At the Church of Christ Hawkesbury, we believe…
… The Bible is the inspired word of God – a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 119:105).
… Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God and that He died for our sins and arose from the dead. (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8).
… That forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life are available to everyone who will accept it. (John 3:16).
… That those accepting Christ must believe that He is the Son of God, repent of their sins, confess their faith in Him, and be baptised into Him. (Romans 10:9; Acts 2:38).
… That the church is the body of Christ on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit and exists to save the lost and edify the saved. (Ephesians 4:1-16).
… That Jesus Christ will return to earth one day bringing judgment to unbelievers and eternal life to believers. Also that He will reign forever as King of kings and Lord of lords. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
What we believe about …
The Bible
The basis of our belief is the Bible, which is composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that Scripture originated with God and that it was written for our instruction and learning. We believe the Bible is the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and that there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
God
We believe that there is one true and holy God. We believe that He is all powerful, all knowing, and all loving.The Bible teaches that God exists in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of them possesses equally all the attributes and qualities of deity.
Jesus Christ
He is the Son of God. He became a man and lived on the earth for approximately 33 years. He was in perfect obedience to His Fatyher and voluntarily sacrificed His life for the sins of all mankind. God raised Him from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is now reunited with the Father. He will come again to bring judgment to those who continue to rebel against God, and eternal life to those who have trusted and been obedient to Him.
Salvation
From the beginning, God desired a close relationship with His creation. In the beginning that was the case with Adam and Eve. Then they sinned by not obeying God. They became alienated from God and began to suffer the consequences of that decision. This is referred to as the “fall of man” because they fell out of the relationship they had with God. All people since then have suffered the same consequences, that is death, for sin. Since it was man who broke the relationship, the only way it can be restored is for God to offer forgiveness. God does offer forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We accept this offered by faith, repentance, confession, and obedience.
Baptism
The book of Acts tells the story of the first generation of Christians. As they learned about their sin and the sacrifice of Jesus to be their Saviour, people believed the message and began turning to God for salvation. They expressed their faith in two ways.
Verbally- they acknowledged their need for a Saviour and their belief that Jesus was the way.
Baptism-they were immediately baptised (immersed). Baptism was a decision and choice made by believers. Following that pratice we do not baptise infants. Only people who can make this decision for themselves are baptised. Baptism in the Bible was done by immersion – completely covering a person in water.
The Christian life
A genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ will be seen in the life of a believer by holiness and obedience. The Bible teaches that at the point of salvation, God sends the Holy Spirit to live within all believers. The Bible teaches that the evidence of the Spirit working in a believer will be a wonderful mix of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.
The Church
The church is the fellowship and family of believers. In the Bible, the church is called the body of Christ. Believers become members of His body and are added to the church by God Himself. The Bible teaches that believers should gather together for encouragement and fellowship, and to devote themselves to worship, prayer, the teaching of the word, and communion. Wherever God’s people meet together in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church. It’s members work together in love and unity with the purpose of glorifying Christ in the world.
Faith and Practice
Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Through the centuries, traditions have developed that give each church a distinctive flavour, but the ultimate authority in what should and should not be done rests with God.