About Providence Baptist Chapel
STATEMENT OF
FAITH
We believe in:
1) The full and verbal
inspiration of
the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures as originally given and
of these
alone, being in themselves the Word of God, without error and wholly
reliable
in both fact and doctrine; their final authority and perpetual
sufficiency in
all matters of faith and practice.
2) The unity of the
Godhead and the
divine co-equality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the
sovereignty
of God in creation, providence and redemption.
3) Those doctrines
commonly known as
the ‘Doctrines of Grace’ - namely:
a) The total
depravity of human nature in consequence of the fall, and the necessity
for
regeneration.
b) The
unconditional election to salvation by God of an innumerable number of
sinners,
c) Their
particular redemption by the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
d) Their
effectual call through the gospel, wrought by the instrumentality of
the Holy
Spirit.
e) Their
perseverance in faith as they are kept by the power of God, thus
assuring them
of eternal salvation.
4) The true and proper
Deity of our
Lord Jesus Christ; His virgin birth; His real and perfect manhood; the
authority of His teaching; and the infallibility of all His utterances;
His
work of atonement for sinners of mankind by His substitutionary
sufferings and
death; His bodily resurrection and His ascension into Heaven; and His
present
priestly intercession for His people at the right hand of the Father.
5) The justification of
the sinner
solely by faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
6) The Holy Spirit:
Scripture teaches
the absolute and essential deity and personality of the Holy
Spirit. He
convinces of sin, righteousness and judgement, regenerates, baptises
believers
at conversion into the body of Christ, indwells, seals, sanctifies,
illuminates
and comforts them. The work of the Holy Spirit is essential for a
true
and spiritual understanding of the Scriptures and for truly spiritual
ministry
and worship
7) The Universal Church,
the body of which Christ is the Head, embracing all the redeemed,
called by God
through the Gospel, born of the Spirit and justified by faith; the
local
church, comprising such believers as the expression of the universal
Church;
and fellowship between like-minded churches, manifesting the unity of
the body
of Christ.
8) The ordinances of
Baptism and the
Lord's Supper as being instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, but not in
Baptism
as conveying regenerating grace, nor in the Lord's Supper as being a
sacrifice
for sin nor involving any change in the substance of the bread and
wine.
9) The personal return of
the Lord
Jesus Christ in glory.
10) The resurrection of
the body; the
judgement of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, with the eternal
blessedness
of the righteous and the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.
11) Creation: in the
beginning God
created all things, including the first man and woman who were made
after His
own image in perfect righteousness. The biblical record of creation in
the
first two chapters of Genesis is historical, not mythical, hence the
theory of
evolution is contrary to the teaching of Scripture.
12) Providence: in His infinite
power and
wisdom,
God sustains and governs all creatures and things by His most wise and
holy
providence. Nothing happens by chance or outside the sphere of His
providence.
He is not, however, in any way the author or approver of sin, nor does
His
providence detract at all from the responsibility of intelligent moral
creatures.
13) Sanctification: those
who are
justified by faith in Jesus Christ are progressively renewed after the
image of
God. This is a work of the Holy Spirit Who dwells in all believers.
They are
thus increasingly enabled to pursue a life of holiness, though never
attaining
to perfection in this world.
14) Evangelism and
mission: as faith
comes by hearing the Word of God, it is the duty of every church to
seek to
extend the gospel to all men everywhere. In so doing only those methods
which
do not conflict with biblical principles are to be used.
15) The Law of God: God
has commanded
us to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love
our
neighbour as ourselves. These two principles have been set forth in the
Ten
Commandments. While no man can be justified by keeping the law, the
Christian
strives to obey it out of love for God, as it reveals His will and
comes with
His authority.
16) The Lord's Day: God
has set apart
one day in seven to be kept holy, the observance of which is binding
upon all
men. This day, designed for man's benefit, is to be used for rest from
secular
labour so that the whole person might be refreshed, and the whole day
occupied,
in the worship and service of the Lord. Although no detailed
instructions are
given in Scripture as to the way in which this day is to be kept,
allowance is
clearly made for works of mercy and necessity.
17) The State: civil
government is ordained of God and it is the duty of
Christians to obey those who have the rule over them provided that no
demands
made by the State conflict with the teaching of Scripture.
2nd LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSIOIN OF FAITH
We adhere to the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith
(1689/1677) as one our subordinate Standards. We believe it
to be
a correct summary of the teachings of the Word of God.
WORSHIP
We believe
in a reverent worship, which is governed only by the Word of God.
(Regulative
Principle of Worship)
The Lord's
Supper is held after the Evening Service on the first Lord's Day in the
month
and after the Morning Service on the third Lord's Day.
Hymnbook: Christian
Worship
Bible
Version:
Authorized
(King James) Version.
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