NORTH DEVON CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP BASIS OF FAITH
God
God is the Creator of all things and is both holy and loving. He eternally exists in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Gen 1:1; 1 John 5:7)
The Bible
God has spoken in the Bible, through the words of human authors. As the inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, and is our ultimate authority. It is to be believed in all that it teaches and obeyed in all that it requires. (2 Tim 3:16, Matt 4:4)
The Human Condition
God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, separated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued and reconciled. As Jesus himself said ‘You must be born again.’ (Rom 3:23, Rom 5:1, Eph 2:8,9, 13-18; John 3:7)
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate. (Luke 1:34,35; 1 Cor 15:3,4: Heb 4:14-16)
The Work of Christ
Jesus Christ, as our substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation. (John 14:6; Rom 5:6-10; 2 Cor 5:18-21; Heb 9:22;)
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and He also indwells, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service. We believe in, and seek to practise, as appropriate, all of the spiritual gifts outlined in the New Testament. (John 16:8-11; 1 Cor 6:19; Rom 12:3-8; 1 Cor 12, 14)
The Church
The church consists only of those who have been born again through faith in Christ, who is the Head of the church. The church is expressed through local congregations, who should welcome all to attend but whose membership is to be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus instructed the church to practise baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe in the baptism of believers by total immersion in water. (Matt 28:18-20; Acts 8:36-38; 1 Cor 11:23-26)
Christian Living
God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are enabled to do this. In obedience to Christ’s command, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed. (Luke 10:27; Rom 6:3-14; Rom 12:1,2; Eph 5:1,2, Matt 28:18-20; Micah 6:8)
Return
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Job 19:25,26; 1 Thess 4:13-18; Heb 9:27,28)
Response and Eternal Destiny
God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to eternal punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth. (John 3:16, Acts 17:30; Rev 20:5,6,11-15)
