed because Jesus has taken our sin on Himself. And so, we can, in Jesus, have a relationship with God that is real and true.

Join us here at Bethel, as we learn, grow and encourage each other to know Jesus more and to make Him known.

FORMAL STATEMENT OF FAITH

At Bethel Community Church, WE BELIEVE IN Jesus, the promised Messiah and the Son of God, risen from the dead (Romans 1:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:8). Salvation is found in him alone (Acts 4:12, 1 Thess 5:9). And we are grateful to God who has supplied Scripture to help us meet Jesus and learn from him. While Christians may have different interpretations of some parts of Scripture, there are certain doctrines that are foundational to our faith. It is these doctrines that comprise our Statement of Faith.

WE BELIEVE THAT:

  1. There is one God, the Almighty Creator of all things. He is eternally existent in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is holy, merciful and compassionate, and is the righteous judge of all men. (Deut. 6:4, Psalm 90:2, Rev. 4:8, Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, 1 John 4:8, John 4:24, Neh. 9:17, 2 Pet 2:4-9)
  2. God the Father is the first person of the Holy Trinity. The Scriptures teach that God is our Father in the ‘natural’ sense because He has created us in his image (Gen. 1:27). The Scriptures also teach that He can become our Father (and we his children) in the ‘spiritual’ sense, if we receive his Son Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1). The Fatherhood of God is taught both in the Old Testament, where God is portrayed as a loving, compassionate and generous Father (Ps. 68:5 and Ps. 103:4-5, 13), and in the New Testament, where Jesus teaches us to address God as ‘our Father in heaven’ (Matt.6:4).
  3. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He has existed from eternity past as the second person of the Godhead, but also became a man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, was buried, and rose bodily from the dead. He ascended into heaven, was exalted by the Father, and now intercedes as our High Priest, and will return visibly in person. (John 1:1,14, Matt. 1:18-25, Romans 1:4, Heb. 7:25, 1 Pet. 3:18, 1 John 3:5, Acts 1:11)
  4. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. He glorifies the Lord Jesus, convicts people of sin, regenerates sinners and indwells all Christians. He guides, instructs, empowers, and gives gifts to believers for godly living and the building up of the Church. (Matt. 28:19, John 14:16,17,26, John 16:7-15, Titus 3:5, 1 Cor. 6:19, Gal. 5:22,23, 1 Cor. 12:11)
  5. The Holy Scripture, the Bible [comprised of 66 books], as originally given by God, is inspired, infallible and trustworthy. It is the complete revelation of God's will for our salvation and the final authority for all Christians in matters of faith and life. (2 Tim. 3:15-17, Heb. 4:12, 2 Pet. 1:21, John 10:35)
  6. All human beings are created in the image of God and are known by God even before they are born. Every person is born with a sinful nature and is subject to God's wrath and condemnation. (Gen. 1:27, Jer. 1:5, John 3:36, Romans 3:23, 6:23)
  7. The death and resurrection of Christ provides the only ground for a sinner's justification and acceptance by God. All who receive the Lord Jesus by faith are redeemed by His blood and are born of the Holy Spirit, becoming children of God. Those who are thus 'born again' are sealed by the Holy Spirit and have the guarantee of eternal life. (Romans 3:21-26, 8:1, John 3:16-18, 5:24, 10:27-29, Eph. 1:7,8,13,14, 2:8,9, 1 John 5:13)
  8. The Church is composed of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who are united to Him and to one another by the indwelling Spirit. The Church is the body of Christ, with Christ Himself as its Head (Col. 1:18, Eph. 1:22). The chief functions of the Church are to glorify God, to equip the saints for service, and to witness for Christ until His return. To this end, we recognize the common priesthood of all believers. (Acts 2, 1 Cor. 12:12-27, Titus 1:5, 1 Pet. 2:5,9)
  9. The Lord Jesus Christ will return. We believe the Scripture teaches that:
  • Believers who have died and those who are alive will go to be with Him (John 14:1-4, 1 Thess 4:13-18).
  • There will be a physical resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12-58).
  • There will be a day of judgement where those who are not believers will be eternally separated from the presence of God (Rev 20:11-15).
  • Believers will receive new bodies, sinless natures, and will enjoy eternity with God in a new heaven and a new earth (1 Cor 15:12-58, Rev 21:1-22:5).
  • We should eagerly anticipate His coming (Rev 22:20).

