‘I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.’ (Romans 1:16-17)
We believe the good news that Jesus is the perfect Son of God who became truly human in order to live, die, and rise as a substitute for sinners. We
believe that Jesus bore the guilt of his people’s sins on the cross so that God’s righteous anger might be averted from us as it fell on Him. We believe that a great exchange happened on the cross whereby the sin and punishment owing to his people is credited to Christ’s account, while Christ’s perfect righteousness is credited to ours. We believe that Jesus’ sacrificial death serves to reconcile sinners to a perfectly holy God.
All of this is a work of God’s free and amazing grace. It is a glorious gift we receive by faith in Christ.
We also believe the reality of these great gospel truths transforms individual lives, and it also serves to shape church life. A local church should have a
‘gospel culture’. We talk about in terms of 6 ‘H’s’:
Holiness
Jesus gave his life so that his people might live holy lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians pursue holiness by setting our hearts and minds on
Christ, pursuing obedience with the help of the Holy Spirit, seeking to live out our true identity ‘in Christ.’
Harmony
Jesus’ saving work breaks down every social and cultural barrier. By keeping our unity in Christ as the central reality of church life, we are free to enjoy
deep fellowship with others who take different views from us on secondary issues. That ‘Jesus is Lord’ over his church guards our relationships.
Honour
Jesus pours out honour on his church as he saves us and welcomes us home to our Father in heaven. We are called to follow his example by showing honour to one another. By choosing the way of grace we aim to overlook failures, resist labelling others, and be known for honouring and not shaming one
another.
Honesty
Jesus came on a rescue mission to seek and save the lost. The gospel is honest about our spiritual need and inability to save ourselves. As rebel sinners who have received God’s grace, we are called to pursue honesty. We seek to be honest about our weakness, sin and need. And we want to be honest about the power of the gospel to bring transformation to people’s lives.
Humility
Jesus set aside his position in heaven to become one of us to endure the humiliation of the cross as our humble suffering servant. Jesus set an example
and pattern for his church to follow. Living in the light of God’s mercy and grace we seek to remove pride and live with proper humility. Understanding all
we have comes from God, we are free to forget ourselves and live for his glory.
Hope
Jesus came to a world that was hopeless without God’s intervention. By his cross and resurrection, he has injected hope into the lives of his people. This
hope has both present and future aspects. We have the hope of eternal glory to come even as we enjoy God’s presence with us now. We look forward to a world free of sickness, sin and death in the future, and we have the hope of God’s powerful work in our lives today.
By God’s grace we want the truth of the gospel to shape every part of our lives and of our shared life together, demonstrating to each other and to the
watching world the power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus.
If you’d like to listen to this sermon series, you can do so on our sermons page.