What We Believe
Confession of Faith
We believe in God as eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God created and sustains the universe. The eternal purpose of God the Father is to create a people who will bring glory to God forever. God alone is worthy of worship.
We believe that God became human in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to restore the world because humans have rejected God in disobedience. Jesus taught and modeled the way of God’s kingdom. He died on the cross, making it possible for us to accept a renewed relationship with God. He rose from the dead, broke the power of sin and death, and frees us to live in obedience to God’s will.
We believe that God the Holy Spirit invites all people to be reconciled with God and to join the global family of faith. Believers confess their faith, are baptized, and join in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and guided by the Bible, members of the church seek to live as followers of Christ and invite others to experience this new life.
As Christians we are called to turn:
- from ignorance of God to a personal relationship with God
- from bondage of sin and past mistakes to freedom, forgiveness, and healing
- from individualism to interdependence with others in the local church
- from lifestyle choices that harm us, others, and the earth to choices that nurture wholeness, healing, joy and peace
- from hating enemies and ignoring neighbours to showing love and justice to all
- from loving possessions to sharing with all in need
- from aimless existence to a mission of representing and proclaiming God’s kingdom on earth.
As Christians we look forward to the day when God will once again send Jesus to bring all things under God’s eternal rule.
Central is affiliated with the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.
Click here for more on the MB Confession of faith.
Central also affirms:
The Gospel Coalition Confessional Statement
The Lausanne Covenant
+ God
+ Revelation of God
+ Creation and Humanity
+ Sin and Evil
+ Salvation
+ Nature of the Church
+ Mission of the Church
+ Christian Baptism
+ Lord's Supper
+ Discipleship
+ Marriage, Singleness, and Family
+ Society and State
+ Love and Nonresistance
+ The Sanctity of Human Life
+ Stewardship
+ Work, Rest, and the Lord's Day
+ Christianity and other faiths
+ Christ's final Triumph
GOD
We believe in the one, true, living God, Creator of heaven and earth. God is almighty in power, perfect in wisdom, righteous in judgment, overflowing in steadfast love. God is the Sovereign who rules over all things visible and invisible, the Shepherd who rescues the lost and helpless. God is a refuge and fortress for those in need. God is a consuming fire, perfect in holiness, yet slow to anger and abounding in tender mercy. God comforts like a loving mother, trains and disciplines like a caring father, and persists in covenant love like a faithful husband. We confess God as eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
GOD THE FATHER
God the Father is the source of all life. In him we live and move and have our being. The Father seeks those who will worship him in spirit and in truth and hears the prayers of all who call on him. In the fullness of time, the Father sent the Son for the salvation of the world. Through Jesus Christ the Father adopts all who respond in faith to the gospel, forgiving those who repent of their sin and entering into a new covenant with them. God gives the Counselor – the Holy Spirit – to all his children. God’s creative and redemptive love sustains this world until the end of the age.
GOD THE SON
The Son, through whom all things were created and who holds all things together, is the image of the invisible God. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, Jesus took on human nature to redeem this fallen world. He revealed the fullness of God through his obedient and sinless life. Through word and deed Jesus proclaimed the reign of God, bringing good news to the poor, release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind. Christ triumphed over sin through his death and resurrection and was exalted as Lord of creation and the church. The Saviour of the world invites all to be reconciled to God, offering peace to those far and near, and calling them to follow him in the way of the cross. Until the Lord Jesus returns in glory, he intercedes for believers, acts as their advocate, and calls them to be his witnesses.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, the Counselor, is the creative power, presence and wisdom of God. The Spirit convicts people of sin, gives them new life, and guides them into all truth. By the Spirit believers are baptized into one body. The indwelling Spirit testifies that they are God’s children, distributes gifts for ministry, empowers for witness, and produces the fruit of righteousness. As Comforter, the Holy Spirit helps God’s children in their weakness, intercedes for them according to God’s will and assures them of eternal life.
Genesis 1; Exodus 15:2-3; 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Psalm 8; 23; 139; Isaiah 55:8-9; 66:12-13; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hosea 11:1-4; Matthew 1:18-25; 5-7; 28:18-20; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 4:18-19; John 1:1-18; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; Romans 8:1-17; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; 13; 15:3-8; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:16-21; 13:14; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:15-2:22; 3:14-21; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Timothy 6:15-16; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; Hebrews 12:7-11; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 1 John 2:2; Revelation 5:5-6, 9-10
REVELATION OF GOD
GOD’S SELF-REVELATION
We believe that God has made himself known to all people. God’s power and nature have always been evident in creation. The Old Testament reveals God as the one who established a covenant relationship with Israel to make known to all people the eternal plan of salvation. God revealed himself supremely in Jesus Christ, as recorded in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit continues to make God known to individuals and the church; this revelation is always consistent with the Scriptures.
THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD
We believe that the entire Bible was inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit guides the community of faith in the interpretation of Scripture. The person, teaching and life of Jesus Christ bring continuity and clarity to both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament bears witness to Christ, and Christ is the one whom the New Testament proclaims. We accept the Bible as the infallible Word of God and the authoritative guide for faith and practice.
CREATION AND HUMANITY
CREATION
We believe that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and they were very good. All of creation expresses God’s sovereign will and design but remains distinct from the Creator. The universe belongs to God, who takes care and delight in sustaining it. Creation declares God’s wisdom and power, calling all to worship him.
HUMANITY
Humans, the crowning act of creation, were designed to live in fellowship with God and in mutually helpful relationships with each other. God created them male and female in his own image. The Creator gave them the mandate to rule and care for creation as a sacred trust and the freedom to obey or disobey him. Through the wilful disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world. As a result, human nature is distorted and people are alienated from God and creation. Creation is under the bondage of decay. Humans and all creation long to be set free.
THE NEW CREATION
Sin, guilt, or death will not prevail. God will create a new heaven and a new earth in which there will be no evil, suffering, and death. The first signs of this new creation are already present in those who accept God’s forgiveness through Christ. In Christ all things are being reconciled and created anew.
Genesis 1-3; Psalm 8:6; 19:1-6; 24:1-2; 89:11; 95:5; 104; Proverbs 8:22-31; Isaiah 40:12-31; 44:24; John 1:1-4, 10; 17:5; Romans 1:19-20; 5:17, 21 6:4; 8:18-25; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 15:20-27; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:6; 5:16-19; Galatians 3:28; 6:15; Ephesians 1:4, 9-10; 2:11-22; 4:24; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 11:3; Revelation 4:8-11; 21:1-5; 22:13
SIN AND EVIL
SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
We believe that the first humans yielded to the tempter, Satan, and fell into sin. Since then, all people disobey God and choose to sin, falling short of the glory of God. As a result, sin and evil have gained a hold in the world, disrupting God’s purposes for the created order and alienating humans from God and therefore from creation, each other and themselves. Human sinfulness results in physical and spiritual death. Because all have sinned, all face eternal separation from God.
PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS
Sin is a power that enslaves humanity. Satan, the adversary, seeks to rule creation and uses sin to corrupt human nature with pride and selfishness. In sin people turn from God, exchanging the truth about God for a lie, worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator. Sin opens individuals and groups to the bondage of demonic principalities and powers. These powers also work through political, economic, social and even religious systems to turn people away from holiness, justice and righteousness. Whether in word, deed, thought or attitude, all humans are under the domination of sin and, on their own, are unable to overcome its power.
SALVATION
GOD’S INITIATIVE
We believe that God is at work to accomplish deliverance, healing, redemption, and restoration in a world dominated by sin. From the beginning, God’s purpose has been to create for himself a people, to dwell among them and to bless them. Creation and all of humanity are without hope of salvation except through God’s love and grace. God’s love is fully demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
GOD’S PLAN
Throughout history, God has acted mightily to deliver people from bondage and draw them into a covenant relationship. Through the prophets God prepared the way of salvation until finally God reconciled the world to himself by the atoning blood of Jesus. As people place their trust in Christ, they are saved by grace through faith, not of their own doing, but as a gift of God. God forgives them, delivers them from sin’s bondage, makes them new creatures in Christ, empowers them by the Holy Spirit and seals them for eternal life. When sin and death are finally abolished and the redeemed are gathered in the new heaven and the new earth, God will have completed the plan of salvation.
HUMANITY’S RESPONSE
Though Jesus entered a world ruled by sin, he chose not to submit to its allure and broke its domination. Through his obedient life, his death on the cross and his glorious resurrection, Christ triumphed over Satan and the powers of sin and death, opening the way for all people to follow. Convicted by the Holy Spirit, people turn from sin, entrust their lives to God, confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and join the family of God. All who receive Christ are born again, have peace with God, and are called to love one another and live at peace with their neighbour. Those whom God is saving no longer live for themselves, for they have been set free from sin and called to newness of life.
