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What We Believe
Gloweth Chapel is a Christian church, and our beliefs are in full agreement with mainline, historical Christian faith. For example, we would agree wholeheartedly with the doctrinal statements that were universally accepted by the early church. At Gloweth Chapel, we do not have a tradition of formally adopting written statements of doctrine, but the following points briefly summarise our understanding of the key teachings of the Bible.

A Brief Summary of the Bible's Teachings
God
There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. He is the almighty Creator; Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.
The Bible
God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.
Creation
​God created all things out of nothing by his powerful word in six days, and all very good. All people (men, women and children), being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship, love and glorify God and to enjoy him forever.
The Fall
As a result of the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all people are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please him.
The Lord
Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.
Salvation
Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God in his love forgives sinners whom he calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.
Baptism and the Breaking of Bread
Baptism and the Breaking of Bread have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of cleansing from sin, union with Christ, and entry into his Church, but does not of itself impart spiritual life. The Breaking of Bread (or The Lord’s Supper) is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. The bread represents Christ's body and the wine represents his blood. All its blessings are received by faith.
Marriage
God created us male and female, which is identified by our biological sex. Marriage is a covenant of exclusive union between one man and one woman. It is a picture of the relationship between Christ and his bride the church. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God to be enjoyed only within the context of marriage.
The Church
The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are assemblies of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, prayer, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.
The Future
The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will resurrect the bodies of the dead, and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.
​Acknowlegement. We gratefully acknowledge that the Doctrinal Basis of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches was a key resource in formulating these summary statements in modern English.
