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THIS WE BELIEVE

SO SHALL WE LIVE

 

 

THE DOCTRINES AND PRACTICES

OF THE MEMBERSHIP OF HPBC

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For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…These, then, are the things you should teach.          Titus 2:11,12,15

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Statement of Faith and Doctrine

For the Membership of

Heron Park Baptist Church

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In accordance with our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and our understanding of the Divine Word of God, we, the membership of Heron Park Baptist Church accept the following to be true and without dispute with regards to the doctrines of our faith.

 

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The Scriptures:

 

We believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. The sixty-six books, as originally written, are God-breathed and contain God's revelation of Himself to the world.  God's providential hand has preserved and protected this revelation so that it is entirely trustworthy. The Scriptures are the true basis for all Christian conduct, and the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. 

 

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Biblical Interpretation:

 

The Scriptures contain the absolute and unchangeable truths God has wished to convey to us, and these truths transcend time, culture and politics. A right understanding of God's revelation is a cooperative act requiring the active participation of the Holy Spirit with the spiritual and scholarly efforts of God's people.

 

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The Nature of God:

 

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, who is over all and sovereignly works through all and in all according to His purpose.

 

We believe in God, the Son Jesus Christ, who is eternal and was an active participant in creation. He maintains the world's existence. At the beginning of His earthly ministry, He was begotten by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He is truly God and truly man.

 

We believe in God, the Holy Spirit, who actively convinces of sin. He draws, convicts, regenerates, indwells, empowers, and sanctifies those who place their faith in Jesus Christ. He enlightens and comforts the individual and brings unity and growth to the Church through the gifts He provides.

 

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Christ’s Passion:

 

History records that at God's appointed time, His Son, Jesus Christ, became the propitiation for the sins of the world. In humble obedience to the divine plan, He submitted Himself to public execution in Jerusalem. Christ's public humiliation, crucifixion, confirmation of death and entombment, were presided over by Roman Law through Pontius Pilate, the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius. In conjunction with Roman authority, the Jewish governing body under the leadership of Joseph ben Caiaphas participated in the legal proceedings.

 

After three days in the heavily guarded tomb, Jesus Christ rose from the dead by His own will and power, according to the purpose and plan of the Godhead. Breaking free from the sealed tomb, He interacted with over five hundred individuals for a period of forty days. Afterward, eyewitnesses gave account of His physical ascension into the heavens, and His promise to return at the culmination of world history.

 

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The Nature of Humankind:

 

We believe that God, in His will and providence, created two persons in His own image, male and female. God's initial creation of Adam and Eve contained the seed of all races upon earth, so that men and women of all races contain the beauty and nature of God's handiwork. God created men and women to grow in spiritual union and intimacy within the covenant of marriage. It is a violation of God's sovereign will to seek to change this divine order of creation.

 

God created humankind in a state of holiness; spiritually and physically perfect, in harmony with the Creator and His pristine creation. Acting by their free will and in rebellion against God, humankind chose the path of disobedience. As a result of this disobedience, humankind and all of creation, groans under the weight of separation and decay, justly exposed to the wrath of God. Humankind, by its own volition, is unable to return to its former state without divine intervention.

 

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Salvation, Propitiation, Atonement, Repentance, Unwarranted Favour

 

We believe that salvation is the unmerited gift of God through grace. We believe that Christ voluntarily died for us on the cross, atoning for the sins of the whole world.

 

We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.

 

We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born from above by the Holy Spirit, and thereby become partakers of God’s divine nature. 

 

All those who are truly regenerate will actively demonstrate by their actions that with their heart, soul, mind, and strength they are seeking to reflect God’s divine nature.

 

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Reconciliation

 

As partakers of His divine nature, we recognise God's desire to offer reconciliation to the whole world through His complete redemptive work. This recognition, and the transformation of our nature, requires and equips us to be active participants in the ministry of reconciling all creation to God.