Exodus 6:1-8; 15:2; 20:2; Psalm 68:19-20; Isaiah 43:1; Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 10:45; John 1:12; 3:1-21; 13:34-35; 16:8-11; Romans 3:24-26; 5:8; 12-21; 8:18-25; 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Ephesians 1:5-10, 13-14; 2:8-9; Colossians 1:13-14; 2:15; Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:12; 5:7-9; 9:15-28; 11:6; 1 John 4:7-11; Revelation 5:9-10; 21:1-4
NATURE OF THE CHURCH
CALLED BY GOD
We believe the church is the people called by God through Jesus Christ. People who respond in faith are united with the local congregation by the public confession of baptism. Church members commit themselves to follow Christ in a life of discipleship and witness as empowered by the Holy Spirit.
BODY OF CHRIST
The church is one body of believers, male and female, from every nation, race and class. The head of this body is Christ. The church, united by the one Spirit, makes Christ visible in the world. The church exists as local bodies of believers and as a worldwide community of faith.
WORSHIP
The church is nourished and renewed as God’s people gather regularly to glorify God. The early church gathered on the first day of the week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The worshipping community celebrates God’s faithfulness and grace, reaffirms its faithfulness to God, builds up the members of the body, and seeks God’s will for its life and mission. As the church observes baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, it proclaims the good news of salvation.
FELLOWSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The church is a covenant community in which members are mutually accountable in matters of faith and life. They love, care, and pray for each other, share each other’s joys and burdens, and admonish and correct one another. They share material resources as there is need. Local congregations follow the New Testament example by seeking the counsel of the wider church on matters that affect its common witness and mission. Congregations work together in a spirit of love, mutual submission, and interdependence.
The New Testament guides the practice of redemptive church discipline. The church is responsible to correct members who continue to sin. Congregations forgive and restore those who repent but formally exclude those who disregard discipline.
GIFTS FOR MINISTRY
Through the Holy Spirit, God gives gifts to each member for the well-being of the whole body. These gifts are to be exercised in God’s service to build up the church and to minister in the world.
God calls people to equip the church for ministry. Leaders are to model Christ in their personal, family, and church life. The church is to discern leaders prayerfully and to affirm, support, and correct them in a spirit of love.
MISSION OF THE CHURCH
THE GREAT COMMISSION AND THE GREAT COMMANDMENT
We believe the good news of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ is for all people. Christ commands the church to make disciples of all nations by calling people to repent and by baptizing and teaching them to obey Jesus. Jesus teaches that disciples are to love God and neighbour by telling the good news and by performing acts of love and compassion.
THE WITNESS
The Holy Spirit empowers every Christian to witness to God’s salvation. The church as a body witnesses to God’s reign in the world. By its life as a redeemed and separated community, the church reveals God’s saving purposes to the world.
CHRISTIAN BAPTISM
CONFESSION
We believe that when people receive God’s gift of salvation, they are to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Baptism is a sign of having been cleansed from sin. It is a covenant with the church to walk in the way of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
MEANING
Baptism by water is a public sign that a person has repented of sins, received forgiveness of sins, died with Christ to sin, been raised to newness of life, and received the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a sign of the believer’s incorporation into the body of Christ as expressed in the local church. Baptism is also a pledge to serve Christ according to the gifts given to each person.
ELIGIBILITY
Baptism is for those who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and commit themselves to follow Christ in obedience as members of the local church. Baptism is for those who understand its meaning, are able to be accountable to Christ and the church, and voluntarily request it on the basis of their faith response to Jesus Christ.
PRACTICE
We practice water baptism by immersion administered by the local church. Local congregations may receive into membership those who have been baptized by another mode on their confession of faith. Persons who claim baptism as infants and wish to become members of a Mennonite Brethren congregation are to receive baptism on their confession of faith.
LORD’S SUPPER
MEANING
The church observes the Lord’s Supper, as instituted by Christ. The Lord’s Supper points to Christ, whose body was broken for us and whose blood was shed to assure salvation for believers and to establish the new covenant. Through the supper, the church identifies with the life of Christ given for the redemption of humanity and proclaims the Lord’s death until he comes. The supper expresses the fellowship and unity of all believers with Christ and embodies remembrance, celebration, and praise, strengthening believers for true discipleship and service.
