What we believe and teach

- Salvation -

Men, being sinners, are slaves of sin (which is the transgression of the law), therefore they need to be saved (or to be set free) from their sins, which are like invisible but powerful chains which hinder them from pleasing God. Being sinners, men are dead in their sins and trespasses, so they need to be regenerated spiritually, so that they may have fellowship with God. Being sinners, men are in debt to God, who is angry with them because they have broken His Word, and therefore their debts need to be remitted so that they may be reconciled to God. Being sinners, men deserve to be punished with everlasting torment, and therefore they need to be justified so that they may escape the everlasting torment, for when one is justified he receives eternal life.

Salvation from the bondage of sin, spiritual regeneration, remission of debts and justification, can be experienced by men only through repentance and faith, that is to say, only if they repent of their sins and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins and was raised to life the third day for our justification. Good works, sacrifices, and mortifications, cannot save man from his sins, nor can they regenerate him, nor can they remit his debts, nor can they save him from the everlasting torment, nor can they reconcile him to God. If these things could save man, then Jesus Christ would have died in vain and grace would be set aside by the law of works. Furthermore, if these things could save man, man could boast before God saying that he deserved or gained salvation. Therefore we preach that salvation is obtained by faith in Jesus Christ apart from the works of the law. And we urge both small and great, wise and unwise, Jews and Gentiles, to repent before God and to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and to do works befitting repentance.

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