What we believe

As his followers, we believe the same. The Bible, which God himself ‘breathed out’ and ‘spoke’ (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21), is our supreme and sufficient authority. Precisely because of this, Christians throughout the ages have written and agreed upon creeds or statements of faith to summarise and protect the most fundamental truths of the faith ‘once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 1:3).

The Peninsula Gospel Partnership’s statement of faith summarises some of our most central convictions:

• The existence of one, eternal immutable God, creator and Lord of the universe, who in the unity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, both governs all things according to his will and is accomplishing his purposes in the world and in the Church.
• The Bible, as originally given, is the inspired, inerrant and infallible word of God. Christians must therefore submit to its supreme authority and sufficiency, both individually and corporately, in every matter of belief and conduct.
• The inherent value of all human beings, made by God in his own likeness, and their sinfulness and guilt since the Fall.This has rendered them subject to God’s wrath and condemnation, and has resulted in their alienation from his life, suppression of the truth, and hostility to his law.
• The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son, is fully God; he was born of a virgin; his humanity is real and sinless; he died on the cross, was raised bodily from death and is now reigning over heaven and earth.
• Salvation from the guilt, penalty and all consequences of sin solely through the work of Jesus Christ – his perfect obedience, penal substitutionary death, bodily resurrection and exaltation as Lord. He alone is truly God and truly man, the only mediator between God and man.There is salvation through no other person, creed, process or power.The entirety of a sinner’s justification, from beginning to end, is only by his grace alone appropriated through faith alone.
• The necessity and sufficiency of the work of the Holy Spirit for the individual’s new birth and growth to maturity, and for the Church’s constant renewal in truth, wisdom, faith, holiness, love, power and mission.
• The only holy universal church is the Body of Christ, to which all true believers belong.The Church’s calling is to worship and serve God in the world, to proclaim and defend his truth, to exhibit his character and to demonstrate the reality of his new order.The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between local churches by mutual love, care, correction and encouragement in accordance with the Bible. Fellowship within and between local churches is truly Christian fellowship insofar as they are faithful to Christ and his gospel.
• The personal and visible return in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ to raise the dead and to judge them granting eternal life to his people and eternal punishment to those who have not believed the gospel. God will fully establish his kingdom when he creates a new heaven and new earth from which evil and evildoers, suffering and death will be excluded, and in which he will be glorified forever.