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Together for the West

Statement of Faith

Our Statement of Faith was written with input from pastors and theologians representing several different denominations and theological traditions to emphasise our unity around the core doctrines of orthodox Christian belief.

Authority

We know God only as He reveals himself to us. He has revealed himself in the sixty-six books of Scripture. Every word of these books is divinely inspired and infallible, as originally given and therefore the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

God

There is one unique and eternal God, who exists in an everlasting loving relationship of Father, Son and Spirit – distinct from one another, and not interchangeable – one God in three persons. God is sovereign in all things: including creation, revelation, redemption, judgment and the establishment of his kingdom. As sovereign loving creator and redeemer, he is worthy of all glory, honour and praise.

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Creation

Creation exists by the will of God, separate to him, and for his glory. All things are made good and are not to be rejected if received with thanksgiving. All of life is to be lived in joyful and thankful worship of the creator God. Creation reveals the wisdom and power of God, and leaves people without excuse if they reject His rightful rule.

Humanity was created as both male and female: equally and fully in the image of God. Marriage, as intended by God, is a lifelong union between a man and a woman, and is the only proper context for sexual activity.

The Fall

At the fall, men and women refused to trust in God’s word to bring them life. As a consequence, humans universally are born with a sinful nature and are rightly guilty before God. Every human is therefore tragically subject, by nature, to God’s righteous wrath. God’s wrath condemns those who are outside of the merciful provision of the grace of Christ to Hell.

Apart from the merciful provision of God’s grace in Christ, his wrath is expressed in this life in handing people over to their sinful desires, and after death to a lost eternity. On our own, no one is able to truly seek God or please God; every dimension of human nature is marred by sin.

Therefore, we are doubly indebted to God. By virtue of our creation we are utterly dependent on God. By virtue of our sin we are utterly at his mercy.

Jesus and Salvation

The fulfillment of God’s saving purposes are found  in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. For our salvation, God the Son took on human nature, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is both fully God and fully man, though without sin.

The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, is the only possible way for a person to be saved. In Him we are redeemed from the penalty of sin at the moment of justification, the power of sin through sanctification, and the presence of sin at glorification. By Christ’s death on the cross, God demonstrates his love for us, establishes his victory over Satan and all God’s foes, and establishes the new covenant with his people.

He rose bodily from the dead as the first act of God’s new creation, and  rules now as the saving Lord of heaven and earth. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.

The work of the Holy Spirit is necessary to make the benefits of the death of Jesus effective in an individual’s life, as He unites us to Christ. This work is only applied to those whom the Father foreknew before the creation of the world, and not based on any human virtue and merit. 

The Holy Spirit enables the sinner to repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ, and to persevere in living out that faith through an ever-deepening trust in the grace of the Gospel. Salvation is therefore entirely of God’s grace, not human merit.

A sinner’s justification is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone.

The Christian Life

Christians now enjoy the blessings of union with Christ and secure relationship with God. We are already declared righteous, forgiven, adopted as his sons and daughters, cleansed, sanctified and incorporated into the church.

The Holy Spirit continues to convict us of our sin, in response to God’s Word, to lead us into genuine repentance and spiritual power to live righteous lives, conformed more and more to the likeness of Christ. God has redeemed his people from sin in order to live for him. There should not be in the life of a believer persistent unrepentant failures in living according to biblical principles, including drunkenness, sexual immorality, homosexual practices, idolatry, dishonesty, greed, or violence.

Satan’s work in the moral realm is effectively undone by the work of Christ applied through prayer, preaching the Word and calling people to faith and repentance.

We still await the final consummation of our hope with the return of Christ, the resurrected transformation of our bodies, the complete spiritual perfection of our innermost being and life with him eternally.

Christ’s own life is the normal and desirable pattern for the Christian life. We suffer now for his sake in the hope of the glory to come.

The Church

In coming to Christ, all believers, both Jew and Gentile, are united together into one body – the church of the firstborn, the body of Christ.

The visible church is a tangible expression of the invisible church. As the church, believers gather together around Christ for worship, nurture and assurance. The life, doctrine and ministry of the visible church is to be ruled by the supreme authority of Scripture. This rule is administered and applied by godly leaders, who must not lead in a way which contradicts or undermines Scripture, nor which fails to consider the conscience of individual Christians. God commands us to celebrate the Gospel in baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

God continues to give gifts to his people for the loving edification of his church. Both men and women are to seek proper expression of their gifts to build the church. We believe the mature course for church life is to focus on the centre – the Word of God, from which our prayer, praise, preaching the gospel to the world, godly living, and loving service flows.

The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between local churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches is maintained by the power of the Holy Spirit, and is expressed in common convictions about the Gospel and common commitment to Christ’s Great Commission. 

The Mission

As God’s redeemed people there are many important duties and good deeds he has prepared for us to do. The mission of the church that we are explicitly and uniquely called to and entrusted with is making disciples of all nations. 

We believe that the gospel should be urgently proclaimed to all people so that many might believe and be saved. The Scriptures teach that God delights in acting to send revival when His people engage in heartfelt repentance and extraordinary pleading for the salvation of the lost in a city.

The Future Hope

Christ will physically return to earth at an unknown time, to deliver the final judgment of all and to make all things new. Those who reject Christ in this life will be resurrected to everlasting judgment, while those who receive him will be resurrected to everlasting life. In the consummated Kingdom of God, we will forever see God face to face.

The certainty of our future hope gives believers power to persevere through suffering and trial. The fact that Christ’s return is delayed is a display of God’s great patience and willingness to give all people the opportunity to repent and believe in Christ. This gives urgency to the proclamation of the Gospel and optimism that the harvest will be brought in.

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