Theology in Practice

  1. The Church: All believers are placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual body, the church of Jesus Christ, of which He is head (Eph. 1:22-23; Eph. 2:19-22; Col. 1:18). The establishment and continuity of local churches is taught in the Scriptures and the members of the universal church are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies for worship, service, proclamation of the Word of God, and mutual love and support. Local churches are responsible to the Lord under their appointed elders (Titus 1:5) and are free from external authority or control. Individual churches are to fellowship with one another (Eph. 4:3) and cooperate wherever possible for the propagation of the faith.
  2. Plurality and Rule of Elders: The one supreme authority for the church is Christ (Col. 1:18). The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the local church are the elders (1 Tim. 3:1-7, Titus 1:5). These leaders rule as servants of Christ and have His authority in directing the church. The congregation is to recognize the elders and their role, and to follow their leadership (Acts 16:4).
  3. The Ordinances: Two ordinances have been committed by Christ to the local church:
  • Baptism by immersion symbolizes God’s saving work in our lives and demonstrates it as a public witness to others. The waters of baptism reflect the Old Testament accounts of deliverance through the peril of water (1 Peter 3:20-21, 1 Cor 10:2) and now represent deliverance by being buried with Christ and raised with Him through His saving work on the cross (Rom 6:4, Col 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21-22). Because there is no cleansing effect in baptism, but rather a pledge of a clear conscience toward God (1 Peter 3:21), it is not a symbol of our own efforts but a recognition of God’s work of salvation in us, sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13).
  • The Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24-25) is an act of corporate worship and remembrance. It is a memorial in which we remember the Saviour in His death by sharing in the bread and cup, “till He comes”. These emblems are only symbols and speak clearly to us of Christ’s body given for us and His blood shed for us on the cross. This central, weekly, worship service is intended to be a fundamental part of the life of the Church and every believer. Christ invites and commands us to remember Him in this way. We therefore celebrate this remembrance service weekly, in spontaneous praise and worship, open to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, practicing the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5-9).
  1. Spiritual Gifts: God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the granting of all His spiritual gifts today (1 Cor. 12:4). There were two kinds of gifts (1 Cor. 12:1-30) given to the early church: miraculous gifts of divine revelation and healing, and ministering gifts to equip believers for mutual edification. Miraculous gifts were given temporarily in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the apostles’ message (2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3-4). These miraculous gifts are therefore no longer necessary since the apostles and prophets, with Christ as the chief cornerstone, have already laid the foundation of the Church (Eph. 2:19-20). Ministering gifts, however, continue as we are built together on the foundation already laid (Eph 2:21-22). Although God still operates miracles according to His will, the only gifts commonly seen in operation today are those non-revelatory and equipping gifts, given for edification.
  2. Marriage and family: God ordained marriage as a voluntary, complementary, and lifelong covenant (Mal. 2:14) between a man and a woman (Gen. 2:24). It protects, legitimizes, and supports the procreative relationship that can exist only between a man and a woman. Marriage also reflects aspects of God’s character in His relationship to humanity (Eph. 5:30-32). The permanence and monogamy of marriage mirror God’s faithfulness and singular devotion to His church (Eph. 5:25). Sexual intimacy is legitimate only within the bounds of marriage (Heb. 13:4). A healthy, permanent marriage is therefore God’s ideal, and the best foundation for families, the raising of children, and community life (Prov. 17:6; 20:7).