What We Believe

Because Jesus Cares - We Care

SAVANNAH WAY BAPTIST CHURCH is a Church that cares about what happens to you now and what happens to you eternally.

Listen to what JESUS DID SAY about our need: He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6He said, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36Listen to some of the things

JESUS DID NOT SAY:

He did not say, “Being a nice person is all that is necessary.” If that were true, we would not need a Saviour. But God said.. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 All of us have come short in living up to God’s law or measure or standard of moral rightness and are therefore guilty before Him. He did not say, “Being religious and going to church is what he requires” The man to whom Jesus said, “Ye must be born again” John 3:3 ... was a religious man ... not a criminal. He was talking about a new spiritual life from God. He did not say, “If you just live by the Golden Rule, you’ll make it.” The Bible says .. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 He did not say, “A loving God would never condemn anyone to Hell.” The God of the Bible is a God of love, but He is also a just and Holy God who cannot retain His justice and excuse sin, nor retain His Holiness and ignore sin. It is man’s sin, which is a violation of His Holy Law, which condemns a man. “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is Eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

God Himself, in the form and body of Jesus Christ, came down to this world 2,000 years ago to pay the penalty of death, for our sin.

As a result, now we can have total forgiveness of our sins and Eternal life with God in heaven. if we will turn to God and accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, through His Crucifixion death and resulting sacrificial payment for our sin. This is a personal act that we all need to take, if we would begin a living, eternal, spiritual relationship with God through Christ and is not a religious ceremony. It has nothing to do with religion or joining the Church, but is a living personal relationship, where God performs the miracle of a new spiritual birth in us, when we receive Christ as our personal Saviour, as He said in John 1:12-13 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” So ...when we receive Jesus Christ into our life, it is God’s only way for a person to receive full forgiveness of sin and God’s gift of Eternal life. If we refuse to accept Christ we must suffer the penalty for rejecting Christ and God’s love gift. God offers you the opportunity right now... If you will open the door of your heart to Him, by honestly and sincerely telling Him that you realise that you are a sinner and need to receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you can immediately have His forgiveness and be “born spiritually” into His Eternal Family. Jesus said in: Revelation 3:20 “Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come it to him...”

Statement of faith

1. The Scriptures

We believe that the Holy Scriptures were written by men supernaturally inspired; that it is Truth without any admixture of error for its matter; and therefore is and shall remain preserved as the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to Man; the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions shall be tried.

2. The True God

We believe in the one true God, existing in three distinct persons, revealed to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in Being, co-identical in Nature, equal in Power and Glory having the same attributes and perfection, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Il Corinthians 13:14; I John 5:7; Exodus 20:2-3; John 4:24;I Timothy 1:17)

3. The Lord Jesus Christ

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the second Person of the Triune God, the Eternal Lord and Only Begotten Son; that without ceasing to be God, He became man having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, thus to continue forever as both true God and true Man, one person with two natures. (John 1:1,2,14,18; Luke 1:35;Hebrews 2:14; Philippians 2:5-8)

4. The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is the third Person of the Trinity; that He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment; that He regenerates, baptizes, indwells, seals and anoints all who become children of God through Christ; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies and fills every believer who duly surrenders to Him. (John 3:5, 6, 8; 14:16-18; 16:11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 12:13; II Corinthians 3:18: Ephesians 1:13; 5:18)

5. Creation

We believe in the Genesis account of creation, that it is to be accepted literally, and not allergically or figuratively; that God created the heavens and the earth in six literal days, resting on the seventh; and that man's creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species, or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly by God and His established law was that they should bring forth only “after their own kind”. (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16, 17; Genesis 1:11; 1:24, 26, 27; 2:21-Romans l:2O)

6. Satan

We believe in the existence of Satan who originally was created a holy and perfect being; but through pride and wicked ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great enemy of God and His people; leader of all other evil angels and wicked spirits, the “prince of the power of the air" and "god of this world"; that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God who over-rules all his wicked devices for good; that he was defeated and judged at the Cross and therefore his final doom in the "Lake of Fire" is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the whole armour of God, by the Blood of the Lamb and through the Power of the Holy Spirit. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Hebrews 2:14; Colossians 2:15; Ephesians 6:12; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9-11; 20:10

