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FELLOWSHIP OF
INDEPENDENT EVANGELICAL CHURCHES STATEMENT OF
FAITH These statements represent the convictions of believers in this
church. We hold them unreservedly and wholeheartedly, and disavow all teaching
to the contrary as being contrary to the plain understanding of the Holy
Bible. GOD
There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but
equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable
in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator,
Saviour and Judge who sustains all things according to his sovereign will for
his own glory. THE
BIBLE
God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old
and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human
authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of
God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone
speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of
belief and practice. THE
HUMAN RACE
All men and women, being created in the image of God, have
inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey,
worship and love God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every
aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without
spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore
under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and
reconciled to God in order to know and please him. THE
LORD JESUS CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in
obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true.
On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God's punishment for
their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his
resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He
intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father. SALVATION
Salvation is entirely a work of God's grace and cannot be earned
or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered
to all in the gospel. God in his love forgives sinners whom he calls,
granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified
by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life. THE
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and
to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life
and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers,
brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ and
empowers its members for worship, service and mission. THE
CHURCH
The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and
to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches,
which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the
worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administration of Baptism and
the Lord's Supper, for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The
unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by
mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists
only where they are faithful to the gospel. BAPTISM
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All the leaders in this church have an unreserved belief in the
doctrines set out in this statement of faith, and agree with the explanatory
paragraphs below. They are committed to the unique, historic and evangelical
gospel revealed in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments alone.
All the members of the church annually confess their continued
belief in the truths expressed by the above doctrinal statement.
Because of the confusion existing among those who call themselves
Christians and between churches, this church wants to make its position
transparent on the following issues:
The Ecumenical Movement:
The truths in this statement of faith, held with integrity,
necessarily exclude this fellowship from involvement with the ecumenical
movement which denies the exclusive nature of the gospel and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Roman Catholicism:
It will be apparent, to those reading it, that this statement of
faith denies the claims of the Roman Catholic Pope and Church. The doctrines
and practices of the Roman Catholic Church are diametrically opposed to the
salvation of sinners and the belief and practices set out in the scriptures.
The Charismatic movement:
Christians believe differently about the Charismatic gifts, like
‘speaking in tongues’. It is the decision of this fellowship that to avoid
dissension and division we are not what may be called a
"Charismatic" Church. The so‑called gifts as they are expressed
in our day are not to be used in the fellowship, neither are they to be
promoted among us, either explicitly or privately.
Inter Church fellowship:
Inter‑Church fellowship will be sought with other
individual Churches which unreservedly accept the doctrinal statement of this
Constitution, as reflecting accurately their own position which they also
hold sincerely and without reservation.
Our conduct as individuals and as a Church:
This Church acknowledges the Lord Jesus Christ as its supreme
Head, and its individual members as part of the one body. We believe in His
abiding presence and undertake to order our lives and the affairs of this
church according to our understanding of the Word of God, under the guidance
of the Holy Spirit.
“Are these beliefs something new?”
Microsoft Windows ® users may download a freeware file
in standard ‘help file’ format, to read various statements and confessions of
faith written throught church history. They all show that historic
Christianity, where the Bible is the sole basis of belief and behaviour, has
always been what we term today as ‘evangelical’.