Belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is at the heart of our faith. Christians believe that Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus reveals to us that God is our Father, and that God is available to us through the Holy Spirit.
You won’t ever be asked if you completely understand all this. But you are asked whether you believe and trust. This is called faith. It is a different sort of knowledge. It is the knowledge of being known and loved, and of loving in return.
There are many aspects to personal Christian faith but common to all is a belief in
- The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
- The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God—fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
- The atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God; his resurrection and ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
- The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Jesus through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
- The Church, the body of Jesus, given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit's gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love