Colchester Mission and Headgate Baptist Church Beliefs
What we Believe
A church is not a social organisation or a club. It is a gathering of men and women who have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. These people meet together to worship the Lord, to praise Him, to encourage one another to live lives pleasing to the Saviour and to be instructed in the truths of the Holy Bible.
It is also a place from which these believers go forth, individually and in groups, to spread the gospel of Christ Jesus to men and women the world over.
The extent to which the blessing of the Lord abides upon a church and the effectiveness of a church in the aforementioned areas depends upon its understanding of and obedience to the words of God. There are certainly clearly stated truths found in scripture to which all believers must steadfastly adhere. A collection of individuals, each living in accord with their opinions or religious notions, can accomplish little for Christ. A gathering of men and women who have a like-minded faith in a foundational set of Biblical truths can do great things for the Lord.
Our Statement of Doctrinal Beliefs
We believe in the absolute authority of the holy scriptures. We believe the original manuscripts were given by inspiration of God and were without error. We believe the God who gave His word to man has taken upon Himself the responsibility for its preservation. We believe the incorruptible word of God which cannot pass away is available to the English-speaking world in the Authorized (King James) Version. This Bible is our final authority in all matters.
We believe in one God eternally existent as the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost.
We believe God to be the creator and sustainer of all things, visible and invisible. We believe the universe and all that is therein to be held together by the word of His power.
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be God manifest in the flesh, virgin born, without sin, crucified, risen and coming again to receive His church, then returning to establish His kingdom.
We believe salvation is available to all men by grace through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from human works or merit of any kind.
We believe the saved child of God is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ, and is sealed, taught and comforted by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption.
We believe salvation makes one a member of the body of Christ and the members of this body should gather together in a local church where they may minister one to another.
We believe it is the responsibility of every believer to proclaim the saving gospel to all men by personal testimony and by giving of their means to finance the missionary efforts of the church.
We believe all men rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ will spend eternity in the conscious torment of a literal lake of fire, while those receiving the Lord Jesus Christ will spend eternity in the glorious presence of God.
We believe all saved men should be separate from the outward and inner ways of this world, being holy in mind and in body. We believe, however, that righteousness does not come by keeping of laws and commandments but by an inner change of heart. We therefore place emphasis on the inner condition, trusting the outward appearance to follow accordingly.
We believe that water baptism is a public testimony made by the saved Christian and plays no part in salvation or making one a member of the church.
We believe that any attempt by the state to interfere with the working of the church or by the church to interfere with the working of the state is a violation of God’s purpose for both.
We believe in the priesthood of all believers and decry any fashion of exalting one member of the body of Christ, or one gift of the Spirit above another.
We believe that the church is a body of which Jesus is the head. Thus it is not a democracy to be run by the will of its members but is to conduct its temporal as well as its spiritual business in strict accordance to the word of God.
AMEN