OUR CORE BELIEFS
Members, though they may hold a different position, should respect and not undermine the position of the church in these areas, and should strive to maintain unity and peace.
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The full inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, their authority and sufficiency as not only containing, but being in themselves, the Word of God: The reliability of the New Testament in its testimony to the character and authorship of the Old Testament, and the need of the teaching of the Holy Spirit to a true and spiritual understanding of the whole.
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The unity of the Godhead and the divine co-equality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; The sovereignty of God in creation, providence and redemption.
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The total depravity of human nature in consequence of the fall, and the necessity for regeneration.
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The true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus Christ: His virgin birth, His real and perfect manhood: the authority of His teaching, and the infallibility of all His utterances; His work of atonement for sins of mankind by His substitutionary sufferings and His death; His bodily resurrection and ascension into Heaven, and His present priestly intercession for His people at the right hand of the Father.
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The justification of the sinner solely by grace through faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, conversion and sanctification; also in ministry and worship.
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The universal Church, the body of which Christ is the Head, embracing all the redeemed, called by God through the Gospel, born of the Spirit and justified by faith, the local church comprising such believers as the expression of the universal Church and fellowship between such churches, manifesting unity in the body of Christ.
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The ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as being instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, but not in Baptism as conveying regenerating grace, nor in the Lord’s Supper as being a sacrifice for sin, nor involving any change in the substance of the bread or wine.
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We believe in the dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
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The personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.
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The resurrection of the body, the judgement of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, with the eternal blessedness of the righteous and the eternal punishment of the wicked.
Leadership
We believe the local expression of Christ’s church should be led by two or more elders (plurality) – men of sound Christian doctrine and life who will pastor the church in a Christlike manner (see more on this in the Church Constitution). With Christ as the head of the church, the elders and pastors are men who have been given authority to oversee the church and to preach and teach the Word of God, guarding and protecting the church from all harm and false doctrine, ensuring that we remain faithful.
We believe that, while God created men and women with absolute equality and equal dignity, Eldership in the church is the responsibility of men which is why we are led by a team of male Elders. These men should be suitably qualified according to the Scriptures, shepherding the church and exercising leadership with all Christlikeness with a selfless love and service towards the believers in their care.
The church has a team of Deacons, suitably gifted men and women who serve to meet particular needs that might arise in the church.
Scriptures: Acts 15:23, 20:28, Ephesians 4:11-13, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, Hebrews 13:17
Every Member Ministry
We believe that, in church membership, there should be no one on the sidelines and that every member has a responsibility before God to be actively involved in the ministry of the local church, that the whole church may be built up and grow as disciples of Christ and that the lost are reached with the Gospel of Christ. Where members become passive or inactive, the church becomes unhealthy and so we encourage every member to minister to one another by actively using their gifts to love, serve and provide pastoral care for one another.
Scriptures: Matthew 28:16-20, Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, 14:26, Ephesians 4:11-16, 5:18
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit permanently indwells every believer and empowers our discipleship, witness and proclamation of the Gospel through God graciously imparting gifts to every member of His Church as He chooses in His sovereignty, and that all gifts in the New Testament may be granted to His Church.
The gifts of the Spirit did not cease with the passing of the apostolic age and thus are available to the Church as the Lord distributes them. All of the gifts of the Holy Spirit should be earnestly desired, and our utilisation of these gifts should only be practiced for the glory of God and the edification of the Church, and in a way which aligns with Biblical teaching.
Regarding the gift of tongues, this gift is given for self-edification and so should be used in personal praise and prayer unless there is known to be one with the gift of interpretation who is present in the public gathering.
Scriptures: Matthew 3:11, John 14:17, Romans 8:9, Romans 12:1-8, 1 Corinthians 12-14, Hebrews 2:4, 1 Peter 4:9-11
Baptism in Water
We practice Baptism by immersion in water for the believer in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is administered upon public profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as an outward sign of the inner regeneration experienced through being united with Christ in His death and resurrection.
Scriptures: Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38-41, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3-4, Col. 2:11-12
Sexuality and Marriage
We lovingly welcome and have pastoral concern for all human beings and see all people as equal, with the equal value and dignity that comes from being created by God regardless of sexuality. We repudiate attitudes and actions that victimise and diminish those who are same-sex attracted. In matters of sexuality and marriage, we encourage all people to live within God’s purposes and desire transformation, that we may each live in accordance with biblical revelation and orthodox church teaching. Where this is not the case, there is a Biblical call to repentance.
We affirm the Biblical understanding of marriage as an institution created by God in which one man and one woman enter into an exclusive relationship for life, and we teach and practice accordingly.
Heterosexual marriage is the only form of partnership approved by God for sexual relations and homoerotic or extramarital sexual practice is incompatible with His will as revealed in Scripture. We accept and endorse heterosexual marriage as the only legitimate form of Christian marriage and therefore will not conduct services of marriage or blessing for homosexual marriage. We believe both habitual homoerotic sexual activity without repentance and public promotion of such activity are inconsistent with faithful church membership. We do not accept that holding these theological and ethical views on biblical grounds is in itself homophobic.
Scriptures: Genesis 2:23-24, Mark 10:6-8, 1 Timothy 1:8-11, Ephesians 5:22-33
Adapted from ‘Biblical and Pastoral Responses to Homosexuality’ by the Evangelical Alliance. Please see this document for more information on our teaching and practice in this matter.
Affiliation
As Maitland Church, we are affiliated with the Evangelical Alliance.