What We Believe
“…these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
At New Song Church we consider it our privilege to join the church through the ages and around the world in professing the biblical and historic Christian faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed (second century), Nicene Creed (fourth century), and Athanasian Creed (sixth century). As a parish of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC), we affirm the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (1571) and the Jerusalem Declaration (2008).
If you’d like to go even deeper into what we believe you can download the Book of Common Prayer (2019) and our Anglican catechism, To Be A Christian (2020).
The Holy Trinity
We believe that God is one everlasting and divine being who exists eternally in three persons. God the Father is the first person of the Trinity, from whom the second person, the Son (Jesus Christ), is eternally begotten, and from whom the third person, the Holy Spirit, proceeds. Let’s not miss the significance of the Trinity: God is love. God the Father has eternally loved and glorified his Son, who has eternally reciprocated the Father’s love and glory in the perfect, personal and loving union of the Holy Spirit. And we’re invited to share in this personal, divine and unending love for ourselves! Genesis 1:1-3; Matthew 28:19-20; John 17:4-5; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 John 4:8-16.
Creation and Fall
We believe that Almighty God was delighted to speak a good creation into existence. He created human beings in his image to share a right, perfect, and loving relationship with himself and one another, and to enjoy and cultivate creation with him. Genesis 1:26-31.
We believe that after the disobedience and self-centred rebellion of our first parents (the Fall), human beings now live in a state of inherited guilt before God, are subject to the power and consequences of sin, are inclined towards wrongdoing, and (left to themselves) are powerless to restore a right and life-giving relationship with God. Genesis 3:1-19; Romans 5:12-18.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus is God the Son, the eternal Word of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. God the Son has existed for all eternity, but at just the right time he took upon himself our human nature (which is to say, was incarnate) and was born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus was human in every way we are, and yet lived the sinless and obedient life that we ourselves could not. and, out of love for sinners, Jesus willingly died on the Cross to make atonement for the sins of the world. But the story doesn’t end there: by the power of God Jesus was resurrected from the grave, and having conquered sin and death he showed himself to be the Saviour of the world. Jesus reigns now at the right hand of God the Father in heaven and through the presence of his Holy Spirit he makes himself known to Christians as our Redeemer, Lord, Mediator, and Friend. Isaiah 52:13-53:12; John 1:1-18; John 14:5-14; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Peter 2:24.
Justification, Sanctification, and Adoption
When we sinners respond to God’s call to put our faith (that is, our personal trust) in Jesus as our Saviour, three things happen: Justification, Adoption, and ongoing Sanctification. These three things are what it means for Christians to be saved.
We believe that justification (being declared righteous; that is, in right-relationship with God) is God’s gracious act alone. Justification is God’s gracious once-for-all-time declaration that repentant sinners are in right-relationship with himself – not on the basis of our good works, but on the basis of Jesus’s sinless life and obedience, his substitutionary death and his triumphant resurrection on our behalf. We are therefore justified by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 5:1-2; Galatians 2:15-16.
Adoption is our loving heavenly Father’s generous act whereby he reconciles alienated and estranged sinners to himself through Christ such that they become beloved children of God. Formerly orphaned by sin, we now enjoy a joyful, loving relationship with God as our heavenly father. God forever brings his adopted children into the family of faith, the Church (the sign of which is Holy Baptism). Through adoption into God’s family Christians are made co-heirs with Christ and guaranteed a heavenly and eternal inheritance. Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:3-7; 1 John 3:1-10.
Sanctification is the ongoing action of God by which a follower of Jesus is changed over time to be more like him in holiness and godly character. This is done through the power of God’s in-dwelling Holy Spirit who convicts Christians of sin, brings us to confess sin and receive forgiveness, woos the affections of our hearts, shapes us in holy living, and empowers us to perform the good works that God has prepared for us to do. Leviticus 19:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14.
The Church
We believe that the church catholic (that is, universal) is made up of all who have trusted in Jesus for their salvation and are spiritually united to him by the Holy Spirit. The Church is made visible where the Word of God is faithfully preached and where the Sacraments are rightly administered. New Song is a local body of the Church that is gathered by God’s grace and built up by his Word and Holy Spirit as we encounter again and again the Good News of Jesus. Matthew 28:16-20; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 2:20-22.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible, made up of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s Word written by human authors and contains all things necessary for salvation. Because the Bible is God-breathed (which is to say, inspired), it is the final source of authority for Christian belief and living and is true and trustworthy. Psalm 119:33-40; 2 Timothy 3:16.
The Sacraments
Sacraments are outward and visible signs and seals of God’s inward spiritual grace, instituted by Jesus to strengthen and confirm our faith through the power of the Word and Holy Spirit. There are two Sacraments: Baptism and The Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is administered with water in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is a sign and seal of being cleansed from sin, united to Jesus’ death, and being raised to new life in Christ. It is a one-time event, whether it happens during infancy or adulthood. The saving grace of Baptism is received through faith in Jesus Christ. John 3:5; Romans 6:1-5; Titus 3:4-7; 1 Peter 3:21-22.
The Lord’s Supper (also called Holy Communion or the Eucharist) is a memorial of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice upon the Cross ministered through bread and wine. We believe that Jesus is truly present to us in the Supper, and that through the consecrated elements of bread and wine we, through faith, are made partakers of his life-giving Body and Blood in a heavenly and spiritual way. All baptized Christians, with penitent hearts and lively faith of any denomination, are welcome to partake in the Lord’s Supper with us at New Song. Matthew 26:26-29; John 6:53-58; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32.
Kingdom Come
We believe that Christ will come again to fully realize his glorious Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, where God will make new his sin-marred creation and dwell with his people forever. Though the time of Christ’s return is known only to God the Father, Christians are called to faithfully await their Saviour’s imminent return. Isaiah 65:17-25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:1-8.
Upon Christ’s return all human beings will be bodily resurrected and stand for judgement before Christ’s throne. Those who have rejected God’s gift of salvation in Christ will be eternally separated from him, but those who have received Christ in faith will dwell with their God in his Kingdom for eternity. Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:5-15.
Questions? Pastor Creighton would love nothing more than to talk theology over a cup of coffee. Send him an email.