When we refer to what ‘our church’ believes you have to realise that we’re speaking loosely. It is hardly ‘our church’; it is, we trust, Jesus’ church. We can sometimes call it our church, which is just a sloppy way of talking about it among ourselves.

Some think we’re a bit different to other churches. It all depends on how you look at it. We hold to a particular doctrine that the Bible is the inspired inerrant Word of God. So we try to make that part of all we teach and preach.

Sometimes, a brief outline of a church’s doctrine can give you a better taste of the flavour of a church, rather than a mass of detail. So what follows is a sketch of what we believe:

1. The Bible is entirely true - For Jesus, whatever Scripture says, God says (Matt 15:4). He calls us to believe and obey what it says.

2. Sinners are perfectly sinful. Now by this, we do not mean that no one ever does anything decent, or just, or moral or kind; we don’t mean that every person is absolutely as evil as they can possibly be. But we mean, that every person is a sinner at the core of his or her being and that apart from Christ, sin rules their perspectives, motives, desires and purposes. Jesus says in Mark 7:21-23 that our corrupt nature gives rise to the whole array of sinful acts. In short, “I am a sinner, therefore I sin.”

3. God is really BIG - If only we would really believe it, as we should. We hold, with all Christians, that there is one God and that He has revealed Himself as triune. That is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is each fully and eternally God. When we say God is really big, we mean He is sovereign – that all things are under His power and control – even falling sparrows (Matt 10:29). But more: we believe that God is so big that we would never come to Jesus in faith unless He brought us and made us able to come.

4. The cross is absolutely central - Here we are at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus said that His death was the reason He came (Mark 10:45). We are held as captives of sin, and Jesus’ death was the ransom price that bought our release.

5. Grace is utterly incredible - Ask a Christian why God would send Jesus to die for them, why God would draw them to believe in Jesus who died for them. And if they’ve got their head screwed on right, they’ll simply smile and explain, “ I haven’t the foggiest idea! It doesn’t make sense, does it?” That a holy God would give a moment’s thought to sleazy sinners is beyond belief. But God is not conventional. Grace is His biggest surprise. There is no explanation except: that’s the way God is; that’s the way Jesus delights to be. We hope that in our church family we can help people to be repeatedly flabbergasted at the grace of God.

6. Disciples are continually secure - We believe that once God brings a sinner to Jesus, Jesus will keep him to the end. This doesn’t mean that the disciple will never sin or that he will never have temptations or endure hard afflictions or that he will never doubt his faith. But it does mean: “Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.” John 6:37 (NLT) Jesus wants His people to know that they are secure in the grip of the strong Son of God. And we believe that.

7. Life is wholly holy - The sway of Jesus engulfs the routine and the ordinary, the home front. Jesus rules and cares about all of life: everywhere we are on sacred ground. God rules over all of life: nothing is outside His dominion. All of life is holy and must be submitted to His reign.

Adapted from “The House That Jesus Built” by Dr. Dale Ralph Davis, published by Christian Focus Publications.  Used with Permission