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We
believe that the Bible is the holy, inspired
Word of God, given to us by the Holy Spirit
through human agency. It bears witness to the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and is the
sole, infallible standard for faith and
practice:
"You search the Scriptures
... these are they which testify of me"
(John 5:39).
What
the Scriptures teach and instruct us to do is
also relevant for our times, because
"Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and for ever" (Hebrews
13:8).
We believe in the
Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and God the Holy
Spirit - one God, who has manifested Himself to
mankind as three Persons, each bearing witness
to each other:
"In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth" (John 1:1,14).
"I have
glorified you on the earth. I have finished
the work which you have given me to do. And
now, O Father, glorify me together with
yourself, with the glory which I had with
you before the world was" (John 17:4-5).
"When he,
the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide
you into all truth; for he will not speak on
his own authority, but whatever he hears he
will speak; and he will tell you things to
come" (John 16:13).
In keeping with the
Apostles' Creed, we believe that God's plan of
salvation is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ,
"Who was
conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the
Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried ...
descended into hell ... rose again from the
dead ... ascended into heaven, And sitteth
on the right hand of God the Father
Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge
the quick and the dead."
Man's need for
salvation is expressed by the Apostle Paul in
his letter to the Church at Rome:
"...
For there is no difference; for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:22-23).
"The wages
of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).
In the death and
resurrection of His only begotten Son Jesus
Christ, God has made provision for our
salvation:
"For
God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have everlasting life"
(John 3:16).
"Nor is
there salvation in any other, for there is
no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
"…being
justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God
set forth to be a propitiation by his blood,
through faith …" (Romans 3:24-25).
We believe that the
true Church consists of all those who
acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Saviour and who serve Him in spirit and in
truth, and that this is the fellowship of all
believers. They are His Body and
"He is
the head of the body" (Colossians
1:18).
"As the body
is one and has many members, but all the
members of that one body, being many, are
one body, so also is Christ. For by one
Spirit we were all baptized into one body --
whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or
free -- and have all been made to drink into
one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).
We believe that it
is the duty of every Christian to proclaim in
word and deed the saving message of our Lord
Jesus Christ, in accordance with Matthew
28:19-20:
"Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all things that I have
commanded you."
The ministry and
calling of every Christian is to
"...
love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind
... And ... love your neighbour as yourself"
(Matthew 22:37,39).
This includes
witnessing to the Lord and living out His
commandments in everyday life.
Translated from the German.
Bible quotations are
taken from the Holy Bible -- Revised Authorized
Version.
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