We are united in confessing the fundamental truths of Christianity as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. Subject always to the supreme authority of Scripture we also uphold the three historic Creeds (Apostles’, Nicene, Athanasian) as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy universal and apostolic Church.
Furthermore, concerning…..
The Bible
God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. As the Word of God, the Bible is the supreme and sufficient authority in all matters of belief and practice, and it is the duty and call of every believer and every gathered church to submit to the Bible’s teaching
Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44; Acts: 17:11; Acts 28:23; Ephesians 2:20; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
The One True God
There is one true and living God, infinite, eternal, unchangeable, and perfect in every way, who exists eternally in three distinct and equal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and each Person is fully and truly God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. God is the all-powerful creator, preserver and ruler of all things, visible and invisible, governing them according to his wise and holy will. As the Creator he is not a part of his creation, but sovereignly upholds and directs all things
Deuteronomy 6:4; Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 40:28; Malachi 3:6; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-2; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-3.
Creation and Humanity
God freely created all things in love, and for his own glory. He created humanity, male and female, in his own image, and he made us holy and good, to know him, to love him, and to reflect his glory. Men and women share equally in the image of God, bearing inherent value, dignity, and worth; and they are also distinct from one another, complementing[1] one another by their difference in mutually enriching ways, called to honour and uphold their differing roles which God has appointed, particularly within the domestic family and the church.
God designed marriage as an essential part of his pattern for human life in this world. Marriage is a witness to the eternal love of Christ for his Church; it is therefore the public lifelong covenant union of one man and one woman. Great blessings flow to all people when marriage is widely honoured. Since the Christian attitude to sex is, as in all other things, not self-satisfaction for the sake of self but self-denial for the sake of others, Christians, bearing true witness to their natural sex as God created them, are to pursue chaste singleness outside of marriage and exclusive faithfulness within it[2].
All human life begins at the moment of conception and is of immeasurable worth in all aspects, including babies in the womb, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, the poor or oppressed, widows and orphans, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We believe that abortion[3], euthanasia and assisted suicide are violations of the clear teachings of Scripture regarding the value and dignity of human life.
Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:20-24; Exodus 20:13-14; Psalm 8:3-6; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 7:1-2; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:3-5; Ephesians 22-33; Ephesians 6:4; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:4.
Sin and the Fall
Although created in righteousness and holiness, our first parents, Adam and Eve, sinned against God in the garden of Eden and fell from their original righteousness and fellowship with him. Since the fall, all human beings have been sinful and guilty, and are subject to God’s just wrath and condemnation. They are alienated from his life, and the inclinations of their minds, hearts, wills, and bodies are corrupted by sin, leading them to suppress the truth about God. It is from this corruption that all actual sins flow.
Ecclesiastes 7:29; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12-21; Romans 7:14-25; Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 4:17-19.
Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Word of God made flesh. He is truly God and truly man, yet without sin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, suffered and died on the cross, was raised bodily from death, and visibly ascended into heaven, where he now reigns over all things as Lord and King
Matthew 16:16; Luke 1:31-35; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:9-11; Acts 2:33-36; Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; Hebrews 4:15.
In his substitutionary death Jesus bore the full penalty for sin, satisfying God’s justice so that those who believe are pardoned, credited with Christ’s righteousness, and justified (which means “declared righteous by God”). Every spiritual blessing is found only in Christ, secured for all who believe in him by his work as Mediator.
Romans 3:24-26; Romans 5:1-11; Galatians 3:13-14; Ephesians 1:3; Philippians 3:9; Colossians 2:13-14; 1 John 2:1-2.
By his resurrection from the dead, Jesus was declared to be the Son of God and the Christ, God’s promised Saviour-King, sent to redeem sinful human beings from the guilt, penalty, and power of sin, and welcome them into God’s kingdom as his own people. He is the only mediator between God and humankind, in whom alone salvation is to be found.
Romans 1:3-4; 1 Timothy 2v5-6; Acts 4:12.