7. Man

We believe all men are by nature and choice sinful and lost; that man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness; that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race, which is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life of God under the righteous judgment and wrath of God, thereby incurring not only physical death, but soulical and spiritual death, and has within himself no possible means of salvation. (Genesis 1:27; 3:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-23; 5:12, 19; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3)

8. Salvation

We believe in salvation by grace through faith, that salvation is the free gift of God neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man; but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect 3 righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish; that this salvation affects the whole man, spirit, soul and body; that apart from Christ, there is no possible salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9;Titus 3:5; John 1:12; 3:14; 10:28, 29; Romans 8:1; Philippians 1:6;I

9. Election/Free Will of Man

We further believe that God is Sovereign and in His Sovereignty gave man a free will to accept or reject the salvation He has provided. It is not God's Will that any should perish, but that they should be saved. God foreknows but does not predetermine any man to be condemned. God permits man's destiny to depend upon man's choice. (I Timothy 2:4;I Peter 1:2;II Peter 3:9; Romans 8:29, 30; Acts 10:34; John 3:16; Revelation 22:17)

10.The Church

We believe in the importance of the local Church; that a New Testament Church is a local assembly of born-again, baptized believers, each being part of the universal body of Christ, united in organization to practice New Testament ordinances, to meet together for preaching, teaching, worship, prayer, fellowship and a united testimony, and to actively engage in carrying out the Great Commission. (Acts 2:41, 42; I Corinthians 11:2; Matthew 28:19-20)

11. Baptism & The Lords Supper

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of the believer; in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, with the authority of the local Church, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the Crucified, buried and risen Savior, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is a pre-requisite to the privileges of a Church relationship. The Lord's Supper by sacred use of bread and the fruit of the vine commemorates together the dying love of Christ. It is for the believer and is preceded always by solemn self-examination. {Acts 8:36-39; 2:41-42; Matthew 3:B, 16; 28:19; 28:1, 9-20; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28)

12. The Miraculous Sign Gifts

We believe that God the Holy Spirit is Sovereign in the bestowment of His gifts and that He has given evangelists, pastors and teachers as sufficient for the edifying of the Church today; that the “sign“ miracles and tongues (languages) were a manifestation of the Spirit's power solely for the demonstration of God's wisdom, purpose and power in the establishment of the early Church and that these “sign“ gifts have now ceased.

13. Separation

We believe in separation of Church and State, with each having definite and distinct spheres of responsibility. (Romans 13:7;II Samuel 23:3;Exodus 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Matthew 2:21; Titus 3:1;I Peter 2:13-14, 17; Acts 4:19-20; Daniel 3:17-18; Matthew 10:28; 3:10; Philippians 2:10-11; Psalm 72:11; Revelation 9:16; Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1-7)

14. Return of Christ

We believe in the Second Coming of Christ; that His coming in the air to Rapture His Church, which is our "Blessed Hope" is always imminent, and that "it will be pre-tribulation and premillennial; that when He has first by resurrection of the dead and translation of the living removed from the earth the "in Christ" ones, He will then pour out His righteous judgments upon the unbelieving world during the seven year time period known as the Tribulation and afterwards descend with His Church (His Bride) and establish His glorious and literal Kingdom in the regenerated nation of Israel where He shall rule over all nations for a thousand years. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; I Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10; I Corinthians 15:SI, 52; Matthew 24:21; Revelation 6:19; Zechariah 14:4-11; Daniel 7:13, 14; 9:24-27; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:1-6; Acts 1:9, 11; IS:16; Amos 9:14-15)

15. Resurrection Future Life and Judgment

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Daniel 12:1, 2;Matthew 25:46; John 5:29; Revelation 20:S, 6, 12 13)

What to expect Sundays

Our church is a friendly, welcoming and biblical church that emphasizes family, worship, community and genuine friendships.

We have vibrant singing together with hymns from across the history of the church, and we have a dedicated kids program for ages 5 to 12.

Savannah way baptist church Katherine Northern Territory