The following is a summary of what we believe and teach at GraceLife Skelton. This forms the doctrinal foundation upon which this church will be established. NOTE: If you hover over the Scripture references below, the verses will be displayed in full.

THE SCRIPTURES

We believe and teach that the Bible is the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God, without error, and is therefore entirely sufficient, authoritative & necessary as the believer’s guide for life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

THE GODHEAD

We believe and teach that there is one God who exists in three distinct persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4, 2 Corinthians 13:14)

GOD THE FATHER

We believe and teach that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity, and the Sovereign Initiator of all things. (Ephesians 1:11-12)

GOD THE SON

We believe and teach that God the Son is the second person of the Trinity, is both fully God and fully Man, born of a virgin, and came to redeem lost sinners through His substitutional death, burial & resurrection. (John 3:13-18)

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe and teach that God the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, is fully God, with personal attributes, and works in unbelievers to bring conviction and salvation, and in believers to produce Christlikeness and spiritual fruitfulness (John 16:7-11, 2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit administers spiritual gifts to the church today, with the exception of the sign gifts (tongues, prophecy, miracles). Although we believe and teach that no individual possesses the gift of the working of miracles today, we fully believe that our God is a miracle working God, and can do anything He pleases. We do not believe that individuals possess the gift of healing, but we do believe we should pray for healing according to God's will, and that He can and does heal when this is part of His sovereign plan. The sign gifts had a temporary purpose in the early church, to authenticate the apostles as revealers of divine truth.

(1 Corinthians 13:8–10; Ephesians 2:20)

MANKIND

We believe and teach that man was created by God, in the image of God, for the glory of God. God created us male and female, which is identified by our biological sex. Marriage is the exclusive union of one man and one woman and is a picture of the relationship between Christ and his bride the church. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God to be enjoyed only within the context of marriage.

(Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:24)

SIN

We believe and teach that sin entered the world through Adam, and therefore spread to all mankind, leaving man guilty before God, and destined for eternal punishment. (Romans 3:10-19)

SALVATION

We believe and teach that salvation is by grace alone, through repentant faith alone, in Christ alone, resulting in forgiveness of sin, justification, and the gift of eternal life. (Romans 3:21-26)

THE CHURCH

We believe and teach that there is one universal Church (the Body of Christ) made up of all true believers, with Christ as the Head, and that the local church is to function under the care and oversight of God-appointed, biblically qualified leadership to fulfil the Great Commission. (1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:10-16, Matthew 28:18-20). There are two ordinances for the Church: Baptism by immersion (Matthew 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

ANGELS

We believe and teach that there are two types of angelic beings – angels that serve and worship God, and fallen angels led by Satan, who are the rebellious enemies of God.

(Revelation 5:11-12 & 12:9)

LAST THINGS

We believe and teach that Christ will come back to this earth for His saints (The Rapture of the Church) and then will return with His saints (The Second Coming), to rule on earth for a thousand years (The Millennium), judge the earth, and lead the redeemed into eternal glory. (John 14:1-3, 2 Timothy 4:1)

SEXUALITY & GENDER

We believe that God has created two distinct, yet complementary and equally valuable, genders within the human race. He determines whether an individual is male or female according to his or her genetic make-up. (Genesis 1:26–28; Psalm 139:13–16)

MARRIAGE

We believe that marriage is a covenant of companionship between one person who is a genetic male and one person who is a genetic female, which establishes a one-flesh union. Any other type of union does not comply with the Bible’s definition of marriage.

(Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6)

Regarding Secondary Issues

We recognise there are issues of a secondary non-essential nature that believers can have differing views about and still be members in the church (such as the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Last Things etc.). We also recognise that the leadership of a church needs to remain humble, and willing to change or modify their position, should they be convinced by Scripture.

GraceLife church is also in broad agreement with the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, the confession used by the famous Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Holding to a historic confession gives us confidence that our core beliefs are not novel but have a historical connection dating back to the reformation over 500 years ago.

Click the image below for a modern English version of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.