The Lord Jesus Christ will visibly return in glory to judge the living and the dead, granting the fullness of eternal life to his people and eternal punishment to those who have not believed the gospel. God’s kingdom will then be fully consummated in the new heavens and new earth, where there will be no place for sin, evildoers, sorrow, suffering, or death, and where he will be glorified forever.
Matthew 25:31-46; John 3:18; Acts 1:10-11; Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 20:11-21:8, 21:22-27.
The Gospel, Faith, and Justification
God’s purpose in the gospel is to glorify himself in his Son, by sending him to redeem a people to be his own, eager to do what is good, and by bringing all things under his rule. In the gospel, therefore, God calls all people to receive and honour his Son, submitting to him in everything. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only means through which people can be saved: salvation is received solely through being united to Christ by faith in response to the gospel. We are saved by grace alone, not as a reward for moral or religious effort, and from the moment he or she first believes, the sinner is wholly justified and reconciled to God, with the sure and certain hope of eternal life.
Romans 4:1-5:11; Ephesians 1:3-6; Ephesians 2:1-10; Ephesians 2:22-23; Philippians 2:12-13; Philippians 3:1-9, Colossians 1:9-12; Titus 2:11-14.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit alone makes the work of Christ effective, bringing individuals to new birth and faith. He indwells all believers, uniting them to Christ and to one another, and works in them through all of life, enabling them to grow in the true understanding of the Bible, bringing assurance of salvation, moving them to do good, growing them to maturity, equipping them for service, empowering them for mission, and so renewing them in the image of God, that the church might display the fullness of Christ.
John 3:5; Romans 8:9-17; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; 1 Corinthians 12:1-14; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:15-2:10; Philippians 2:13-14.
The New Life
Those who are truly born again through the Holy Spirit, who place their faith in Christ, and who call on him for salvation, also will repent of their sins, submitting to him as Lord. Being renewed into his likeness, they strive to obey his will, which includes putting off the old sinful self (including occult practices, other religions and spiritualities, blasphemy, hatred, bitterness, rage, violence, sexual immorality, adultery, homosexuality, crudity, dishonesty, slander, factionalism, jealousy, selfish ambition, drunkenness and greed, and so on) and putting on the new self in true righteousness and holiness (including the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and so on).
Romans 6:1-11; Romans 8:12-13; Ephesians 4:20-5:12; Galatians 5:16-26; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Colossians 3:1-17; 1 Timothy 1:8-11.
The Church
The one, holy, universal church is the Body of Christ to which all true believers belong. It is made visible in local congregations of believers which are called to worship and serve God in the world, to proclaim and defend his truth, to administer the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to exhibit his character, and to embody the reality of his coming kingdom.
Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:4-6; Philippians 2:14-16; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 2:9-12, 21; Jude 3.
The unity of Christ’s body is expressed within and between local churches by mutual love, care, correction, and encouragement, all in accordance with the Bible. Fellowship within and between local churches is truly Christian fellowship insofar as they are faithful to Christ and his gospel.
Ephesians 4:1-16, 2 Corinthians 6:14-16; 2 John 7-11.
- The West Coast Gospel Partnership holds to a complementarian view of male and female roles within the domestic family and church particularly. Holding to a complementarian view is not required for membership of the Partnership but it is required to be a member of the Steering Group. Our complementarian convictions will also guide how we function as a Partnership. The Steering Group would point to ‘The Danvers Statement’ for a more detailed explanation of our complementarian convictions. ↩︎
- This paragraph is taken from the ‘Greater Love Declaration’ which we subscribe to as a partnership and to which we would point as a faithful and helpful statement on the classic, orthodox Christian teaching on marriage, sex and identity. ↩︎
- As a partnership we subscribe to the ‘Life Affirmation’ statement which we would point to as a faithful and helpful Christian response to abortion (and by implication euthanasia and assisted suicide). ↩︎