PRACTICE AND PARTICIPATION
In preparation for the fellowship of the Lord’s Supper, all believers should examine themselves. All those who understand the supper’s meaning, confess Jesus Christ as Lord in word and life, are accountable to their congregation, and are living in right relationship with God and others are invited to participate in the Lord’s Supper. The normal pattern in the New Testament was that baptism preceded participation in the Lord’s Supper.
Matthew 26:26-30; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-32
DISCIPLESHIP
FOLLOWING JESUS
We believe that Jesus calls people who have experienced the joy of new birth to follow him as disciples. By calling his followers to take up the cross, Christ invites them to reject the godless values of the world and offer themselves to God in a life of service. The Holy Spirit, who lives in every Christian, empowers believers to overcome the acts and attitudes of the sinful nature. Filled with love and gratitude, disciples delight to obey God.
UNITED IN A DISTINCT COMMUNITY
Christians enjoy fellowship with God and other believers. At baptism believers join the local church, commit to build up the body of Christ and witness to the good news of the Christian hope. In community members grow in maturity as they demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, use their spiritual gifts, and practice mutual accountability in the disciplines of the Christian life. Christians confess sin, repent, and experience God’s grace in the life of the Christian community.
DEMONSTRATING TRUE FAITH
Jesus teaches that discipleship is the way of self-denial and promises blessing for those who suffer for righteousness. Disciples are to resist worldly values and systems, the sinful nature, and the devil. Disciples give generously and reject materialism, which makes a god out of wealth. Disciples treat others with compassion and gentleness and reject violence as a response to injustice. Disciples speak honestly to build others up and reject dishonest, vulgar, and careless talk; they seek to avoid lawsuits to resolve personal grievances, especially with other believers. Disciples maintain sexual purity and marital faithfulness and reject immoral premarital and extramarital relationships and all homosexual practices. To be a disciple means to be true to Jesus in everyday life.
Psalm 1; 119; Amos 5:24; Matthew 5-7; 18:15-20; Mark 8:34-38; John 8:31-32; 13:34-35; 15:14-15; Acts 2:41-47; Romans 1:24-32; 8:1-30; 12; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 11:1; 12:1-13; 2 Corinthians 8-9; Galatians 2:20; 5:16-26; 6:1-2; Ephesians 4:11-12, 15-16; 5:1, 18; Philippians 2:6-8; Colossians 3:1-17; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; 5:17; 1 Timothy 1:9-11; 2:1-8; 4:6-8; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 12:1-3; 13:4-5; James 1:22-27; 4:7; 1 Peter 2:20-25; 3:15; 5:8-9; 1 John 1:3; 6-9; 2:15-17
MARRIAGE, SINGLENESS AND FAMILY
We believe that marriage and the family are instituted by God. The church blesses both marriage and singleness and encourages families to grow in love.
MARRIAGE
Marriage is a covenant relationship intended to unite a man and a woman for life. At creation, God designed marriage for companionship, sexual union, and the birth and nurture of children. Sexual intimacy rightfully takes place only within marriage. Marriage is to be characterized by mutual love, faithfulness, and submission. A believer should not marry an unbeliever.
The community of faith blesses and nurtures marriage relationships and makes every effort to bring reconciliation to troubled marriages. Human sinfulness, however, may sometimes lead to divorce, a violation of God’s intention for marriage. With truth and compassion, the family of God offers hope and healing while continually upholding the biblical ideal of marital faithfulness.
SINGLENESS
Singleness is honoured equally with marriage and is sometimes even preferred. The church is to bless, respect, and fully include those who are single. Those who remain single may find unique opportunities to advance the kingdom of God. God calls all people, single and married, to live sexually pure lives.
FAMILY
God intends family relationships at all stages of life to be characterized by love. Children are a gift from God. Godly parents instruct and nurture their children in the faith. Parents are to discipline their children wisely and lovingly, not provoking them to anger. Children are to honour and obey their parents.
