The Gospel
The gospel is the good news that God has anointed Jesus Christ as both King and Saviour of this world. His reign as King has been established through His life, death and resurrection. God sent this King Jesus not to condemn the world but to save the world and restore all things by bringing them under His rule. The good news of the gospel therefore is that God has offered sinful humanity full forgiveness and a restored, perfected and eternal life. Ultimately the gospel reveals God to us in the person of Jesus Christ and so is our starting point for understanding Him and the lens through which we continue to know Him. The gospel is the message that saves us, transforms us and compels us; it is the very centre of everything we are as a church.
“…that Christ died for our sins… that he was buried… that he was raised on the third day… in accordance with the Scriptures…” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
The Bible
The Bible is the most unique book ever written. It is a collection of 66 books written by about 40 different authors over the period of about 1500 years in 3 ancient languages across 3 continents. The books cover a variety of genres including poetry, history, personal letters, biography, prophecy and narrative. And yet despite all this there is a single story that runs right throughout all the others; the story of the gospel! The Bible is actually God’s word, inspired by the Holy Spirit and given to all people, at all times, in all places. It is without error, can be relied upon completely and is therefore the final authority for everything we believe.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God…” – 2 Timothy 3:16
God
God has always existed. He is the origin of everything and therefore He is the rightful ruler of everything we see. As the Creator of the universe He is the greatest source of all life, all joy and all truth. He is known for His many attributes but most famously for His compassion, mercy, patience, love and faithfulness. Although He is one God, He has always existed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All three share equal status and live in perfect unity, glory and love; completely in tune with each other in will and purpose. However, each also has their own unique function within the relationship so that the whole will of God might be done on earth and in heaven. The God of the Bible is the one true God, besides Him there is no other.
“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness…” – Exodus 34:6
Humanity
Humanity is created by God with the unique privilege of bearing His image in this world. Men and women were created completely equal in their status as the pinnacle of God’s creation and together share the task of taking care of this world. Within this equality men and women display differences in nature and capacity that complement one another and help achieve God’s purposes with the greatest effectiveness. Both men and women are equally needed for a harmonious society. Men and women were also given the relationship of marriage as a gift that fuels joy, love and security and is the perfect environment for raising children. The sanctity of human life from conception is inherent within God’s design and thus all people are to be respected and accepted equally without discrimination.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:27
Sin
Sin is the personal rejection of God by the denial of His existence, the abuse of His created order and rebellion against His revealed will. From the moment that Adam and Eve rejected God in the beginning the whole world has been impacted by the consequences of sin and humanity has been bound to sin through our attitudes, thoughts, words, deeds or self-righteous pride. There are no perfect people, we all struggle with sin and we all suffer through the pain, brokenness and turmoil that sin has brought into this world. God hates sin, both because it is a personal offence against Him, but also because of the hurt, damage and despair it brings into the lives of the people that He loves.
“For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” – Romans 3:22-23
Salvation
Salvation is only possible because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through His perfect life Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law of God, through His sacrificial death He paid the price for our sin, and through His resurrection He defeated the power of death. We receive this salvation when we repent of our sin and trust in Jesus to save us. We could not save ourselves and nor could we claim to be without need for salvation, but God graciously gave it to us even though we did not deserve it; this is called grace! Salvation therefore comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” – Ephesians 2:8
Christ’s Return
At an unknown time in the future, Jesus will return to bring an end to history as we know it and establish His perfect Kingdom in the New Heavens and New Earth. Everyone will be judged based on whether they received Jesus or not. Those that rejected Jesus will spend eternity in Hell, those that received Jesus will live in perfection alongside Him forever. The future of God’s people is not harps and halos, but a new and fully redeemed existence in a perfect world, in perfect community, free from suffering and the presence of sin, and with unhindered access to God Himself.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Rev 21:4
Church
The church is not a building or an organisation but a gathering of all those who have received Jesus as Lord. We are people of all ages, from all backgrounds, all languages and all nations; we are the most diverse community on the planet. There are no perfect people in the church, only broken people who have found forgiveness, restoration and meaning in Jesus Christ. The church is the visible expression of God’s gospel message on earth; the gospel defines who we are, governs our conduct and is the entirety of our proclamation. Individual churches are local expressions of this global community. We gather together regularly to learn, sing, share, weep and rejoice in order to remind one another of the gospel.
“…so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known…” – Ephesians 3:10
Baptists
Rosalie Baptist Church is affiliated with the Queensland Baptist Movement. We affirm that baptism can be offered freely to those who have repented of their sin and placed their trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. We also affirm that the Lord’s Supper is to be celebrated regularly in our congregation in order to remember and proclaim the sacrificial death of Jesus as the centre of our faith. We recognise that all those who have received Christ can communicate freely and directly with God by the power of the Holy Spirit and do not need any officer of the church to intercede for them. All baptised members can seek God together for the direction of the church. However, we recognise that God has gifted some into the role of pastor/elder to oversee, teach and shepherd the congregation and we freely give them the authority to lead the church under the hand of God.
