Summary of Beliefs
This summary of our beliefs is based upon The Confessional Statement of The Gospel Coalition (TGC). For a more detailed expression, see our complete “Statement of Faith” which includes this summary, key bullet points, the complete TGC confessional statement and scriptural support.
1.THE TRI-UNE GOD:
There is one God, eternally existing as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful, and is sovereignly bringing about his purposes to redeem his people and restore creation. Because of God, life has meaning and purpose.
2.REVELATION:
God has revealed himself through creation, through Jesus, and through the Scriptures. The Scriptures (the Bible) are the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, which contain everything we need to know about having a right relationship with God and our fellow human beings and is the authoritative basis for all our beliefs. We are called to submit to, study, and joyfully obey the authoritative Word of God.
3.THE CREATION OF HUMANITY:
God created men and women in his image. We are created, dependent beings, and recognize that men and women are created to complement one another through their distinct roles in the family and church. Because every human is created in the image of God, everyone deserves our dignity, honor, love, and respect, not because of who they are or what they do, but by sheer virtue of being human.
4.THE FALL:
We are all sinners by nature and by choice. In our quest for independence and the centrality of self, all people begin their lives alienated from God in sin, and in this condition are without hope and under judgment. The just penalty for our sins is death; apart from God’s loving, gracious, and saving intervention, we are under the wrath of God.
5.THE PLAN OF GOD:
From all eternity God determined in grace to save a great multitude of guilty sinners from every tribe and language and people and nation. God does the work of choosing and saving those who put their faith in Jesus in a way that mysteriously neither diminishes human responsibility nor marginalizes the importance and power of prayer and evangelism. We are called to repent and believe.
6.THE GOSPEL:
The gospel is the center of our historic faith and the main message of the Bible. It is the good news that Jesus lived, died, and rose so that, by faith in him, we can be reconciled with God. This gospel is not only the means by which people are saved, but also the truth and power by which are enabled to joyfully do what is pleasing to God and to grow in his likeness. The salvation offered in this gospel message is received by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; no ordinance, ritual, work, or any other activity on the part of man is required in order to be saved. Both Christians and non-Christians need this gospel.
7.THE REDEMPTION OF CHRIST:
Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Scriptures, fully God and fully man. On the cross he accomplished redemption for sinners by standing in our place, absorbing God’s just wrath, and bearing our full penalty of our sins. By letting the cross crush him and rising from the grave, he broke the power of sin and death. His resurrection and ascension brings a living hope that one day all sin and evil will be destroyed. Jesus is the only way to salvation.
8.THE JUSTIFICATION OF SINNERS:
Jesus’ sinless life and atoning sacrifice is credited to all who trust in him as full payment for their sins, putting them in right standing with God. He is the sole Mediator able to restore the broken relationship (and resulting alienation) between God and people. We are motivated towards obedience because of the gift of justification.
9.THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The Holy Spirit is actively working before, during, and after salvation. He is present with and in followers of Christ, working in unison with the Word of God to guide them in all truth. The Holy Spirit instructs, equips, revives, and empowers believers for Christ-like living, service, and mission.
10.THE KINGDOM OF GOD:
The Kingdom of God is the exercise of God’s sovereignty in all of creation and will be fully realized in the new heaven and new earth. We take part in advancing the Kingdom of God by living as salt and light in our world—for the glory of God and the good of others.
11.THE NEW PEOPLE OF GOD – THE CHURCH:
God wants all members of his worldwide Church to be active in a gospel-centered local church, which meets regularly for worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the baptism and communion, fellowship, the exercise of our gifts and talents, serving each other, and to be a life-giving presence in their local community and world. It functions as our adoptive spiritual family and is the primary means by which we experience his grace through relationship. The church is the heart of Christian community.
12.THE SACRAMENTS: BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER:
Both baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordained by Jesus Christ as a means of grace for his followers. Although baptism is to be done once as a sincere profession of faith, The Lord’s Supper is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life.
13.THE RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS:
God will physically resurrect all people at the second coming of Jesus Christ for either an eternity in hell or an eternity in the new heaven and new earth. God will renew creation and his people will joyfully live forever in the new heaven and new earth.
Statement of Faith
What does Sojourn Church London believe?
When it comes to Christian belief, Saint Augustine once said, “In essentials unity; in non-essentials liberty; and in all things charity.” We are grounded in the Scriptures and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this reason, we embrace biblical and historic Christianity as expressed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, and as summarized in the creeds of the early church (Apostles’ and Nicene). In addition, we take our doctrinal cues from the Protestant Reformation (16th Century) which championed the foundational truths that sinners are rescued and set free by grace alone, through faith alone, in the finished work of Christ alone, proclaimed in the Scriptures alone so that God alone gets the glory.
As part of a contemporary and broader movement of gospel-centered missional churches we have expressed our “Statement of Faith” around The Confessional Statement of The Gospel Coalition (TGC). Each of those 13 sections have been broken into four parts to help you:
- A Summary
- Key Bullet points
- The official TGC statement
- Scriptural Support
We aim for a “Humble Orthodoxy.” We hold these truths in humble conviction and believe them to be fully taught and validated by Scripture. While these are unavoidably imperfect documents still subordinate to Scripture, we believe they serve as helpful and reliable summaries of biblical, historic Christian teachings.
Where more specific issues aren’t addressed in detail here, see our Key Distinctives for other insights.
Key Distinctives
Sojourn Church has clearly outlined three core areas of Christian beliefs in its foundational documents and on the website:
- Our Mission and Name
- Gospel-Centrality (See “Our Message-The Gospel”)
- Summary of Beliefs (a basic summary of the complete Statement of Faith)
- Statement of Faith (based on “The Gospel Coalition Confession” with additional study helps)
However, in addition to these, there are a few distinct areas of belief and practice where it is valuable to provide additional clarity since they will have an impact on our services, ministries, and community.