OUR BELIEFS

Freedom in Christ Jesus

We believe that although “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” yet “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.”

What does this mean? If you have always felt that you need to achieve a certain level of “goodness” (what the Bible calls ‘righteousness’) to be acceptable to God you could be in for a big shock … or a wonderful surprise!!

You can never be good enough by your own efforts to earn salvation – sorry, but you can’t!! But God knows this too, which is why he sent his Son into the world to die for our sins. Because of this, there is a better way to live – that when you come to God acknowledging that you aren’t good enough He forgives you and accepts you as you are.

This is great news for all of us! It means that “to all who believe in his name he has given the right to be called children of God.”

beliefs of the anglican communion

God has revealed himself through the Bible. God has revealed himself most clearly through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. God makes himself known personally to each believer through the work of the Holy Spirit.

The following is provided by the Church of England.

The Holy Trinity

Belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is at the heart of our faith. Christians believe that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus reveals to us that God is our Father, and that God is available to us through the Holy Spirit. 

Personal Relationship with God

The Christian faith is not a human invention. There are signs of God’s existence and handiwork in creation for anyone to read (Acts 14.15–17). But we believe in the way we do because God has come to seek us out and has made himself known to us. 

Faith Surpasses Understanding

You won’t ever be asked if you completely understand all this. But you are asked whether you believe and trust. This is called faith. It is a different sort of knowledge. It is the knowledge of being known and loved, and of loving in return.

We eXpress faith through Baptism

When someone becomes a follower of Jesus they are baptised. (Or, if they have already been baptised, they will confirm for themselves the promises made at their baptism.) During this service a series of questions will be asked – in most respects the questions asked today are the same as those new Christians were asked in the earliest days of the Church.

Church is more than a building

We are called to worship not only with our lips but in our lives… Our daily worship also needs to be sustained by gathering with God’s people in praise and worship [during] the week. The Church gathers primarily for worship, to celebrate all that God is and all that God has done, to be drawn into the life of the Trinity: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We offer God songs and words of praise in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. 

We Live to Praise God

We believe the full purpose of our lives is to praise God… Worship helps to recognize who God really is, it opens our hearts to what is good. It catches us up into the life of heaven. It is something we are called to every day of our lives and is fulfilled, among other ways, when we say the Lord’s Prayer.

THE NICENE CREED

 

We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.

Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human.

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.