When you attend a church, it's important to know that they hold true to the word of God. So here is what we believe, so you can judge for yourself whether we are right for you. 

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Our beliefs are firmly founded upon the Word of God - the Bible.  The teaching of the Bible governs and directs all that we do and the way in which we are organised.

The key elements of our beliefs are outlined below, if you would like to discuss them please do not hesitate to get in contact.

 

ARTICLES OF FAITH

 

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.

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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 in all matters of belief and practice.

 

3. Humanity

All human beings have been created by God, in his image. All human beings have been created either male or female, having inherent and equal worth and dignity; this dignity remains untarnished by any human limitations or differences. As humans, our greatest purpose is to know, love, worship and serve God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and is biased against God. All people are sinful by nature and practice. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God.

 

4. The Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. Jesus did not inherit mankind’s sinful nature and lived a perfect and sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all His words are true.

 

5. The Cross and the Resurrection

On the cross, Jesus died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin to redeem them from the guilt, penalty and power of sin. He rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is now reigning in heaven and earth. Jesus intercedes for His people in the presence of the Father.

 

6. Salvation

Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. This is God’s act of undeserved mercy.  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.  

 

7. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply the work of Christ to individual sinners. He convicts them, enables them to turn to God from their sin and to trust in Christ, imparts spiritual life and leads God’s people into a deeper understanding of God’s word, character and ways. The Holy Spirit indwells all believers, bringing assurance of salvation and producing in them the ‘fruit of the Spirit’. He builds up the Church and gives its members power for their worship, service and mission. The Holy Spirit produces in believers increasing likeness to Christ in character and behaviour.  

 

8. New Life in Christ

Upon salvation a Christian begins a new life in Christ, throughout which they are being transformed in mind, attitudes, actions and relationships by the Holy Spirit. A Christian will want to please God; they will be hungry for God’s word, and they will strive to avoid sin. They will be keen to associate with God’s people and they will delight in prayer, worship and praise. 

 

9. The Church

The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all true believers belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are the congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, teaching the Bible, 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. In their conversion all Christians become part of the universal church and are called on to commit themselves to a local church and take part in its life. The Church is God’s chosen instrument for bringing Christians to maturity and evangelising the world. The Church is to be a community of worship, which demonstrates the reality of Christianity by putting it into practice. Every Christian is given specific spiritual gifts for the good of the whole body.

 

10. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the Gospel. Baptism itself does not impart spiritual life but is a symbol of union with Christ in his death and resurrection. United with Him in His resurrection we receive new spiritual life, and are made members of His body, the Church. The Lord’s supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once and for all, the bread and the wine being symbols of His broken body and shed blood.

 

11. Marriage

Marriage, as instituted by God, is a sacred union between one man and one woman. It is a lifelong commitment sealed by vows.  This lifelong covenant is a picture of the unity and love between Christ and His bride the Church. Within this union, both spouses are called to love, cherish, and serve each other with faithfulness and grace. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God to be enjoyed only within the context of marriage.

 

12. The Future

Jesus will return publicly to this world in power and glory. Everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected and will be judged by God in righteousness. He will separate the redeemed from those who have rejected Him. Those who have rejected God will be banished from his presence forever to eternal punishment.  God will remove all the effects of sin in the world creating a new heaven and a new earth into which all those saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be welcomed and live a life of eternal joy and fellowship with God.

 

Notes

The articles above are intended to make clear, as succinctly as possible, what we believe as a Church.  The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith and the subsequent Baptist Affirmation of Faith 1966, to which we adhere, provide greater detail.

As a member of the Association of Grace Baptist Churches (East Anglia) we also subscribe to and agree with Articles of Faith by which the Association is governed.

These articles of faith were adopted by Laxfield Baptist Church members at a meeting held on Tuesday 4th February 2025.