Statement of Faith

Christian Community Churches of Australia

We believe the Bible as originally given by God is divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy, and is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct, from which we can know that:

1. There is one true eternal creator God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. God created all things, making man and woman in His own image and for a relationship with Him.
3. Sin entered the world through human disobedience following the rebellion of Satan against God.
4. The Son, Christ Jesus, was born of a virgin and lived as a sinless man. Out of the abundance of God’s love the Father gave His only Son, Jesus, to save all people from Sin. Christ rose from the grave defeating the power of sin.
5. The death and resurrection of Christ bring salvation by grace through faith to those who repent; seek forgiveness; and believe in Him.
6. The Holy Spirit, following Jesus’ return to His Father in heaven, lives within those who have salvation as a comforter and guide, guaranteeing their eternal hope.
7. Those who trust Jesus as their Lord and Saviour are called to live a transformed life and, as such, have the responsibility to:
   1. Encourage other Christians through meeting together for worship and fellowship.
   2. Uphold moral directives and ethical values contained in the Bible as expressed within the context of their personal life, their marriage life (the covenantal relationship of one man and one woman), and their relationship with others.
   3. Share the good news to all the world.
   4. Be active in expressing God’s love through social justice.
8. Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God. Those who have received salvation have eternal life as joint heirs with Christ. Those who do not believe in Christ are separated from God for eternity.
9. Christ will return as Lord of the earth and everyone will see Him. There will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Doctrinal Statement

Christian Community Churches of Victoria and Tasmania.

1. The Godhead – We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 90:2; Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 28:18-19).
2. The Bible – We believe the 66 books of the Bible as originally given by God, are divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy; and the supreme authority and sufficient in all matters of Christian doctrine, faith and life (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Jude 3).
3. The Person and Work of Christ – We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Jesus lived a sinless life on earth, died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, was buried and rose bodily from the dead. Further, He ascended into Heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate (Luke 1:34; John 1:1, 14, 18; Acts1:9-11; 4:10-12; Romans 1:4; 3:24-25; 5:8-10; 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:3; 4:14-16; 6:19-20; 7:24-25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2).
4. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit – We believe that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. The ministry of the Spirit is to glorify Christ, convict people of sin, righteousness, and judgment, regenerate the believing sinner, and at the point of conversion, baptise those who believe into the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit then indwells, guides, instructs, sovereignly gifts Christians for the common good of the Church and empowers the believer for Christ-like living and service (John 14:16-17; 16:7-15; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 12:7; 11-13; 18; 2 Corinthians 13-14; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18).
5. Angels, Fallen, and Unfallen – We believe that God created spirit beings known as Angels. We believe the Bible teaches that Satan is a personal angelic being, the highest of all angelic creatures. Satan sinned through pride and with him other angels known now as demons joined Satan’s rebellion against God. Satan through his revolt became the author of sin. Satan is the open and declared enemy of God and humankind and he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Genesis 3:1-19; Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 20:10).
6. Creation and Fall of Humankind – We believe that humankind was created in the image and likeness of God. The first man Adam fell into sin, and as a consequence, every person is spiritually lost or dead. Each person is born with a sinful nature and needs the miracle of new birth before he/she can enter the Kingdom of God (Genesis 1:25-27; John 3:16-18; 36; 5:24; 10:27-29; Acts 10:43; Titus 3:4-7).
7. Salvation – We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. He shed His blood and His resurrection provides the only means of eternal salvation, and salvation is offered as a free gift of God. Only through repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can an individual be forgiven, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and thus become an eternal child of God (Luke 24:46-47; John 3:16-18; 36; 5:24; 10:27-29; Acts 10:43; Romans 5:12; 17; Ephesians 1:7-8; 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 13-15).
8. Christian Living – We believe that our faith in Christ is to result in a godly lifestyle. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and action (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:47; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-26; Ephesians 4:25-5:21; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; James 1:26-27; 1 John 3:14-18).
9. Morality and Marriage – Morality as prescribed in the Bible is the standard Christians are called to adopt. We believe that God only sanctifies heterosexual marriages and condemns adultery, fornication, homosexuality and a wide range of other specific sins (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:3-6; Romans 1:26-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).
10. The Church – We believe the true universal Church is a spiritual entity composed of all individuals who have genuinely repented of their sin, who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been forgiven, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and are united together in the body of Christ of which Christ is the Head. We believe that only those who are thus members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the local church.We believe God has called individual Christians to meet together as a local, autonomous congregation. These local churches are to be bases of evangelistic outreach, submit to Christ as Lord and Head of the Church, be guided by a recognized group of elders, acknowledge a gifted ministry, baptize converts, join together for prayer, worship, teaching, exhortation, fellowship and the breaking of bread, and take up offerings in order to support those who minister the Word of God, preach the Gospel, have financial needs or send relief to Christians with special needs (Acts 2:42-47; 11:27-30; 12:25; 20:7,17-38; 1 Corinthians 9:1-14, 12:1-28; 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15; Romans 12:1-16; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-16; Philippians 1:1, 4:15-18; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1-4).We teach that the establishment and continuity of local churches are clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and that the members of the one scriptural body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies. We teach that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for the presentation and propagation of the faith (Acts 14:23, 27; 15:19-30; 20:17, 28; 1 Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; 11:18-20; Galatians 1:2; Philippians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1;
    2 Thessalonians 1:1; Hebrews 10:25).
11. Ordinances of the Church – We believe the Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, the believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

    Believer’s baptism is to follow personal repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Such baptism is an acted parable of a Christian’s death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. It is an outward sign of an inward divine work (Matthew 28_19-20; Acts 8:12, 35-39; 16:31-33; Romans 6:3-4; 10:9-10; Colossians 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21).

    The Lord’s Supper is also called in the Bible, the Breaking of Bread, or the Communion. Communion is a time of worship, a celebration of the redemptive activity of God through Christ. It is a remembrance of Christ, a proclamation of His death, and a meal anticipating of the Return of Christ (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:15-20; Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:17-33).

12. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ – We believe in the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and the establishing of His Kingdom on earth. This coming is to be expected at any time and, as our blessed hope, motivates the Christian to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 6:1-19:21; 20:1-3).

     

13. The Resurrection of the Believer and the Unbeliever – We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace (Luke 16:19-31; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:12-58; 2 Corinthians 5:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:11-15).