Beliefs

Below is the statement of faith for Summit Church. It sets out the doctrinal position of the church, which is affirmed by our leadership team. If you have any questions about any position taken here, or would like to discuss something further, we're more than happy to discuss it with you.

The Bible

We believe that the sixty-six books of the Bible are God’s revelation to people, written by human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that the Scriptures are without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is our complete and final authority for Christian faith and practice. We also believe that the Bible should be read and understood in terms of its plain meaning in context, taking note of literary, grammatical, historical and cultural features (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 1 Tim. 4:11-16; 2 Tim. 2:15).

The Trinity

We believe in one God, existing eternally in three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who are co-equal in deity and glory (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:18-19; 2 Cor. 13:14).

The Father

We believe that the Father is fully God, and is the Creator of the world. He is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and all those who believe in Christ and who are adopted as His children (Gen. 1:1-2:3; Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 4:4-7).

Jesus Christ

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, the only Son of God. He existed eternally with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, but in due time He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, and offered Himself as the perfect and complete sacrifice for sin by dying on a cross. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended to heaven, where He intercedes for us at God’s throne. We look forward to Him returning to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Jn. 1:1-14; 8:58; 10:30; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-19; 2:9; Matt. 1:18-25; Heb. 10:12-14; Mk. 16:1-6; Heb. 4:14-15).

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God, co-equal in deity and personhood with God the Father and God the Son. He convicts people of their sin and need for Jesus Christ, and performs the miracle of the new birth at conversion. At that moment, He permanently indwells each new Christian and baptises them into the Body of Christ, the Church. He provides us with power for godly living, progressively transforming us to become more like Jesus. He also gives every believer gifts and abilities to humbly serve others, although we believe that certain gifts were limited to the apostolic age (Acts 5:3-4; Jn. 16:7-11; Eph. 1:13-14; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Rom. 8:9-17; Gal. 5:16-26; Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12-13; Eph 2:20; 2 Cor. 12:11-13).

Humanity

We believe that men and women are unique in creation, possessing a special dignity, being made in the image of God. However, Adam sinned and passed on that sinful nature to the human race, so that everyone is tainted with sin, and therefore alienated from God and under His judgment. Apart from believing in Jesus for salvation, human beings are lost eternally (Gen. 1:26-27; Gen. 3:1-7; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 3:9-20; Eph. 2:1-3).

Salvation

We believe that salvation occurs solely through the grace of God. It is not achieved by human effort or good works, because there is nothing that sinners can do to get themselves right with God. Only by responding to His gracious call, through acknowledging our sin and trusting in Jesus Christ alone can we be forgiven for our sins and made right with God. The moment a person trusts in Christ, they are declared righteous by God and adopted as His child, and eternal life begins. Once a person has trusted in Christ as their sin-bearer, they can never lose their salvation because it is based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, rather than anything that person has done or will do (Eph. 1:7-8; Eph. 2:4-9; Gal. 2:15-16; Rom. 3:21-26; Rom. 10:9; Rom. 8:1-39).

The Church

We believe that the Church is the Family of God, the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Spirit, and is made up of all those who have believed in Jesus Christ. Local churches are the visible expression of Christ’s Body here on earth, and are led by elders who serve under the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ. Believers are to commit themselves to being in community with other Christians. The Church exists to glorify God through worshiping Him, praying to Him, teaching His Word, serving and fellowshipping together, and sharing the gospel of salvation with the world. The Church celebrates the ordinances of baptism and communion until Christ returns (1 Tim. 3:14-15; 1 Cor. 12:12-27; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 5:1-5; Acts 20:17-35; Acts 2:42; Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Created Beings

We believe that God created spiritual beings known as angels, who are His spiritual messengers and agents. In times past one of them, Satan, rebelled against God, and has been the enemy of God and His people ever since. A number of the angels rebelled with him, and now serve him as demons. Satan was responsible for the temptation of Adam and Eve, and he now blinds the minds of people so they will not believe the gospel. He has been defeated at the cross, but will only finally be judged at the end of time (Rev. 5:11-14; Rev. 12:1-12; Eph. 6:10-13; Gen. 3:1-7; 2 Cor. 4:3-4; Col. 2:15; Rev. 20:7-10)

The Future

We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to establish his kingdom and reign on earth as King of Kings, which will be a time of unprecedented righteousness and peace. At the end of this time, he will finally and fully defeat all evil, and will usher in the New Heavens and the New Earth. All people will be resurrected and judged, with the unsaved condemned to Hell for eternity, while believers will enjoy eternal life with God forever (Jn. 14:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:42-57; Isa 2:2-5; Isa 11:4-12; Rev. 20:1-6; Rev. 20:11-15; Dan 12:2-3; Matt. 25:46; Rev. 21:1-4).