The statement of faith outlines what we believe as a church. It was prepared by our members, friends, elders, and deacons, and carefully discussed and refined together. We will keep this as a living document, updating it when needed to reflect our church’s current understanding of faith.
Updated – 08-07-25
1. God.
There is one God who exists in three distinct but equal persons, The Father, The
Son (Jesus) and The Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in His perfect holiness,
wisdom, justice and love. He is our creator, saviour and judge and He rules over all
things.
2. The Bible.
The Bible is God’s Holy book. He gave the words to human authors in order to
reveal himself to the world and give us a definitive guide on how to live. The Bible
reveals the Truth of God and His world.
3. Humanity.
Humanity was created by God in His image. We are all loved by God and are
unique, special and made for a purpose. Our greatest purpose is to trust, obey,
worship and love God.
4. Marriage.
Marriage is the joining of one man and one woman who make a solemn promise to
God. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God to be enjoyed only within marriage.
Marriage provides a loving (Christian) partnership for the raising of children/families.
It is sometimes compared to the relationship between Jesus Christ and His church.
5. The Fall & Salvation
We are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory no matter how good we are. God
has offered us the gift of forgiveness by sending Jesus to pay the price for our sins.
We must accept, believe and commit to Jesus in order to receive His gift.
This salvation is a gift from God and it cannot be earned or bought. Therefore,
anyone who believes and commits to Jesus can become a part of Gods family and
receive eternal life.
6. Jesus Christ
Jesus is God’s Son. He is both fully human and fully divine. He was born to a
virgin, placed in her womb by Gods power. He lived a completely good life and
taught us how to understand and follow God. He died by crucifixion to save us from
our wrong deeds. Three days later he rose from the dead, showing us that his
sacrifice divinity has saved us from eternal death.
7. The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, sent from heaven to live in believers’ hearts. He
enables us to have a relationship with God and helps to guide us in understanding
the Bible, to steer us away from doing wrong and empower us to serve Him and His
Church.
8. The Church.
The Church is the human family of God. All Christians (past, present and future)
are part of the Church. Christians gather together to worship God, pray, care for
and encourage each other, and to help each other to understand God’s Word
through teaching and studying the Bible. Together we spread the good news of
Jesus through mission, evangelism and service to God and others. We believe in
the priesthood of all believers, that is to say that through Christ all believers have
the freedom to draw near to God and to receive and hear from God. Therefore, we
believe the Church hears God’s voice together, as a community. So, the gathered
Downend Baptist Church – What we believe:
Members of all ages discern God’s will rather than decisions being made solely by
the minister or leaders.
9. Baptism.
Baptism is a public declaration of the decision to follow God and live a Christian life.
By fully immersing their body in water, the person is symbolically showing that they
wish to die of their old ways, be born again accepting the gift of forgiveness that
God gives to all who believe. Baptism is only the beginning of a life-long journey of
discipleship, of dying to our sins and rising to new life in Christ. You don’t need to
be perfect to start on the journey!
10. Communion or The Lord’s Supper.
Christians regularly take part in remembering Jesus’ Last Supper. We remember
that Jesus gave his body and blood in order to save us. We drink and eat bread
together as a Church family as a reminder of that sacrifice. Communion is open to
all who believe, and should be taken in a mindset of solemn remembrance.
11. The future.
Jesus will return to call his faithful believers, both alive and dead, to be with Him in
eternal life.