Statement of Belief

The Statement of Belief of the Church of the Risen King Jesus 

(1) Of God 

There is only one God, who is holy and eternal, who exists in an everlasting relationship as Father, Son and Spirit – one God in three persons. God is sovereign over all things, including creation, revelation, redemption, judgement and the establishing of his Kingdom. God is love, and as a sovereign, loving creator and redeemer, he is worthy of all glory, honour and praise. 

(2) Of Jesus Christ 

Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is both fully God and truly human. He entered fully into human experience. He was tempted to sin in every way that we are, yet he never sinned. He was perfectly obedient to God his Father. Because Jesus never sinned, he was able to die for the sin of humanity. He died by crucifixion and was buried. On the third day he rose from the dead bodily and is now exalted as King over all, and Saviour to all who put their trust in him. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.

(3) Of the Holy Spirit 

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son, and indwells all true believers. His role is to bring glory to Jesus Christ, making Jesus Christ central in all things. The Spirit works to illuminate believers’ minds to grasp the truth of God’s Word, producing in them his fruit, granting them his gifts and empowering them for service. God gives his Spirit to distribute gifts for the purpose of the church’s edification, not self-elevation. Their use is not determined by personal desire for fulfilment or satisfaction, but by the principle of building up the body of Christ, his church. Not every gift of the Spirit is given to the church at every moment of its life, only those necessary for building Christ’s body in the season God has placed them in.

(4) Of the Bible 

There is no other way to know God apart from what he’s chosen to reveal to us. The Bible is the foundation of God’s revelation to us. It is divinely inspired, infallible, and inerrant and has supreme authority in all matters of faith, conduct and experience in the life of the Christian, and the governance of the church. The Bible is sufficient for knowing God. The bible is the only true centre of Christian union – not any outside authority or organisation. It is not only central to the wellbeing of the church but is able to thoroughly equip the Christian for every manner of life and godliness, and to adequately prepare them to receive Jesus and become members of his eternal Kingdom. 

(5) Of Humanity 

Men and women are created in the image of God, and therefore enjoy a unique dignity in creation and a unique relationship with God. Men and women together have dominion over the created order. Although men and women are different from one another, God has created them to celebrate their differences and seek to complement each other as they share equal status, value and dignity before God. Our gender is also a central part of God’s good design for humanity, and both men and women are to define their identity according to God’s word. Biblical marriage is a holy relationship ordained by God and is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life and is the only proper context for sexual activity. Tragically, human nature has been universally sinful since the Fall (Genesis 3), not by constraint but by choice, and all people are guilty before God. As a result we are all under the righteous condemnation of God. Having been declared ‘dead’ to God, we need the work of God’s Spirit in our lives in cooperation with his Word to see Jesus for who he is, and receive the forgiveness he came to bring.

(6) Of Salvation 

There is only one name under heaven by which we can be brought into relationship with God – the name ‘Jesus’. It is only through the sacrificial death of Jesus as Messiah, our representative and substitute, that the guilt, penalty and power of sin can be removed. In that death, God demonstrates both his love and justice to us most perfectly and establishes his victory over Satan, sin and death for all who trust in Jesus. Although we enjoy now the blessing of union with Jesus and a secure relationship with God, we await the final consummation of our hope with the return of Jesus, the resurrection of our bodies and life with him eternally. 

(7) Of Regeneration 

We believe that, in order to be saved, sinners must be regenerated, or born again. That regeneration consists in giving a holy disposition to the mind, effected in a manner above our comprehension by the power of the Holy Spirit, in connection with divine truth, so as to secure our voluntary obedience to the gospel, and that its proper evidence appears in the divine fruits of repentance, faith, and a lifetime of obedience to Jesus as Saviour and King. 

(8) Of Sanctification 

We believe that Sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we become more like Jesus. We believe it is a progressive work. We believe it begins in regeneration, and that it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We believe sanctification is promoted by the continual use of God appointed means, especially; the word of God, self-examination, self-denial, warning, encouragement and correction from within the church, watchfulness and prayer.

(9) Of Repentance and Faith
We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces. They are both formed in our souls by the work of God’s Spirit, and having been deeply convinced of our guilt, danger and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Jesus Christ, we voluntarily turn to Jesus with an attitude of contrition, in confession, and with a plea for mercy. By receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all sufficient Saviour, we receive the forgiveness he came to bring and are set apart for eternal life as God’s children. 

(10) Of a Church 

 A church is the body of members who regularly gather together, each having been saved by God’s grace, for his glory, through their faith in the risen Lord Jesus. It is a community of people intended by God to bear witness to him and actively seek the extension of his rule. Within its community both men and women are to seek proper expression of their gifts as they work together to build the church in love. The Bible makes clear that in church leadership, as in marriage, the roles of men and women are not interchangeable. In particular, eldership is only for biblically qualified men. We are committed to expressing the differences within relationships of mutual dependence.

(11) Of Harmony Between the Law and the Gospel 

We believe that the Law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of his moral government, and that law is holy, just, and good. We believe that the inability of people to fulfil this law arises entirely from their love of sin. To deliver people from their slavery to sin through Jesus, to be set free to obey God’s law from the heart, is one great end of the gospel, observed throughout the lifetime of a believer as they live in relationship with one another as members of the local church.

(12) Of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper 

We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, into the name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit. This sign was to display our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, and to illustrate our own death to sin and resurrection to a new life in faith and obedience to Jesus. The Lord’s Supper is the meal all members share together as a visible sign of the unity we have with God through Jesus, and by his Spirit to one another. The elements used are bread and wine which represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ. This meal empowers us to remember what Jesus has done for us, and be reminded of his promise to return one day to save us. 

(13) Of Civil Government 

We believe that Civil Government is God’s gift to humanity, for the good order of society, and that our leaders are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured and obeyed, so long as their laws don’t contradict those of God’s own Word. We obey our secular leaders through our obedience to our King Jesus, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the King over all earthly rulers. 

(14) Of the Righteous and the Wicked 

We believe there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. It is only through faith in the risen Lord Jesus as they call upon his name that the wicked can be justified in Christ, sanctified by the Spirit of our God, to become truly righteous in the sight of God. All who continue in unbelief and disobedience remain wicked in his sight, and having rejected the gospel of freedom and life, they remain under the curse of sin and death. The distinction between the righteous and the wicked remains for all eternity after death. 

(15) Of the Perseverance of the Saints 

We believe a sign of true faith in Jesus is that his people will persevere until the end, and it is this perseverance through trial that most clearly distinguishes them from superficial professors. We believe that Divine Providence watches over the welfare of God’s children, and they are kept by the power of God through faith in Jesus until they are glorified in his presence on The Last Day. 

(16) Of the World to Come 

We believe God has set a day in the future to end the world, and that day is approaching. On that day Jesus will descend from heaven, and raise the dead from the grave to stand before his throne for judgment. On that day a final separation will take place – the wicked will be sent to hell, and the righteous will receive the Kingdom of their Father in heaven. The wicked will be in torment forever, while the righteous will enjoy endless peace and joy. This judgment will fix forever the final state of people in heaven or hell, by the righteous judgment of God. 

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