Statement of Faith
At OSCC we believe:
In the One God1
He is eternal – He has no beginning or end and is not bound by time.
He is all-powerful – there is nothing He cannot do.
He is all-knowing – there is nothing that is hidden from Him or that He is not aware of.
He is not bound by space – He is everywhere at once and there is nowhere that He is not.
He is not created – He has always been, He is and He will always be Himself – He does not rely on anything for His existence and He would still exist if nothing else did.
He is the Creator of everything – nothing can exist unless He wills it – He created the universe as an act of His will, speaking it into existence. He sustains and maintains it continually, overseeing all aspects of His creation.
There is none like Him.
who exists as three distinct Persons in the Trinity2
Father: The Lord Almighty;
Son: The Lord Jesus Christ; He is one with the Father and anointed by Him to fulfill God’s plan of redemption for all humankind.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary, a virgin, and was born as a human baby – fully human and fully God. He lived as one of us, but without sinning, and was crucified to take on Himself the sin of the world. He rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and will one day return as judge of the living and the dead.
Holy Spirit: Sent as the indwelling Presence of God and as a deposit guaranteeing our salvation; to teach, guide, encourage and empower us for life and ministry.
Our position as human beings3
We were created in the image of God and to have a relationship with Him. The ‘original sin’ of Adam and Eve separated us from God as a human race, giving each of us a sinful nature, living in rebellion against God and for ourselves.
If we die in this state we face an eternal existence separated from God – a literal hell. Our only hope is to believe in the finished work that Jesus accomplished on the cross, placing our faith in Him, His death, burial and resurrection, and the forgiveness He offers.
Through this faith, we are brought back into a relationship with God, adopted as His children and given new life, both now and eternally when we die.
As God’s children we are called to live in a way that reflects the change that has occurred. We believe in the existence of evil in the world and in spiritual forces of evil, led by Satan, a created being and fallen angel. He opposes God in any way possible.
The Church4
The ‘universal church’ consists of every person – past, present and future – who has or will ever believe in Jesus Christ and give their lives to Him.
The ‘local church’ is a group of Christians who gather together in a specific geographical area, identify themselves as a group and together seek to accomplish God’s purposes. Jesus Christ gave us the two ‘symbols’ of baptism and communion (the Lord’s Supper) as signs of our participation in the life of His church.
The Church is part of God’s plan for the redemption of human beings and was instituted by Him – we are the Family and People of God, a Temple where He lives, and the Body and Bride of Christ. The Church has been given a mission by Christ Himself, and is empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish that mission.
The Word of God5
Christ: Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God; if we have seen Him then we have seen the Father. In this sense, Jesus is the Word of God to us. When we look at Jesus, He shows us what God is really like and communicates God’s message, character, plans and love. There is no other way to know God except through Jesus Christ.
The Bible: The written Word of God. It is inspired by God, is completely true and contains in it everything we need to believe in Christ, grow in our knowledge of God and live Christian lives
Our purpose on earth6
We are called to live out the two great commandments – to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves – and the great commission – to make disciples as we go into the world around us, teaching them everything Jesus has commanded us and baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Christian life is a life of new priorities and loyalties – we seek to live devoted lives for God, in the world but not part of it, knowing that our true home is heavenly.
As Christians, we are to be witnesses to the people around us of God’s love and plan for salvation. They are to see this in our character, our actions and our words.
Our eternal future7
At some time Jesus will return again, the date and time is unknown except to God.
He will return to usher in the end of the world as we know it, to bring all God’s children to Himself, judge all people and banish Satan to a place ‘prepared for him’. Every human being will see Him for who He is – the exalted and almighty God – and bow before Him, confessing that He is Lord.
As those who have believed in Christ and accepted the new life He offers, we will be held accountable for the lives we have led, but will be accepted by God on the basis of Christ’s work on our behalf.
This present age will be wrapped up and every plan and promise of God will finally be brought to fulfillment. He will set up a kingdom where His will is always done, where creation is released from its bondage and where we will live as we were originally created to be.
1Deut.4:35, 6:4, Is.43:10-13, 44:6-8, Gen.1:1, Jn.1:3, Heb.1:2, Ps.139:1-12
2Jn.1:1, Col.1:13-19, 2:9, Jn.14:9-11,16-18,26, 2Cor.3:17a, Heb.1:3, Eph.1:13-14
3Gen.1:27, Rom.3:23, Rom.5&6, 2Cor.3:18, 1Thess.5:9-10, Jn.14:6
4Matt.28:18-20, Acts 1:4-8, 1Cor.11:23-26, Rom.6:1-4, Col.2:9-12, 1Cor.3:16, 1Cor.12:12-13, Eph.5:25-32; 3:15, 1Pet.2:4-10.
5Col.1:13-19, John 1:1, Heb.4:12-13, 2Tim.3:16-17
6Matt.22:37-40; 28:18-20, 1Thess.4:1, Lk.9:23-26, Phil.1:27-28; 2:14-16, Col.2:6, Heb.13:13-14, 2Pet.3:11-14, Eph.4:17-5:20
7Acts 1:7, Matt.24:30-44, 1Thess.5:1-2, Rom.8:19-21, 1Cor.15:24-25, Phil.2:9-11, Rev.20:1-22:6
