We BelieveWe believe in God as eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God created and sustains the universe. The eternal purpose of God the Father is to create a people who will bring glory to God forever. God alone is worthy of worship.
We believe that God became human in Jesus Christ. Jesus came to restore the world because humans have rejected God in disobedience. Jesus taught and modeled the way of God’s kingdom. He died on the cross, making it possible for us to accept a renewed relationship with God. He rose from the dead, broke the power of sin and death, and frees us to live in obedience to God’s will. We believe that God the Holy Spirit invites all people to be reconciled with God and to join the global family of faith. Believers confess their faith, are baptized, and join in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and guided by the Bible, members of the church seek to live as followers of Christ and invite others to experience this new life. As Christians, we look forward to the day when God will once again send Jesus to bring all things under God’s eternal rule. The Mennonite Brethren Confession of FaithThe MB church emphasizes the centrality of biblical authority, articulating confessions of faith in order to connect scriptural teaching with contemporary discipleship.
The MB Confession of Faith describes how the MB church interprets the Bible for our context and is an authoritative guide for biblical interpretation, theological identity and ethical practice. The Bible is our written authority. As Anabaptists, we believe authoritative interpretation of the Bible is the result of corporate reflection under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The MB Confession of Faith is the result of such a process. THE MB CONFESSION OF FAITH DIGEST EDITION
The MB Confession of Faith Digest Edition presents an overview of all 18 articles of the confession. 1. GOD We believe in the one true God, the source of all life, who reigns over all things as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and lovingly cares for all creation. God the Father planned the redemption of humanity and sent Jesus Christ the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God, bringing good news to the poor and triumphing over sin through his obedient life, death, and resurrection. God the Holy Spirit empowers believers with new life, indwells them, and unites them in one body. 2. REVELATION OF GOD We believe God has made himself known to all people. Beginning with creation and culminating in Jesus Christ, God has revealed himself in the Old and New Testaments. All Scripture is inspired by God and is the authoritative guide for faith and practice. We interpret Scripture in the church community as guided by the Holy Spirit. 3. CREATION AND HUMANITY We believe God created the heavens and the earth, and they were good. Humans, God’s crowning act, were created in the image of God. Sin has alienated humanity from the Creator and creation, but God offers redemption and reconciliation through Jesus Christ. 4. SIN AND EVIL We believe sin is individual and corporate opposition to God’s good purposes and leads to physical and spiritual death. 5. SALVATION We believe God saves all people who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Through his obedient life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection, Christ delivers people from the tyranny of sin and death and redeems them for eternal life in the age to come. All creation eagerly awaits its liberation from bondage into the freedom of the glory of God’s children. 6. NATURE OF THE CHURCH We believe the church is the covenant community called by God through Jesus Christ to live a life of discipleship and witness as empowered by the Holy Spirit. The local church gathers regularly for worship, fellowship, and accountability and to discern, develop, and exercise gifts for ministry. 7. MISSION OF THE CHURCH We believe the mission of the church is to make disciples of all nations by calling people to repent, be baptized, and love God and neighbour by sharing the good news and performing acts of love and compassion. 8. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM We believe baptism by water is a public sign that a person has repented of sin, received forgiveness, died with Christ, and been raised to new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is also a public declaration of a believer’s incorporation into the body of Christ as expressed in the local church. 9. LORD’S SUPPER We believe that in obedience to Christ, the church observes the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of his atoning death and to celebrate forgiveness, new life, and the fellowship and unity of all believers. 10. DISCIPLESHIP We believe Jesus calls people who have experienced the new birth to follow him in a costly life of service to God. The power of the Holy Spirit transforms believers from the unrighteous pattern of the present age into a life of joyful obedience with God’s people. 11. MARRIAGE, SINGLENESS, AND FAMILY We believe that singleness and marriage are honoured by God and should be blessed by the church. God instituted marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman for the purpose of companionship, encouragement, sexual intimacy, and procreation. Children are gifts from God and should be nurtured by parents in the ways of God. 12. SOCIETY AND STATE We believe that God instituted the state to promote justice and to maintain law and order. Christians’ primary allegiance is to Christ’s kingdom. Believers are called to witness against injustice, exercise social responsibility, and obey all laws that do not conflict with the Word of God. 13. LOVE AND NONRESISTANCE We believe that God in Christ reconciles people to himself and to one another, making peace through the cross. We seek to be agents of reconciliation, practice love of enemies, and express Christ’s love by alleviating suffering, reducing strife, and promoting justice. Because violence and warfare are contrary to the gospel of Christ, we believe we are called to give alternative service in times of war. 14. THE SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE We believe that God is Creator and giver of life and highly values each person. Procedures designed to take human life are wrong. We oppose all attitudes that devalue human life, especially the defenceless lives of the unborn, disabled, poor, aging, and dying. 15. STEWARDSHIP We believe the universe and everything in it belong to God the Creator and that we have been entrusted by God to manage its resources. All God’s gifts, including money, time, abilities, and influence, are to be received with thanksgiving, used responsibly, and shared generously. 16. THE LORD’S DAY, WORK, AND REST We believe God’s act of creation provides the model for work and rest. In work, we use our abilities to glorify God and serve others. In rest, we express thanks for God’s provision and trust in God’s sustaining grace. In worship, we gather to commemorate the resurrection through worship, instruction, fellowship, and service. 17. CHRISTIANITY AND OTHER FAITHS We believe God’s atoning work in Jesus is the only means of reconciling people with God. God has not left any without a witness to the Creator’s goodness and power. Christians treat people of other faiths with respect but urgently proclaim Christ as the only way of salvation. 18. CHRIST’S FINAL TRIUMPH We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return triumphantly at the end of this age to destroy all evil powers, condemn all who have rejected Christ to eternal punishment, and unite believers with Christ to reign forever with God in glory.
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