Our beliefs
Biblical
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, divinely inspired, inerrant & infallible. Here, God has revealed his character & works.
As God’s Word, all of Scripture comes with his divine authority. As we read it with the help of his Spirit, it is clear what God is saying. We need it, and as it is faithfully preached it is sufficient to meet all our spiritual needs. By God’s grace we seek to be Biblical in all we do.
Confessional
We hold the Westminster Confession of Faith & the Larger & Shorter Catechisms as our subordinate standards, as we believe they are founded on & agreeable to the Word of God.
In seeking to maintain a position of confessional integrity we require all officebearers to subscribe to the Confession & Catechisms. Members of our Presbytery are required to renew this subscription annually.
Presbyterian
We believe that it is right for Christ’s church to be organised in local congregations. However, the Bible is clear that at times, the leaders of these churches are to come together to make decisions affecting the wider body.
As a Presbyterian denomination, we are therefore governed by a Presbytery, comprised of Ministers & Elders of our churches. Our Presbytery meets six times a year to discuss the business of our church, and has a range of sub-committees which carry out its business throughout the year.
One God
We believe that there is only one true God, the God of the Bible. He is “a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable; in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth” (Shorter Catechism, Q4).
Our lives are to be lived for his glory & pleasure.
Three persons
The Bible tells us that this one God, is three Persons - Father, Son & Spirit. These three are distinct Persons and yet one God. They are equal, “the same in substance, equal in power and glory” (Shorter Catechism, Q6); and yet have different roles in God’s works of creation & redemption.
As God’s children, our communion or fellowship with God is with the Triune God - we come to the Father, through the Son & enabled by the Spirit.
Christ the Saviour
From all eternity, the Triune God planned to redeem sinners from their sin. To accomplish this, the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth in the miracle of the incarnation, to redeem his People. Though he was (and is) eternally God, he truly became man, and so he “is God and Man, in two distinct natures, and one Person, for ever” (Shorter Catechism, Q21).
We believe that faith alone in Christ alone is the only way we can be made right with God.
Man
We believe that God “created all things, from nothing, by his powerful word, in the space of six days, and all very good” (Shorter Catechism, Q9). At the pinnacle of God’s creation was mankind, made in his image & likeness, and without sin. We believe that as we are made in God’s image, there is something special about human beings - like animals we have bodies, but unlike anmals, we also have souls. We therefore believe in the sanctity of human life.
Sin
We believe that the first man, Adam, sinned against God by breaking his commands. This is what sin is - disobedience of God’s Law, which in turn is rebellion against God himself, as it reflects his perfect character.
When he sinned, Adam was not simply acting for himself; but representing all of humanity. We are all therefore born as sinners. Sin has affected every part of our lives, and ruins our relationships with God & one another. Because God is holy & pure, he must punish sin.
Salvation
Amazingly, God has sent a Saviour, his only-begotten Son to redeem his People. The Bible calls Jesus “the Second Man” or the “Last Adam”. He has come to perfectly represent man before God.
In his life on earth, Jesus Christ kept every one of God’s commands, fulfilling all that God’s law requires of us. Though he lived this perfect life; he was unjustly condemned to death. Yet this was God’s Plan - for on the cross, Jesus Christ took the punishment that sin deserves. God counts all those who trust in Christ alone for salvation as righteous in his eyes.
Christ’s return
While as a man, Jesus Christ truly died, God raised him from the dead on the third day. Forty days later he ascended into heaven. The Bible teaches that one day he will return again.
Christ’s return, or second coming, will be very different from his first. Whereas he came to earth quietly, with his glory veiled, and was rejected by many; when he comes again he will come in all his glory, with the holy angels, and all humanity will bow before him.
God’s Judgement
On that day, Christ will judge all human beings. Those trusting in him alone for salvation, will be acquited of all their sins and spend eternity with Christ & his people. Those who are not, will bear the punishment for their sin, and spend all eternity under God’s wrath, away from his comfortable presence.
Heaven & Hell
We believe that heaven & hell are real places, in which all mankind will spend eternity; on the basis of saving faith in God’s Redeemer - the Lord Jesus Christ.
Heaven is a place of joy, peace & love; where God’s People will spend all eternity rejoicing in his Presence and worshipping his Name. Hell is a place of utter torment, sadness & evil; where those who have rejected Christ will spend all eternity under God’s wrath.