WE HAVE GOOD AND LIFE-CHANGING NEWS TO SHARE!

As a church, we delight in and are unashamed to believe the historic truths of the Christian faith. We believe that Jesus came to give us life and life in all its fullness. We would love you to hear and believe this life-changing news. The full details of what we believe can be found in our Statement of Faith

We recently refreshed the name of our church! As you will know we are now called Grace Church Bothwell! This name captures what is foundational to our life together – GRACE! Our church exists only because of God’s grace. It is grace that is the centre of our lives together. All who belong to Grace Church Bothwell share the testimony of John Newton (1725-1807) who wrote the famous hymn – Amazing Grace! 

Amazing grace – how Sweet the Sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.

This is the message at the heart of Grace Church Bothwell!

Our Statement Of Faith

The Scriptures

We believe in the full authority and divine inspiration of the Bible.

We affirm that the Bible was written by men who were inspired to write by the Holy Spirit, and that it is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction. God is the author, salvation is the purpose, and truth, without any mixture of error, is the content. The Scriptures are now, and will be to the end of the world, the true centre of Christian union and the supreme standard and authority for evaluating all human conduct, creeds, and opinions.

The True God

We believe in one, true and living God who exists in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and love. We believe that God created, sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory. We affirm that God is the rightful judge of all the earth and the author of salvation.

Humanity and the Fall

We believe that all men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth.

We affirm that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. However, since the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life. In this state, all of humanity is hostile towards God and is under His just condemnation. Therefore, if people are to know and please God, it is a necessity that they are born again and are reconciled to God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the incarnate Son of God, the eternal Word who became flesh.

We affirm that He is truly God and truly man and that He is the only mediator between God and men. As to his deity, he is God of very God, being one with and of the same substance as the Father. As to his humanity he is like us in every way, yet without sin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirt and born of a virgin. He died on the cross, bearing the wrath and judgement of God against sin. We believe that he rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended to heaven. He is now exalted at the right hand of the Father where he reigns over heaven and earth. He intercedes for his people as the true Prophet, Priest and King of the church. We believe that one day he will return in power and glory as the judge of the living and the dead.

Salvation

We believe that salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved.

Our salvation has been accomplished through the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that He has purchased the salvation of all who will come to him in repentance and faith. This message of salvation is to be preached and offered to all without exception. We believe that God in his love forgives sinners whom he calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone; they are united to Christ and are adopted into the family of God. They are recipients of eternal life and citizens of heaven both presently and in the world to come. We affirm that the chief end of salvation is the glory of God.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to bring salvation to men and women.

The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven by the Father and the Son to glorify Christ and to apply the work of salvation to sinners. We believe that it is the work of the Holy Spirt to bring conviction of sin and to grant spiritual life. We affirm that the Holy Spirit indwells all believers, bringing assurance of salvation and producing increasing likeness to Christ. The Holy Spirit empowers the mission of the church and equips believers to worship, serve and to grow in maturity and fruitfulness.

The Church

We believe that the universal church is the body of which Christ is the Head, to which all who are saved belong, and that it is made visible in local churches.

A local church is an organised gathering of believers who are united by a statement of faith which express the doctrines believed by the church, which are often highlighted, and agreed by every believer who comes into church membership. The church is to be fed and shaped by the correct preaching and hearing of the word of God as the focus of their life together in Christ. The gathered church is aided by the gospel signs of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that Baptism is a local church’s act of affirming and portraying a converted person’s union with Christ by immersing him or her in water.

In addition, we affirm that it is a converted person’s act of publicly committing him or herself to Christ and his people, thereby uniting them to the church and marking them off from the world.

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a physical act of a local church. In the Lord’s Supper we have communion with Christ and each other as we commemorate the death of Christ by partaking bread and wine. It is for believers in Jesus Christ, who are in good standing with the local church and whose lives are characterised by repentance and faith.

The Future

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return in power and glory.

On that day, he will raise the dead and bring salvation and judgement to final completion. He will grant eternal life and joy to all who have believed the gospel, and those who have not believed the gospel will be justly assigned to everlasting punishment in hell. God will fully establish his kingdom when he creates a new heaven and new earth from which evil and evildoers, suffering and death will be excluded, and in which he will be glorified forever.