Redeemer Church Thanet
Basis of Faith
There is one true and unchanging God, perfect in every way, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God is the all-powerful creator, preserver and ruler of all things, visible and invisible, governing them according to his faultless and sovereign will. He is distinct from his creation, and so although involved in it, he is not part of it.
God’s purpose in creation is to glorify himself in his Son, by sending him to redeem a people to be his own, eager to do what is good, and by bringing all things under his rule. In the gospel, therefore, God calls all people to honour his Son, submitting to him in everything.
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. It is therefore to be submitted to, both individually and corporately, as it alone speaks with final authority in every age, being always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.
God has made humanity in his likeness and according to only two distinct genders. Men and women are equal in sharing an inherent value, dignity and worth, yet created to complement one another by their difference, honouring and upholding the distinctive roles assigned them by God within marriage and the church. According to the Bible, marriage is a life-long commitment between one man and one woman.
Since the fall, all human beings have been sinful and guilty, and are subject to God’s wrath and condemnation. Alienated from his life, the inclinations of their minds, hearts, wills and bodies are corrupted by sin, leading them to suppress the truth about God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is unique in being God’s incarnate Son, fully God and fully man, yet without sin. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, he was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, was raised bodily from death, and visibly ascended into heaven from where he now reigns over all things with the authority of God the Father.
By his resurrection from the dead, Jesus was declared to be God’s only Lord and Christ, his promised Saviour-King who redeems sinful human beings from the guilt, penalty and power of sin so that they can share in God’s kingdom. He is the only mediator between God and humankind, in whom alone salvation is to be found.
In his substitutionary death Jesus bore the full penalty for sin, satisfying God’s justice so that those believe are pardoned, credited with Christ’s righteousness and so justified.
Salvation is received solely through being united to Christ by faith, and so by grace alone, not as a reward for moral or religious effort. From the moment he or she first believes, the sinner is wholly justified and reconciled to God, with the sure and certain hope of eternal life.
The Holy Spirit alone makes the work of Christ effective, bringing individuals to new birth and faith. He indwells all believers in order to give them a true understanding of the Bible, bring assurance of salvation, move them to do good, grow them to maturity, equip them for service, empower them for mission, and so renew them in the image of God that the church might display the fullness of Christ.
Those who are truly born again place their faith in Christ, repenting of their sins, calling on him for salvation and submitting to him as Lord. Being renewed into his likeness, they strive to obey his will in all areas of their lives, trusting that the commands of Scripture are for their good and for God’s glory. This obedience covers both internal attitudes and external actions, and includes a rejection of the following sins: bitterness, rage, violence, dishonesty, slander, jealousy, selfish ambition, drunkenness, greed and any sexual activity outside of marriage.
The one, holy, universal church is the Body of Christ to which all true believers belong. It is made visible in local congregations of believers which are called to worship and serve God in the world, to proclaim and defend his truth, to administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to exhibit his character, and to demonstrate the reality of his new order.
The unity of Christ’s body is expressed within and between local churches by mutual love, care, correction and encouragement, all in accordance with the Bible. Fellowship within and between local churches is truly Christian insofar as they are faithful to Christ and his gospel.
The Lord Jesus Christ will visibly return in glory to raise and judge the dead, granting the fullness of eternal life to his people and eternal punishment to those who have not believed the gospel. God’s kingdom will then be fully established as he creates a new heaven and earth from which evil and evildoers, suffering and death will be excluded, and in which he will be glorified forever.