Genesis 1:26-31; 2:18-24; 5:1-2; 12:1-3; Exodus 22:16-17; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Deuteronomy 6:4; 24:1-4; Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 31; Matthew 5:32; 10:34-39; 19:3-12; 22:23-33; Mark 3:31-35; 7:9-13; 10:6-11; Luke 16:18; Romans 7:2-3; 14:12; 1 Corinthians 7:8-40; 2 Corinthians 6:14-15; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 5:3-16; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7
SOCIETY AND STATE
THE STATE AS INSTITUTED BY GOD
We believe that God instituted the state to promote the well-being of all people. Christians cooperate with others in society to defend the weak, care for the poor, and promote justice, righteousness, and truth. Believers witness against corruption, discrimination, and injustice, exercise social responsibility, pay taxes, and obey all laws that do not conflict with the Word of God.
God has given governments authority to maintain law and order and to punish wrongdoers. Followers of Christ respect and pray for those in authority so that peaceful order may prevail. We deplore the loss of life in the exercise of state-sanctioned violence.
CHRISTIAN ALLEGIANCE IN SOCIETY
The primary allegiance of all Christians is to Christ’s kingdom, not the state or society. Because their citizenship is in heaven, Christians are called to resist the idolatrous temptation to give to the state the devotion that is owed to God. As ambassadors for Christ, Christians act as agents of reconciliation and seek the well-being of all peoples.
Because Christ forbids the swearing of oaths, we simply affirm the truth in legal transactions. Believers do not participate in secret societies that demand the swearing of oaths or otherwise conflict with a Christian’s allegiance to Christ and the church. At all times, believers are called to live as faithful witnesses in the world, rejecting pressures that threaten to compromise Christian integrity.
Exodus 20:13, 16; Leviticus 19:11; Psalm 82:3-4; Jeremiah 29:7; Daniel 2:21; 3:17-18; 4:17; Matthew 5:13-16, 33-37; 6:33; 17:24-27; 22:17-21; John 15:19; 17:14-18; Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 5:6-13; Philippians 1:27; 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Titus 3:1-2; James 5:12; 1 Peter 2:13-17
LOVE AND NONRESISTANCE
GOD’S COMMUNITY OF PEACE
We believe that God in Christ reconciles people to himself and to one another, making peace through the cross. The church is a fellowship of redeemed people living by love. Our bond with other believers of Jesus transcends all racial, social, and national barriers.
CHRISTIAN PEACEMAKING
Believers seek to be agents of reconciliation in all relationships, to practice love of enemies as taught by Christ, and to be peacemakers in all situations. We view violence in its many different forms as contradictory to the new nature of the Christian. We believe that the evil and inhumane nature of violence is contrary to the gospel of love and peace. In times of national conscription or war, we believe we are called to give alternative service where possible. Alleviating suffering, reducing strife, and promoting justice are ways of demonstrating Christ’s love.
Exodus 20:1-17; Matthew 5:17-28, 38-48; Romans 12:9-21; 13:8-10; 1 Peter 2:19-23
THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
We believe that all human life belongs to God. Each person is created in the image of God and ought to be celebrated and nurtured. Because God is Creator and the Author and Giver of life, we oppose all actions and attitudes that devalue human life. The unborn, disabled, poor, aging, and dying are particularly vulnerable to such injustices. Christ calls the people of all nations to care for the defenceless.
God highly values human life. Ultimate decisions regarding life and death belong to God. Hence, we hold that procedures designed to take life, including abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide, are an affront to God’s sovereignty. We esteem the life-sustaining findings of medical science, but recognize that there are limits to the value of seeking to prolong life indefinitely. In all complex ethical decisions regarding life and death, we seek to offer hope, healing, support, and counsel in the context of the Christian community.
STEWARDSHIP
GOD’S CREATION MANDATE
We believe the universe and everything in it belong to God the Creator. God has entrusted the care of the earth to all people, who are responsible for managing its resources. Good stewardship uses the earth’s abundance to meet human need, but resists the unjust exploitation of the earth and its peoples. All God’s gifts are to be received with thanksgiving and used responsibly.
RESPONSIBLE LIVING
To confess Jesus as Lord transforms values. Jesus warns that we cannot serve both God and wealth. Preoccupation with money and possessions, self-indulgent living, and eagerness to accumulate wealth for personal advantage are not in keeping with the teachings of Scripture.
GENEROUS GIVING
The Bible teaches cheerful, sacrificial, and proportional giving through the church in grateful response to God’s goodness. Christians do not claim any of their possessions as their own, but manage all their resources, including money, time, abilities, and influence, in generous ways that give glory to God. They do not despise the poor but practice mutual aid within the church and share what they have with others in need. God’s people seek to embrace a lifestyle of simplicity and contentment.
