STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
New Community Church exists to glorify God by exalting the Saviour by making and equipping disciples in our community and throughout the world.
Matt. 28:18-20; Eph. 4:12-13; Col. 1:28-29
DOCTRINES THAT WE PROFESS
The following faith statements gives an overview of how the elders of New Community Church view the doctrines of Scripture. The elders appreciate that there may be those who fellowship with us who do not hold to these doctrines to the same degree. We gladly extend our hand of fellowship to these folk on the understanding that no doctrine is to be taught within our church that is contrary to what we believe the Bible communicates.
We do trust that this faith statement does not become a document for isolated study, but will be a tool that encourages believers to a greater study of the Word of God, for their edification as they apply the truth to their lives.
1. The Scriptures
We believe the Scriptures, namely the Old Testament and New Testament, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the Salvation of man and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith, life, and conduct.
We believe and teach the literal, grammatical-historical interpretation of Scripture and, that although every passage may have several applications, there is only one true interpretation.
1Cor 2:7-14; 2Tim. 3:14-17; 2Pet. 1:20-21
2. The Doctrine of God
We believe in one God, creator of all things, infinitely perfect, unchanging in all His Divine Attributes, and eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Deut. 6:4; Isa. 45:5-7; Mt. 28:18-19; Mk. 12:29; Jn. 1:14; Acts 5:3-4; 2Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 1:4-6
3. The Father
We believe that God the Father is the author of one eternal plan that includes all things and He is directing this plan to glorify Himself. He is the Creator of the universe and the human race, but is the spiritual Father only of those who receive Jesus Christ by Faith. He becomes the believers Father by His gracious act of adopting believers in Christ into His family.
Rom. 11:36; Eph. 1:11; Gen. 1:31; Eph. 3:9; Rom. 8:14; 2Cor. 6:18 Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5
4. The Son
We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son, co-equal, co-eternal and of the same essence with God and as such He is the pre-existent Son. Without any change in His eternal deity He became man when conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, that He died on the Cross, a perfect and complete sacrifice, in our place and for our sins according to the Scriptures. He arose bodily from the dead and ascended into Heaven where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate.
Jn. 1:1-2, 14, 6:33,41; Isaiah 9:6; Lk. 24:19; Matt. 1:21, 25; 21:11; Mk.1:9; Heb. 4:15, 7:26; Lk. 2:40 Phil. 2:8; Isaiah 7:14; Matt.1:23-25; Lk. 1:26-35; Jn. 1:18; 14:9-11; Heb. 7:25-27, 9:26; Jn 3:16-18; 1Pet. 1:18-19; Jn 1;29, 10:15; 1Jn 2:2, 3:18 Acts 1;9;Lk24:51; 1Jn 2:1; Rom. 8:34; Heb.7:25, 9:24
5. The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is eternal and infinite and is of one essence and substance with the Father and the Son in their deity. Though active in creation, divine revelation, and enablement of Old Testament saints, the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost by the Father and the Son to take up His abode in believers. At the time of regeneration the Holy Spirit baptises the believer into one body of which Christ is the Head. Any doctrine of a baptism of the Spirit after regeneration in this age is entirely foreign to Scripture. The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, fills and empowers the believer for godly living and service.
Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:34, 28:25-26; 2Cor. 13:14; Gen. 1:2; Jn. 3:5-7; Acts 1:4; Jn. 14:16-17, 15:26; Eph. 3:4-5, 9, 11: 1Cor. 6:19; Rom. 8:9; 1Cor. 12:11
6. Creation
We believe that the creation of the world was a supernatural act of God by which He brought the universe and all that it contains into existence through the mediation of Jesus Christ and the operation of the Holy Spirit. Man is the direct creation of God, not in any sense the product of animal ancestry, but made in the divine image. The Genesis account is the trustworthy, historical record of creation.
Gen. 1:1-2 Job 33:4; Ps. 33:6,9; Jn. 1:3; Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11; Acts 4:24, 14:15; Heb 11:3; Gen. 2:7, 2:21-22; 1Cor. 11:8-9
7. Man
We believe that man was directly created by God in His own image, but fell into sin when he chose to disobey. Therefore, through Adam’s sin and by personal experience the entire human race is lost. We believe that God created man good in His own image that he might know Him and glorify Him. By the fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, our nature became so corrupt that we are all conceived and born in sin, incapable of knowing or seeking God without His empowering. It is only through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.
Gen. 1:27; Eph. 1:11-12; 1Cor. 10:31Rom. 5:12-21; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 7:18; Titus 1:15; Jer. 17:9; Eph 4:18; Jn 15:5; Eph. 2:1-2; Jn. 8:34 Jn. 1:13; James 1:18; 1Pet. 1:3; Jn. 3:3-8; Jn. 3:8; Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13
8. Salvation
We believe that salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, offered to us on the basis of Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross. It is received personally by repentance for sin and by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is in no way obtained or increased by human effort. This salvation contains within itself deliverance from the guilt and penalty of sin, a perfectly righteous standing before God, by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, the provisions for victory over the power of sin, and the promise of future glorification in God’s presence.
Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Jn. 1:12; Acts 20:21; 2Cor. 7:9-10; Rom. 16:11-13; 2Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:17, 23-24, 8:30; 1Cor. 15:51-55; 1Thess. 14-16;Jn. 6:39-40; Rom. 8:11
9. Satan
We believe that Satan was originally a creature of God of the highest order, but through pride he fell and became archenemy of God, and the deceiver of humanity. Satan wilfully opposes God and influences believers to substitute other revelations and experiences for those divinely given, and diverts believer’s energies into ungodly channels. His power is particularly manifested in occult practices such as demonic control, Satan worship, fortune telling and astrology. Though his powers are supernatural, they are strictly limited under the rule of a sovereign God. He was defeated at the cross and therefore his final doom is certain.
Gen. 1:3; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6; Gen. 3:1-5; Math. 4:1-11; Jn 8:44; Rev. 12:9; Ps. 106:37; 2Cor. 4:4; Gal.4:8; Job 1:12,2:6; James 4:7
10. Future Plan Of God
We believe in the personal, premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that this blessed hope has a vital bearing on the purity, personal life and service of the believer. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead – of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord, and of the unbeliever to judgement and everlasting conscious punishment.
Jn. 14:1-3; 1Cor. 15:51-53; 1Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; Phil. 2:23; 2Cor. 5:8; Jn. 5:28-29; Mt. 25:41-46; 2Thess. 1:7-9
11. The Church
We believe that the Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The Church is the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
1Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 2:11-36; Eph. 1:22, 4:15; Col. 1:18
12. Spiritual Gifts
We believe and teach that there are two kinds of gifts given to the early church; miraculous gifts of divine revelation and healing, given temporarily in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the Apostle’s message – and ministering gifts, to equip and edify one another.
With the New Testament revelation now complete, Scripture becomes the sole test of authenticity of a man’s message, and confirming gifts of a miraculous nature are now no longer necessary to validate a man or his message. We believe that spiritual gifts are divinely given and sovereignly distributed by the Holy Spirit to every member of the body of Christ. The purpose of these ministering gifts is to glorify God, to edify the Church, and to bring unbelievers to faith in Christ. Revelation is not ongoing, tongues are not the sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, nor of spirituality, and Christ’s atonement does not demand physical healing. The exercise of spiritual gifts must always be consistent with Scripture.
Heb.2:3-4; 2Cor.12:12; 1Cor. 13:8-12; 1Cor. 13:13-14:12; Rev.13:13-14; Rom.12:6-8 Eph. 4:7-16; 1Pet. 4:10-11