Our Beliefs
GOD
There is one God who has always existed in three distinct but equal persons:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in His holiness, power, justice,
wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator, Saviour and Judge who sustains and
governs all things according to His sovereign will and for His glory.
2 Corinthians 13:14; I Peter 1:2; I John 5:7; Isaiah 33:5-6; Genesis 1:1-31, 2:1-25
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has been sent from Heaven at Pentecost to glorify Christ and to apply
His work of salvation. He gives a true understanding of the Scriptures and He
indwells all believers.
We believe that God the Holy Spirit must work in man before he can enter into
salvation.
He leads the sinner to an awareness of his sinfulness and brings him to repentance
and trust in Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts and regenerates the sinner. It is the
sinner’s responsibility to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit
also sanctifies illuminates and comforts those who believe in Christ. It is the work
of the Holy Spirit to develop in the believer’s life the fruits of love and
holiness.
Acts 2:1-21; John 16:7-15; Hebrews 2:3
The Human Race
We believe that God created man, perfect in His own image, but, being tempted by the
Devil, man, by his own free choice, disobeyed God and became a sinner, guilty and
totally depraved before God. Man’s whole nature is now perverted by sin and his
fellowship with God is broken, thereby incurring physical, spiritual and eternal
death.
Every person is therefore under the condemnation of God and needs to be born again,
forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please Him.
Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 1:18-32; John 3:1-21
The One Church
We believe that all who have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, and
upon whom God has bestowed His righteousness as a free gift, belong to Christ.
They alone are rightly called Christians.
They alone are members of the one universal and eternal Church of Christ.
Ephesians 1:7; Acts 11:26
Baptism
Baptism is an outward symbol of the inward change that has been effected in the life
of believers having trusted Christ as Saviour.
Christ commanded the act of Baptism. It also symbolises dying with Christ and rising
with Christ to a new life. It does not produce any spiritual change in the one
baptized. We believe that those being baptised should be believers and the method
used should be total emersion, never sprinkling. Anyone wishing to be baptised
should make it known to an Elder or Deacon. They will be given a copy of the leaflet
“Baptism Explained”.
Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 6:3-4
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for
all.
We at AEC celebrate communion every Sunday. As believers we are commanded to
remember the Lord’s death until He comes. Christians are exhorted to examine
themselves, so that all known sin should be previously confessed, and any animosity
or ill feeling between individuals be put right and a proper relationship restored.
This enables us to partake of the emblems in a right attitude and responsible
manner. Our conscience should not condemn us at the Lord’s table.
1 Corinthians 11:23-31; 1 John 3:20-21
The Lord Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life of obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all His words are true. On the cross He died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming those who trust in His sacrifice by His blood. He rose from the dead and in His resurrection body ascended into Heaven, where He is seated at God’s right hand and intercedes for His people in the presence of the Father.
Matthew 1:18-25; Acts 2:22-36
The Bible
God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. The Scriptures do not merely contain the Word of God, but every Word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible, as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.
Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21
Satan
We believe that Satan exists as an evil spirit, that he is the originator of sin, the arch enemy of God and man, the deceiver and enslaver of mankind and is set on the ultimate damnation of every person. We believe that Satan and his angels will be committed to the eternal lake of fire.
Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 11:3,14,15; Revelation 20:10
Salvation
We believe that Salvation is by the Grace of God; God in His Grace forgives and reconciles to Himself all who turn to Him in true repentance and who trust in Christ’s atoning death. Salvation is by faith alone in the all sufficient-sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. God imputes the righteousness of Christ Himself to
Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:25; Romans 4:5-8; Romans 8:15-16
The Local Church
We believe that each local Church is a fellowship of believers, called out from the world, separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ, voluntarily associated for the ministry of God’s Word, the mutual edification of its members, the propagation of the gospel and the administration of the ordinances. We believe it is an independent body, exercising its own divinely awarded gifts, precepts and principles under the Lordship of Christ, the great Head of the Church. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel. The local Church has no need of, nor should it acknowledge, any other authority than that of Christ. We believe in the entire separation of Church and state.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 27-31; 1 Corinthians 14:3; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Ephesians 4:11-15
Infant Dedication
Infant dedication is a simple service of thanksgiving to the Lord for the gift of the child and for safe arrival. At this service the parents and the congregation are charged publicly to be faithful in caring for the child’s spiritual welfare as well as its physical welfare. The dedication does nothing for the child spiritually or eternally but is an open acknowledgement to God for his unending goodness. Anyone wishing to have a child dedicated should inform an Elder or Deacon.
The Future
The Lord Jesus Christ will return in the air for His Church. Christians are
instructed to look for His appearing not for the grave, and live holy lives in
anticipation of His coming.
There are many other prophetic events, and the scriptures further reveal that there
will be resurrections of the just and the unjust. The unjust will be sent to eternal
punishment (Hell) and the just will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy (Heaven)
in fellowship with God.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Peter 1:13-15; John 5:25, 28-29