Summary of Our Beliefs:

Everything we attempt to do in church must be a reflection of our primary belief that God is the eternal, all-powerful being who is infinitely glorious and holy. God has graciously revealed Himself through His Word. This is His perfect revelation of Himself to mankind. In it we learn who God is and who mankind is in relation to Him.

​

The Bible teaches that there is one God who has revealed Himself in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is commonly known as the Trinity.

​

The Bible clearly reveals that we are created in God’s image and therefore accountable to reflect His glory and worth in this world. Our first parents were created without any sin, and despite their intimate knowledge of God they rebelled against Him. This resulted in the cursing of God’s creation, placing everything under the corruption of sin. Therefore all of mankind is constantly subject to the effects of the curse, including its just consequence: death.   Therefore we shall all die physically, but also by nature are born spiritually dead. Spiritual death means we can no longer fellowship with God, rather we hate Him. The result is that we are enemies of God, and we do not honour Him as we ought. We choose to honour idols, finding pleasure in the created things rather than in the Creator. Therefore we are utterly sinful. Since we have rebelled against God, who is infinitely worthy of all our worship, we deserve an infinite punishment. The Scriptures reveals hell to be that punishment unrepentant sinners will receive as their just reward.

​

In His abundant mercy and love God determined not to leave mankind without deliverance from this awful sentence. Because He is perfectly holy, sin must be punished. Therefore His deliverance demands His justice not be compromised. A man must suffer for the sin of man. Since sinful man cannot bear the punishment of a fellow sinner, and all are sinners, a sinless man, a righteous man is the only one who can atone for fellow man. Therefore God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to become the God-man to perfectly atone for sinners.  Jesus died on a cross and poured out His blood as the atonement for all that would believe on Him. This fully satisfied the wrath of God. Jesus’ blood was that of the most honourable Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, and therefore it was of infinite worth.  It was also the blood of an innocent man, a man that had never sinned but had perfectly honoured the Father.

 

Therefore Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted by the Father and He was resurrected from the dead after three days. This marks the triumph over sin and death and the beginning of the new creation. Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father and will come again in glory to punish those who have rejected His provision and to receive to Himself those who have received His atoning work by faith. True faith is given by the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent when He ascended into heaven. This causes one to look away from himself for salvation, but rather looks to Jesus atonement as the only means of being saved. This is the gospel, the good news that the Church (the body of believers) is entrusted to spread to the ends of the earth.

​

As a local representation of the Church of Christ, Grace Fellowship seeks to fulfill this divine mandate, through means such as expositional, expository preaching of the Scriptures.

​

Why Reformed Baptist?

     a. Reformed. This is the term commonly applied to those who believe in the sovereignty of God over all things, from the minute atom to the vast universe. The implications of this are enormous. It means that God determines all things, and His plans and purposes are always perfectly accomplished. It also teaches that God is sovereign over man’s salvation. As we are totally slaves to sin, any decision or inclination we have towards God is first given by God according to His predestinating purposes. The plan of redemption was designed by God to save those whom He determined to save from all eternity. In all those whom God elected to salvation, He will finish the good work which He began. 

​

     b. Baptist. When commissioning the Church for its mission in the world, Jesus commanded the apostles to make disciples of all nations, and to baptize them. Baptism, done by immersion, is meant only for those who have exercised faith in Jesus Christ after being born again by the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a picture of what has happened to the believer. Namely, the dying of the sinner in Christ and the rising to new life with Him by faith. Thus it represents washing of sins by the blood of Christ , becoming a new creature, and having a good conscience before God. Therefore baptism can only be rightly applied to those who have true faith in the Gospel. This rules out any grounds for the baptizing of infants, as they are unable to express faith. Baptism does not confer upon its recipient any merit for salvation, nor any obligations from God. 

​

God has purposed to express His relationship with mankind through covenants. These agreements He makes with people come with requirements from man to fulfill their end of the covenant. The Old Testament shows the constant failure of God’s people to obey His covenant which results in covenant curses to be placed upon them. The true covenant response is faith in God, trusting in His promises and a joyful expectation from God as the Covenant Supplier. Christ has fully and completely fulfilled all the obligations of the covenant. By His death He instituted a New Covenant, the fullest expression of God’s eternal covenant purposes. In this New Covenant, the correct covenant response of faith is realized as the Holy Spirit writes the Law on the believer’s heart. The effects of the New Covenant are such, that no true believer will ever be lost. All the great covenant promises and blessings from God are purchased and realized in Christ and are therefore enjoyed by those united to Him by faith. 

As a fuller expression of our convictions, we subscribe to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.