Our Beliefs
A) Purpose:
We exist to worship God, obey the commands of Scripture, preach Jesus Christ crucified, risen, exalted and coming again, and fulfill the vows contained in its Covenant.
Members of this Church, and anyone working in ministry of the Church, will submit to the Constitution and Handbook of The Evangelical Church of Bermuda.
All Church Officers, members of the committees, Bible School Teachers and all those who hold a place of leadership within the ministry of the Church, designated by the ruling leadership, must agree to the Articles of Faith and the Standards of Conduct, as laid down in this Handbook.
B) Articles of Faith:
1. The Holy Scripture
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (II Timothy 3:16; Mark 12:26,36).
2. The Godhead
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; that these persons are equal in every divine perfection; and that they execute distinct, but harmonious, offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption (John 10:30; II Corinthians 13:14). We believe in God, the Father and infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
3. The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Ghost. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal visible return to earth (John 1:1,2,14; John 10:10; Matthew 1:20; Colossians 1:15; Romans 5:6-8; Romans 6:10,14,17,18; Matthew 2:5-7; Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 7:22-25; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10; II Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 11:15-19).
4. The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide (John 14:16; John 15:26; John 16:13,14; John 16:8-11; John 15:26,27; I Corintians 6:19; I Corinthians 12:13; John 14:26; Galatians 5:22,23).
5. Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, by a direct act of creation; that all men are sinners by nature and by choice, and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust Jesus Christ as Saviour are regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26,27; Genesis 3:6; Romans 6:23; Romans 3:10-23; John 3:3; Galatians 3:22).
6. Salvation
We believe that our salvation is solely by the grace of God, through personal faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It was not accomplished by anything we have done (Ephesians 2:8,9). We believe that Jesus Christ paid the complete penalty for all sons of mankind through the shedding of His blood on the cross of Calvary (I Peter 1:18-20; I Peter 2:24). We also believe that the salvation of all believers is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and is so secure that nothing could separate the believer from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions and that he should seek to realize for himself, and others, the full stature of maturity in Christ.
7. Eternal Security and Assurance of Salvation
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38,39). We believe that it is a privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation. However, the testimony of God’s Word clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Romans 13:13,14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
8. The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head, and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is responsible to God alone, in all matters of faith; that each Church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical, or political authority; that, therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation of patronage of the other (I Thessalonians 4:16,17; I Corinthians 12:11,13).
9. Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:19,20; Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
10. Spiritual Gifts
We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts and that, while all do not possess the same gifts, each believer does possess at least one gift, which is to be faithfully exercised (I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28-31; Romans 12:3-8). The exercise of spiritual gifts is for the edifying of the church and such exercise is to be consistent with Biblical order (I Corinthians 14:23-40).
11. Missions
We believe that it is the obligation of the saved to witness, by life and by word, of the truths of Holy Scriptures and to seek to proclaim the gospel to all mankind (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:19,20).
12. Satan
We believe that Satan is a person (Job 1:6,7), the author of sin (Isaiah 14:12-17) and the cause of the fall (Genesis 3:1-15), and that he is the open and declared enemy of God (Matthew 4:2-11) and man (I Peter 5:8). We believe that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire, along with the other fallen angels (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
13. Judgement and the Lord’s Return
We believe that all people who do not believe in Jesus Christ, and receive Him as their Saviour from sin, are condemned to the literal and physical judgement of hell (John 3:18,36; Luke 16:23-28). We believe that, following the Great White Throne judgement, all unbelievers, and hell itself, will be cast into the Lake of Fire, prepared for Satan and his angels, where they shall remain in eternal torment (Revelation 20:11-15). We believe that believers in Christ shall not come under judgement for their sin (John 5:24), however, believers will be judged for their works, since salvation at the judgement seat of Christ is to determine rewards for faithfulness (I Corinthians 3:11-15; Romans 14:10).
We believe in the personal visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgement, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked (John 14:3; Acts 1:11; I John 3:2,3; I Thessalonians 4:13-19; Matthew 24:36-51; Revelation chapters 6 thru 18; Revelation 20:10).
Covenant of the Evangelical Church of Bermuda
The church covenant sets forth the basis of our life, together in Christ. It provides a basis for the self-examination that is needed, periodically, in the Christian life and for the renewal of our commitment to Christ, and to each other, as members of His body. The Church Covenant will be read at regular intervals throughout the year, on those occasions that are chosen by the ruling leadership.
We believe in God the Father who, by His great power, made everything that is and who, alone, is the source of life. We believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour who, as man, fully understands us and, as God, fully deserves our love and worship. We believe in the Holy Spirit, who also is God, and who dwells within our hearts, empowering us to live according to God’s will.
We have been led by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and we trust in Jesus’ blood and righteousness, alone, as the ground of our redemption. We have been baptized into the likeness of His death and have been raised to life in the likeness of His resurrection, and so now we walk in newness of life.
Thus, we have been united in Him and we do now, most solemnly and joyfully, covenant with God and with one another as one body in Christ.
By the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives:
~ We will love one another as brethren in the Lord and will exercise Christian care and watchfulness for one another. We will bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
~ We will remember each other in prayer, comfort each other in sickness and distress, cultivate Christian sympathy and courtesy, and we will always be slow to take offence and ready for reconciliation with each other.
~ We will maintain personal and family devotions, study the Scriptures faithfully and raise our children to know both the love and discipline of the Lord.
~ We will not neglect the assembling of ourselves together to worship the Lord and study His word. We will faithfully attend the services of the Church, and we will pray and labour for its prosperity in what it teaches and rightfully represents.
~ We will earnestly and actively bear witness to our Lord and Saviour, and will be ready at all times to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those around us, for we know that, apart from Him, there is no hope.
~ We will regularly and systematically give of our substance to the Lord, as He prospers us, for the support of a Christ-centered ministry among us for the relief of the poor and for the spreading of the gospel into the whole world.
~ We will live in the world as the obedient and willing servants of Christ, being careful to glorify Him in all our dealings, be faithful in all our relationships and exemplary in our daily living.
~ We desire the triumph of Christ above all earthly good, and joyfully wait for His coming again. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will seek God’s Kingdom, do His will, and will trust Him to daily provide for all our needs and to fill us with the power to do what He requires.
