TVAL Beliefs
The following is provided not as an exhaustive and complete theological explanation of our church beliefs; if such a task were even possible. We prefer to invite you to get to know us as a community and our amazing God. The following therefore is a brief summary of our core beliefs and what we will affirm and teach as a church. The scripture references are provided as an addendum to this statement.
We seek to be clear on the issues deemed essential for salvation, whilst allowing for freedom to seek clarity on issues that are not explicitly made clear in scripture. We desire to speak where the Bible speaks, and seek a position of humility on issues where the Bible is silent. We don’t assume to have an answer for everything, but at the very least have clear answers for the questions God has already answered.
If you don’t believe exactly what we believe, you’re still welcome to join us, get to know us, and get involved in many of the activities we’re doing. In everything we do, our aim is to reflect Christ’s love. If we aim for the right doctrine but we lack love, we miss the point.
We believe the following as essential for Salvation:
1. On God and His Word
We believe in the triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who is holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful and all-loving.We believe Jesus of Nazareth, born of the virgin Mary, is the Son of God.We believe the Bible is God’s Word to us, written by human authors but inspired by the Holy Spirit and supernaturally preserved for us to read, understand and ultimately know and worship God.
2. On the Gospel
With the exception of Jesus, no human lives a life without sin.
It’s our sin that separates us from God and leads to death.
Jesus suffered, died and rose from the dead to take away our sin and death and give us a new life with Him.
This salvation is a free gift from God and is not earned in any way by our good deeds.
The eternal life we have with God is one where we dwell forever with Him, in his new redeemed creation where there will be no sin, disease or division.
The Kingdom of God is not a place we go when we die, but rather God’s presence in the world through Jesus Christ and his church.
We believe this is the good news and should be shared joyfully and freely!
3. On Personal response and discipleship
We accept the good news of salvation through faith, which is a combination of belief in Jesus and his saving work for us, as well as repentance (turning away from sin) and baptism (full immersion in water), which is our participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. We enter into a relationship with God through Jesus.
We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit as a deposit and a seal which helps us to be more like Jesus as we journey with him in our faith.
A disciple is someone who has the power to forgive others who have caused hurt to them.
A disciple is also someone who strives to continually turn away from evil and sinful desires and practices.
To be a disciple of Jesus is therefore to be with him, to be changed by him and to do as He did.
We believe the following are essential for Unity (meaning to be fully aligned with the church's vision, mission and values):
4. On the Church and the mission
We believe the Church is the body and bride of Christ. It is not a building but a family, where God dwells in each of His people.
We believe that each member of the body of Christ is called to be devoted to God and to each other.
This looks like regularly joining church services and small group meetings and participating in service, outreach, generosity, scripture reading and more.
We believe that a large part of the mission of a disciple is to make disciples. Every follower of Jesus is commissioned to share the gospel and God’s word with others as well as help them to obey.
We also believe the mission is loving the outcast, the poor, the orphan and the widow just as Jesus clearly did.
We believe in supporting service projects, locally and internationally, both financially but also with our time and effort.
5. On Reading the Word, Prayer & the Lord’s supper
The practice of reading God’s word, meditating on it and developing a deepening prayer life is essential to our long-term spiritual health. We believe in deepening a devotional bible study life and prayer life. We believe in taking communion on Sundays as commanded by Jesus at the last supper. This does not have to be done every week, however it is a practice of our church to do so. Communion is a celebration as well as a proclamation of our faith in Jesus’ salvation work in us through his broken body and shed blood on the cross.
6. On Spiritual gifts
God gives spiritual gifts to those who follow him for the purpose of edifying the body of Christ and bringing glory to God. We are careful to ensure the proper use of spiritual gifts, which is why we do not have a public or organised space for speaking in tongues and prophecy; however we do not rule out their existence and value to believers.
7. On Marriage, gender and sexuality
The Bible teaches that marriage which is approved by God is exclusively between a man and a woman. Marriage in God’s eyes is a reflection of Christ’s love for and relationship with the church. The Bible is filled with marital imagery which parallels God’s steadfast love and faithfulness to his people. Scripture also shows us that sexual intimacy is to be exclusively enjoyed in a marriage, and not to be engaged in outside of marriage.
God created two genders in the creation story, which together reflect the image of God. Whilst we acknowledge that some individuals may feel more pulled to embrace the identity of their opposite sex, to reject one’s biological gender is to reject God’s handiwork as a mistake. Our identity in Christ supersedes any earthly identity we may choose to embrace, including sexual identity. God has created you exactly as he intended, with a hope to discover your identity in Him. We however have to face and navigate the unique challenges and “thorns” in the flesh we may have.
We know not all issues have been covered here. Please join us and get to know what we’re about. We’re not perfect but we follow One who is!
Scriptural support for the above beliefs
On the nature of God and His Word
Genesis 1:1; 26-27; 3:22, Deuteronomy 6:4, Job 38; 39; 40, Psalm 90:2; 139:1-4; 7-10, Isaiah 40:13-17; 45:18, Matthew 19:26; 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; I Peter 1:2. John 1:1, Colossians 1:15
Psalms 12:6; 119:105; 160, Proverbs 30:5, 2 Timothy 1:13; 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21.
On the Gospel
Romans 3:22-24, Isaiah 59:1-2, Romans 6:23, Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Romans 10:9-13,
Acts 2:38-40, 2 Samuel 12:23; Matthew 18:2-3; 19:13-15. John 1:12; 14:6
On Personal response and discipleship
Romans 2:7, Acts 2:22-37, Romans 6:1-8, Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 2:12, Matt 6:14-15, Hebrews 10:32-39,
James 1:12.
On the Church and the mission
Ephesians 4:16, Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 5:24-32, Galatians. 6:10, 1 Peter 2:4-5, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Acts 14:23, Matthew 16:16–18, Acts 2:42–47, 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, Ephesians 1:20–23; 4:3–10, Colossians 3:14–15, Romans 13, Hebrews 13. Matt 28:18-20, John 13:33-35
On Reading the Word, Prayer & the Lord’s supper
Psalm 1:1–2, Matthew 4:4, Acts 17:11, 2 Timothy 3:16–17
Matthew 26:26-28, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30, 10:16, 1 Peter 2:24, Ephesians 1:7, 1 John 1:9,
Matthew 5:23-24, Romans 12:1
On Spiritual gifts
1 Corinthians 12:4–7, Romans 12:6, 1 Peter 4:10, 1 Corinthians 14
On Marriage, gender and sexuality
Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:18-25, 1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:1-8, 32-38, Hebrews 13:4, Matthew 15:18-20, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Matthew 5:16, Philippians 2:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:22, Acts 3:19-21, Romans 10:9-10, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 6:31, Luke 6:31, Matthew 19:4-12, Isaiah 56:3-5
