onethessthree8
'For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord….'what I believe…
Where am I coming from in terms of my faith and theology?
I hold to the Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith detailed here, and also those found on my church website here.
I also add to the above links by fleshing out some of these beliefs below :
1… I happily accept the inerrancy of all the scriptures and hold to them as final authority in all matters of doctrine and life.
2… I am broadly ‘reformed’ (ie. sovereign electing grace plays the greater part in salvation and in history – over and against human responsibility). I have a clear doctrine of human depravity and the righteous wrath of God (hell), making penal substitutionary atonement utterly essential to our lives.
3… I am charismatic (ie. I look for an experiential – usually subsequent – empowering Baptism with the Holy Spirit in the lives of all converts for their fullest possible life in God in this age. I eagerly desire spiritual gifts and enjoy/expect the tangible presence of God in our lives and in the life of the church).
4… I understand the biblical principle of cultural contextualization in mission, and dont see this as a sign of compromise or a quenching of the Spirit.
5… I am complimentarian (committed to male eldership and male headship in the home) and happy to stand strong in the midst of a culture which routinely blurs gender distinction.
6… I am happy with biblical church polity of Ephesians 4.11 ministries and plural eldership in each local church spearheaded by a team leader.
7… I am clear over dangers of a dispensational eschatology and free from the unbalancing effect of an obsession with the future of the nation of Israel as a supposed fulfillment of OT prophecies.
8… I believe in the unique and glorious calling of the church as agent of God’s kingly rule in the present and even the future age. I love the church.
9… I understand the relationship of the gospel of grace with the law. I am clear about the primacy of God’s grace (in the gospel) as the true means of sanctification – as opposed to moralism or self-help. I believe in working with the Holy Spirit to put sin to death.
10… I understand that the gospel wields its redemptive power not only in the saving of individuals but also in the restoration of the cosmos – including culture and power structures and the quality of life for those in poverty.
11… I hold to believer’s baptism as a necessary and commanded step of discipleship in the life of every follower of Jesus.
