What We Believe

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete as God's revelation of Himself and of His will for the salvation of mankind and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that these are equal and perfect in every divine attribute and that they execute distinct and harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men and women, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and its penalty all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

We believe that Jesus Christ is God's eternal Son, and fully possesses the same nature and attributes as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is not only true God, but true Man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, His priestly intercession on behalf of His people, and His personal return from heaven.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, co-equal with the Father and the Son. We believe in His personality and His work in regeneration, sanctification and preservation. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and implement Christ's work of redeeming the lost. He also empowers the believer for godly living and for service through the giving of spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are given to all believers by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the church. The manifestation of spiritual gifts should be in accordance with the principles and practices outlined in the New Testament. In this respect Lithgow Bible Church is not 'charismatic' in the modern usage of the word, we do not practice speaking in tongues, prophesying, and public healing in our meetings.

We believe that God created humanity, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin. As a result of the fall, we further believe all persons are sinners by nature and choice and are, therefore, spiritually dead. We also believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates those who repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as Saviour. We believe that God created men and women equal in His sight, and that He intended them to have different and complementary roles and responsibilities in their relationships.

We believe that God wants all mankind to be saved and has made full provision for the salvation of all through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. We believe that salvation is by grace through faith and that it is based upon the sovereign grace of God who, by His Holy Spirit, convicts of sin and regenerates all who repent and believe the gospel. Salvation is received through faith apart from any human merit, works, or ritual. We believe that there is a Biblical position in which God is absolutely sovereign in salvation, and at the same time, humanity is completely responsible to accept or reject that salvation.

We believe that the Church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head and is composed of all persons who possess saving faith in Jesus Christ and have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This body expresses itself in local churches comprised of believers in Christ. The ordinances of the local church are believers' baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper. We believe in the priesthood of all believers; that all believers have the privilege and right of direct access to God through Jesus Christ. We believe in both the independence (or autonomy) of each local church and in the fellowship and loving relationship among all believers in the body of Christ. We believe that church Eldership should be comprised of a plurality of spiritually qualified men and Ministry Leadership should comprised of men and women who exercise their spiritual gifts. We also believe all men and women are directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life.

We believe that God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage. God instituted marriage and ordained it to be between one biological man and one biological woman for their lifetime. The husband and the wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. God has ordained not only marriage but the nature of the relationship between a husband and a wife. By God’ s design, a husband and a wife are to complement one another. The husband is to be a loving servant-leader and the wife to be a helper suitable to him.  The husband-wife relationship should reflect the nature of the relationship of Christ and the Church.

We believe that the supreme task of every believer is to live a life that glorifies God. Each Christian should seek to be a growing disciple of Jesus Christ in every area of life, a faithful steward of all that God gives us, and should seek to become more like Christ.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will personally come again to receive his Church to Himself and in power and glory to establish His millennial kingdom. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost, and that Jesus Christ will judge both the living and the dead. We believe that the saved will live with Christ eternally in heaven while the lost will be condemned to eternal punishment in hell.

The Elders of the church are the leaders of the church and are the ones who interpret this statement of faith.

We recognise that other godly believers hold various interpretations on the aforementioned points. We consider it necessary to state that those who fellowship with us in the church should be aware of our various positions and humbly respect them. While we ask that this involves refraining from publicly teaching anything to the contrary, we admit our need to continually learn and grow. Therefore we welcome private discussion in any of these areas as long as it is carried out in a spirit of love and peace.

The Elders of the Lithgow Bible Church

January 2018