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THIS IS OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
Section 1. GOD.

There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in His holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator, Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to His sovereign will for His own glory.

Section 2. THE BIBLE.

God has revealed Himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. 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.

Section 3. THE HUMAN RACE.

All men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please Him.

Section 4. 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 in 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 them by His blood. He rose from the dead and in His resurrection body ascended into heaven where He is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for His people in the presence of the Father.

Section 5. SALVATION.

Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel.

God in His love forgives sinners whom He calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.

Section 6. THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply His work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.

Section 7. THE CHURCH.

The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.

Section 8. BAPTISM.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of union with Christ and entry into His Church but does not impart spiritual life.

Section 9. THE LORD’S SUPPER.

The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.

Section 10. THE FUTURE.

The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of a eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.


Were did the Name BETHEL come from?
The name Bethel comes from the Hebrew beth, meaning house, and el, meaning God. Bethel means House of God. Numerous events of Bible History occurred there, including God's appearance to Abraham and Jacob, and for some time it was the place (see Bible Places) where the Ark of The Covenant, containing The Ten Commandments, was housed.

Bethel has a long connection to major Biblical events of the Old Testament (see Old Testament Fact File

Bethel is located about 12 miles (19 kilometers) north of Jerusalem, west of Jericho and the Jordan River.

Prior to the Israelites' entry into The Promised Land, as God commanded them, Bethel was originally a Canaanite city named Luz (Genesis 28:19).

When Abraham (see Abraham, Man Of Faith) first entered Canaan, he camped between Bethel and Ai (Genesis 12:8), and when he returned from Egypt he returned there and "called upon the name of The Lord" (Genesis 13:3-4).

Jacob, while fleeing from Beersheba to Haran, had his Stairway To Heaven dream near Bethel.

Years later, upon his return there, Jacob built an altar and renamed the place El-Bethel (Genesis 35:6-7), and then Bethel (Genesis 35:15). It was in that time period that God gave Jacob a new name - Israel. (Genesis 35:9-10).

In times of trouble the people went to Bethel to ask counsel of God (Judges 20:18, 21:2).

The Ark Of The Covenant was kept at Bethel for a long time under the care of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron (Judges 20:26-28) (see also Levites).

Bethel was one of the seats of Samuel's circuit court of justice (1 Samuel 7:16) (see Samuel).

After the Israelites were divided into 2 kingdoms upon the death of King Solomon (Israel in the north and Judah in the south), Bethel was included in the northern kingdom under King Jeroboam (see Kings of Israel and Judah). He soon made it into an idolatrous place where the people worshiped a golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-33). The prophet Hosea then contemptuously called it Beth-aven, which means house of idols, or house of wickedness (Hosea 4:15) (see Images and Idols)

After the northern kingdom was destroyed and exiled by the Assyrians (see Ancient Empires - Assyria), later becoming known as the "Lost Ten Tribes of Israel," a few loyal priests lived and taught in Bethel, although they did so amidst continued idolatry (2 Kings 17:27-34).

Later, King Josiah, king of Judah, purged Bethel of all of its idolatry (2 Kings 23:15-18) before the southern kingdom itself was conquered and exiled by the Babylonians (see Why Babylon?).

Bethel still existed after the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity (Ezra 2:28, Nehemiah 7:32).

Today, the Bethel of the Old Testament has been identified with the ruins of Beitin, a small village just south of Shiloh.
Fact Finder: What was the name of Rebekah's nurse who died and was buried near Bethel?
Genesis 35:8
See also Rebekah

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