 

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The Bodily Resurrection and Eternity

 

We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of the Lord, and His ascension to the right hand of the throne of God. He is always interceding on our behalf. 

 

We believe in and wait for the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory.

 

By God's declaration all of creation will be made new and will take its rightful place in paradise with its original intent, design, and perfection, for God's good pleasure. By Christ's completed work, creation will be freed from the curse of the fall and all the results that the fall inflicted upon it.

 

By their very nature, all of humankind possesses immortality and as such will be resurrected and will participate in the general judgment.

 

At God's appointed time there will be a divine judgment of humankind. Those declared righteous by God will experience eternal life. Those declared unrighteous shall experience eternal punishment.

 

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Ecclesiology (The Church)

 

Those who are born from above, become members of a holy nation called out from the world system. They are adopted into the family of God, which is holy, authentic, and apostolic. As God's holy people we are called to proclaim the good news of peace and reconciliation in our homes, our communities, and our world.

 

This worldwide church manifests itself through local indigenous gatherings led by appointed Elders. The local gathering shows evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ in its teaching, mission, and government.

 

True citizenship in the church is evidenced in each member by the continuous work of the Holy Spirit; through Spirit baptism, spiritual gifts, and a true desire to reflect God’s divine nature.

 

Citizenship is publicly proclaimed by the laying on of hands by the Eldership, and through water baptism.

 

Evident gifts, confirmed by Elders in the local assembly, are used to build up other members of the family of God and fulfill the mission of the Church. 

 

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Creeds

 

We affirm the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed as concise statements of faith, accurately reflecting the scriptures and the universal teachings of the Christian church.  

 

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THE APOSTLES CREED

 

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; Born of the Virgin Mary;

Suffered under Pontius Pilate;  

Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell; 

The third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven;

And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Christian Church,

the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins;

The Resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen.

 

 

THE NICENE CREED

 

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, 

maker of heaven and earth

and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of the Father before all ages,

God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, 

begotten not made,

being of one substance with the Father,

through Whom all things were made:

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven,

was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary,

and was made man:

Who for us, too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

suffered, and was buried: the third day He rose according

to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven,

and is seated on the right hand of the Father:

He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead,

and His kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life,

Who proceeds from the Father and the Son:

Who together with the Father and the Son

is worshiped and glorified:

Who spoke by the prophets. 

And I believe one holy, Christian, and apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins,

and I look for the resurrection of the dead and life of the age to come.

Amen.

 

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Articles of Conduct

 

In accordance with our Statement of Faith and Doctrine, the membership of Heron Park Baptist Church desire to live in accordance with the Word of God. Therefore, with God as my helper I will endeavour to:

 

  • Be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s work and be obedient to His leading in my life, growing in grace through worship, prayer, service and the reading of the Bible.

 

  • Make the values of the Kingdom of God, and not the values of the world, the standard for my life.

 

  • Seek to be an active participant in God’s ministry of reconciliation and fulfill my mandate as a steward of God’s creation.

 

  • Love humankind as I love myself, seeking to fulfill my calling to the Great Commission.

 

  • Uphold Christian integrity in every area of my life, allowing nothing in thought, word or deed that is unworthy, unclean, untrue, profane, dishonest or immoral.

 

  • Maintain Christian values in all my relationships with others: my family, my neighbours, my colleagues, and those to whom and for whom I am responsible, including the wider community.

 

  • Uphold God’s will and sovereign design for humankind and all races of the earth, including His divine order of male and female, the sanctity of the marriage covenant, and of family life.

 

  • Be a faithful steward of my time and resources, my money and possessions, my body, mind, and spirit, knowing that I am accountable to God in all things.

 

  • Abstain from any substance or practice that could enslave me in my body, mind, or spirit.

 

  • Be actively involved, as l am able, in the life, work, worship and witness of the local church. I will give generously, in accordance with my income, to support its ministries and the worldwide work of the Church.

 

Thereby, I aspire to follow the two great commandments: to love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength, and to love my neighbour as myself.

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