What we believe

Our Statment of faith

At Penhill Community Church we believe in the historic Christian faith and take our authority from the Bible.

God

We believe in God,

There is one true God.

He exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are co-equal and co-eternal, whilst having distinct roles in both creation and salvation. He is holy and glorious in every way and all people owe him the highest love, respect, trust and obedience.

The Father almighty creator of heaven and earth.

He is the all-powerful God who created all things, keeps all things and therefore has authority of all things.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 

Jesus is our Lord, God’s Son. He is fully God and fully man. He is the only one sent by the Father to reveal God and to us and reconcile us to himself.

He was born to a virgin named Mary by the power of God’s Spirit. He is a member of our race but declared to be the Son of God through signs and wonders. 

Jesus lived a life without sin and taught the way of God’s kingdom (the way of eternal life.)

He was unjustly executed by public crucifixion. He was raised literally and physically from the dead by the Holy Spirit.

His death was a substitutionary sacrifice for us and His resurrection is the grounds for our hope of resurrection. 

He became like us, so that we could become like Him.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 

It is through Jesus that all of eternity is determined. 

He will come again to bring the restoration of all creation and the resurrection of our bodies. 

This will be the final judgment, eternal joy for those who enter His kingdom as part of the new heavens and earth, as well as the dreadful punishment in hell of those who rejected Him.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

The Holy Spirit is fully God
He has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply His work of salvation.
He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures.
He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ.
He builds up the church and empowers its members for worship, service and the world-wide proclamation of the Gospel in obedience to the Great Commission.
Believers are encouraged to seek to be filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit in their daily lives.

The holy catholic Church,
the communion of the saints,

The Universal church is the Body of Christ, to which all true believers belong.

There is a sacred, spiritual unity of all who truly believe in Jesus and a duty to maintain this in themselves and in the Church.

The universal church is expressed in the gathering of believers in local churches. These local churches remain accountable to a broader church fellowship.

Members of local churches are committed to a common profession of faith and practice of obedience to Jesus. Their structures are to follow the teaching and models  given in the New Testament.

The members are to minister their gifts for the edification of all and follow the biblical leading of the overseers in spiritual matters.

Members are to regularly gather together to encourage each other through worship, discipleship and for the spreading of the gospel. 

the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. 

People are separated from God because of sin and therefore are without hope and subject to eternal death.

Eternal life can not be earned by our efforts – it has been earned for us by the substitutionary life, death and resurrection of Christ.

Eternal life is given by God as a gift of grace, and can only be received through faith in Christ and His work on our behalf.

This faith is always followed by repentance which is turning away from a life of sin to a life of following and worshipping God.

Us

All people are created in the image and likeness of God (and therefore have an inherent dignity) and were intended for a relationship with Him.

Sin has distorted this image and broken our relationship with God.

The Word of God written (the Old and New Testaments) was written by people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – it is God breathed.

Therefore it is infallible, the supreme authority in all matters of belief and behaviour.

Creation reveals God’s existence and judgment to us, but it is the scriptures which are necessary to reveal God’s salvation.

It’s interpretation is to be guarded by those with teaching responsibility in the church and is to be interpreted and applied both pastorally and carefully.

They are to labour at rightly dividing the written Word of God with an active dependence on the Holy Spirit and a particular effort not to deviate from the historic orthodox teaching of the church.

Questions

If you have any questions about what we believe please get in touch