WORK, REST AND THE LORD’S DAY
We believe that God’s act of creation is the model for human activity. While sin has corrupted work and rest, redeemed people are called to restore labour and rest to their proper place.
WORK
As creatures made in the image of God, Christians imitate the Creator by working faithfully as they are able. They are to use their abilities and resources to glorify God and to serve others. Because they bear the name of Christ, all believers are called to work honestly and diligently and to treat others with respect and dignity.
REST
As God rested on the seventh day, people are called to observe regular times of rest. Rest is an act of thankfulness for what God has provided. Rest is also an act of trust, reminding humans that it is not their work but God who sustains them. Finally, rest is an act of hope, anticipating the future rest assured by the resurrection of Jesus.
THE LORD’S DAY
Following the New Testament example, believers gather to commemorate the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week. On the Lord’s Day, believers joyfully devote themselves to worship, instruction in the Word, prayer, breaking of bread, fellowship and service. They limit their labour to work of necessity and deeds of mercy.
CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER FAITHS
JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY
We believe that the saving grace of God in Jesus is the only means of reconciling humanity with God. Although salvation is available to all, only those who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have the assurance of eternal life.
GOD’S UNIVERSAL WITNESS
God has not left anyone without a witness to the Creator’s goodness and power. Due to human rebellion, people have chosen to suppress the truth. While elements of truth may be found in other religions, Scripture warns against false teachings. Christians treat people of other faiths and philosophies with respect, but lovingly and urgently proclaim Christ as the only way of salvation for all peoples.
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
God loves the world and does not want anyone to perish. In sovereign grace, God may communicate with people in ways that are beyond human comprehension. The Bible teaches that those who reject the gospel are under divine judgment; the eternal destiny of those who have never heard the gospel is in God’s hands. Our task is to proclaim Christ as the only way of salvation to all people in all cultures. The Judge of all the earth will do what is just.
Genesis 18:25; Psalm 19:2-4; Ecclesiastes 3:11; Isaiah 46:1-10; 55:8-9; Ezekiel 33:1-20; Jonah 1-4; Matthew 8:5-13; 25:31-46; 28:18-20; Mark 7:24-30; Luke 9:51-56; 12:47-48; John 1:12; 3:16, 36; 4:8-42; 12:12-26; 14:6; Acts 1:8; 4:12; 10:1-8, 34-36; 14:16-17; 17:22-31; Romans 1:18-24; 2:1-16; 10:9-21; 11:33-35; 1 Corinthians 3:11; 12:3; 1 Timothy 2:4-5; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 20:15
CHRIST’S FINAL TRIUMPH
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will return visibly and triumphantly at the end of the present age. The church must always be prepared to meet the Lord, living in expectation of his imminent return.
THE LAST DAYS
In these last days, between the first and second coming of Christ, the church carries out its mission in the world. Believers often endure suffering and persecution because of their witness to Christ. In spite of opposition by evil powers, the church is assured of the final victory of Christ’s kingdom. These last days come to an end with Christ’s return.
DEATH
Since Christ destroyed the power of death through his resurrection, believers need not be afraid of death, the last enemy. Christ’s followers go to be with the Lord when they die. When Christ returns, they will be raised and receive new bodies. Believers who are alive at Christ’s coming will be transformed and will also receive new and glorious bodies, fit for life in God’s eternal kingdom.
JUDGMENT
When Christ returns, he will destroy all evil powers, including the Antichrist. Satan and all those who have rejected Christ will be condemned to eternal punishment in hell, forever separated from the presence of God. Believers must appear before the judgment seat of Christ to have their lives examined and their labours rewarded. By God’s grace, they will enter into the joy of God’s eternal reign.
THE NEW CREATION
All God’s children will be united with Christ when he appears and will reign with him in glory. Pain, sorrow, and death will be abolished and the redeemed will be gathered into the new heaven and new earth, where together with the angels they will worship God forever. God will make all things new and God will be all in all. This is the blessed hope of all believers.
Matthew 24:29-31; 25:13; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 16:9; 23:43; John 14:1-3; Acts 2:17; Romans 8:18-22; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15; 15:26; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12; 2:1-12; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:2; 9:26-28; 1 Peter 1:20; 4:7; 1 John 2:18; 3:2-3; Revelation 19:17-21; 20:7-15; 21-22