Welwyn Evangelical Church is ‘Reformed’ in the sense that we hold to the system of doctrine known as ‘Reformed’ or ‘Calvinistic’ or ‘ the doctrines of grace’. We believe these doctrines, quite simply, to be Biblical Christianity expressed in systematic form. They are reflected in our Articles of Faith which are set out below.
Articles of Faith
A summary of our principal beliefs:
- We believe that the Bible as originally given is God’s Word and is totally trustworthy and free from error. By itself it is sufficient to teach us all we need to know to please God.
- We believe in the one true and living God in three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, co-equal and co-eternal.
- We believe in Jesus Christ as God, His virgin birth, His real and sinless manhood, His death on our behalf to gain our salvation, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His priestly intercession for all who come to God by Him.
- We believe that mankind was created by God in His own image. Through the fall of Adam every part of man is so affected by sin that of himself he cannot please God. Rebirth by the Holy Spirit is, therefore, essential to enable us to be reconciled to God and so receive eternal life.
- We believe in the justification of the sinner solely by the grace of God through a God-given faith in the atoning merits of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- We believe that God has commissioned the church to preach the Gospel of the grace of God at home and abroad, by all means consistent with the nature of the Gospel, and that he commands all men everywhere to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
- We believe that we are saved, not by our works or through our efforts, but by grace and that God has unconditionally chosen to save in the person of Christ a great multitude which no man can number, from every nation, tribe, people and language. Those whom the Father has chosen, the Son redeemed, and the Spirit sanctified, shall obtain everlasting life.
- We believe in believers’ baptism as commanded by the New Testament, signifying the believer’s cleansing, death and resurrection with Christ. This is fully symbolised by immersion.
- We believe in observing the Lord’s Supper as instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, and that only those participate who, from the work of grace in their hearts, bring forth fruits of righteousness.
- We believe in the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the body, the day of judgement, the everlasting blessedness of the redeemed and the everlasting punishment of the wicked.
- We believe that:
(a) Marriage is ordained by God for the good of mankind and for the glory of God. The only marriage approved by Scripture is that between one man and one woman lawfully joined together in matrimony.
(b) Scripture permits and encourages sexual relations only between one man and one woman who are married to one another as defined in paragraph (a). All other sexual relations are forbidden.
(c) ‘Man’ and ‘woman’ in this article refer to the biological sex of the person as defined by their genetic makeup from conception.