It may come as a surprise to you but not every church believes the same things! Therefore essential that before you get too involved at Grace Church Thame you are clear about what we do and don't believe about certain things.

 

We would generally break these beliefs down into three categories.

As far as we are concerned these are non-negotiable Biblical truths. To be a member of Grace Church Thame you would need to be 100% in agreement with us. E.g.

We realise that on some less essential truths there is a range of respected interpretations from Scripture. That said, you would still need to be in general agreement with our interpretations or you will find yourself regularly frustrated! E.g.

These are just "how we do things here". Every family has different ways of doing things together like mealtimes, decorating, and holiday activities! If you are going to fill comfortable at Grace Church Thame then you will need to be generally happy with the way we do things. E.g.

  

1. Bible: We believe that the Bible is fully inspired by God and accept it as the supreme and final authority for faith and life.

2. Trinity: We believe in the sovereignty of one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

3. Sin: We believe that human beings, though created in the image of God, are sinful, guilty, and lost without Christ.

4. Deity of Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ, as begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, is fully God and fully man.

5. Cross: We believe that on the cross Jesus Christ became sin for us, was judged by God and died in our place.

6. Resurrection: We believe in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into Heaven, and His present ministry as our High Priest and advocate with the Father.

7. Conversion: We believe that all who are justified by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God. We believe other religions and ideologies are not alternative paths to God, and that human spirituality, if unredeemed by Christ, does not lead to God but to judgement and damnation.

8. Holy Spirit: We believe in the ministry and gifts of the Spirit. We believe in the importance of each believer being filled with the Holy Spirit by which believers are empowered and equipped for service.

9. Heaven and Hell: We believe in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the eternal blessedness of the redeemed, and the eternal damnation of those who have rejected God’s offer of salvation.

10. Church: We believe that the local church should be the expression of the one true and universal Church and therefore that the new birth and personal confession of faith in Christ are essentials of Church membership. We desire to fellowship and work with other ministries and congregations of like profession of faith for the spreading of the gospel.

11. Second Coming: We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory to judge the living and the dead.

12. Communion: We believe that the Lord’s Supper symbolises the broken body and shed blood of Christ, in remembrance of His sacrificial death until He comes. We take it once per month in the Sunday celebration and in Life Groups.

13. Water Baptism: We believe that it is a clear biblical command that water baptism is an event that happens to every believer following their salvation. Please refer to the appendix at the end this booklet for further information on water baptism.