What we Believe
Our beliefs are rooted in Scripture and centered on Jesus, shaping how we live, love, and follow Him.
Our Beliefs
The Biblical Truths that Shape our Faith
Our statement of faith, at the core of what we believe.
God
We believe in the only true God (John 17:3), the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). He created all things (Revelation 4:11) and upholds all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). He is a God of truth and without iniquity, He is just and right (Deuteronomy 32:4) and He shall judge the world (Psalm 9:8).
We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections, and are worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence and obedience (Mark 12:29; John 1:1-4; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 4:3-4).
Jesus Christ
We believe in the total deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe He is the manifestation of God in the flesh. We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We believe Him to be true God and true man (John 1:1, 1:14, 1:18; John 14:8-9; 1 Timothy 3:16).
Holy Spirit
We believe in the total deity of the Holy Spirit and that His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner upon belief in Christ, baptizing the believer into one body of which Christ is the head. The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, fills, comforts, and empowers the believer for godly living (Mark 13:11; John 14:26; John 16:13; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 3:16). The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of God’s righteousness, and of coming judgment (John 16:8-11).
While we believe that the Scriptures do not teach that certain gifts have ceased, they indicate that use of the gifts varies according to the need that each gift meets. Redemption Bible Chapel does not encourage the use of “sign gifts.” Instead, we seek to emphasize the more excellent way of love as well as zeal for the more edifying gifts (John 16:8; 13:15; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:22; 4:11-12; Romans 8:9-17; 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4-5, 12:11-13, 12:19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 4:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).
Scriptures
We believe the Scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament are verbally inspired by God and inerrant in their original writings. We believe the 66 books of the Old Testament and the New Testament are God’s complete and sufficient revelation, and therefore carry God’s authority for mankind and we believe the English translations we have available today are accurate to the originals, and therefore authoritative in all areas (Psalm 119:97-104; Psalm 119:160; Matthew 5:18; John 5:46-47; John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:15-16).
Man
We believe man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker but, by voluntarily transgressing, fell from his sinless and happy state. Consequently, all mankind is sinful. All people are sinners not only by inheritance, but by their own choice, and therefore are under just condemnation without defense or excuse. We believe that without exception every man and every woman is totally depraved and needs a Saviour (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 1:18, Romans 1:32; Romans 5:1-2).
Salvation
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice. He bore the wrath of a most holy God in punishing our sin upon Christ. When God’s holiness and righteousness were satisfied, He declared it finished. We believe that each person who by faith receives Him as personal Saviour and Lord is justified on the basis of Jesus Christ’s shed blood on Calvary. Each person who commits to follow Jesus Christ is born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby becomes eternally secure as a child of God. We believe the Holy Spirit baptizes each believing person into the body of Christ at the moment of salvation and empowers followers to follow and serve Him (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into heaven, and His present life for us as High Priest and Advocate (Acts 1:3; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 7:25-26).
Heaven, Hell and the Return of Christ
We believe in the “blessed hope”: the personal, imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The saved are raised to eternal life in heaven which will be a bodily existence on the new heaven and earth enjoying this world renewed without sin and full and wonderful unhindered intimacy with God (Matthew 25:34; John 14:2; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 2:7). The lost are raised to eternal torment in hell in conscious separation from God. (Matthew 8:11; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 13:49-50; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:5; Revelation 21:8).
Church
Upon committing to follow Jesus as Lord, a believer becomes part of His body, which is the church (the people, not the building, and not the gathering). There is one universal church, composed of all those throughout the world who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. The normal practice of the church since New Testament times has been to gather as the local church – those who are living in the same area – to be the expression of the universal church in that area.
This normally involves coming under local elder leadership (Acts 14:23), the mutual ministry to edify (build up) one another using the spiritual gifts God has given to each (Romans 12:1-21, 1 Cor. 12 – body life, Eph. 4:16), for prayer, teaching and the study of God’s Word (Rom. 15:30, 1 Tim. 2:1, James 5:16, 1 Tim. 5:17, 2 Tim. 4:2), for worship (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16), for fellowship (Acts 2:42, Heb. 10:24-25), and for the ordinances of baptism and communion (1 Cor. 11:17-34). The mission of the church is the great commission, to make disciples, this is the focus of all we do, for God’s glory (Matthew 28:16-20, Romans 12:1-2). The working of all believers, in a local setting is toward unity and oneness in Christ Jesus by humility and considering others more significant than ourselves (Phil. 2:1-13).
Missions
Realizing that the cause of Christ extends beyond any one local fellowship, we commit ourselves to an ongoing ministry of extending the call of Christ to make disciples around the world (Matthew 28:19-20).
Preaching
What you can Expect from the Pulpit
Preached by our Senior Pastor, Norm Millar, at the Vertical Church Conference in Oakville in the of Fall 2017, this sermon lays out the belief we are committed to about the priority and methodology of preaching.
Worship
More than the Songs we Sing
Worship is one of the ways we respond to who God is and what He has done, expressing our adoration and praise through music and media.
Key Components
Bible-Based
Our singing, praying, and preaching will always be based on the truth of Scripture. God’s Word is our final authority. (Isaiah 40:8)
Head and Heart
Our services seek to spur on real, heartfelt emotions towards God as we think and reflect clearly on biblical truth. (Matthew 22:37)
Reality
Our services direct people to have a personal encounter with the true and living God as we pursue reverence, passion, and wonder. Read Psalm 96:1-13 for a picture of biblical worship.
Transparency
Our trust is in our message, not ourselves as messengers. So our hope is that your focus and adoration be directed to God’s glory and not our volunteers. (Psalm 115:1)
Contemporary and Traditional
Our church’s singing celebrates various time periods and styles of music to show that worship transcends preference. (Matthew 13:52)
Structure
How Biblical Leadership Takes Shape
At Redemption, we are committed to the Bible’s teaching that Elders are to oversee the various functions of the local church. (1 Timothy 3:1-16 and Titus 1:5-9)
Elders
The Bible says that Elders are responsible for the spiritual oversight and leadership in the local Church.
Qualifications
If anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. Titus 1:6-9
AND
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. 1 Timothy 3:1-7
Responsibilities
Doctrine – Ensuring that the doctrine of the church is biblical; all doctrinal issues in the church will be settled by the Elders Team. Therefore, the Elders oversee all the teaching ministries in the church.
Direction – Ensuring that the direction of the church is consistent first and foremost with God’s Word, and secondarily with the Redemption Bible Chapel mission and four pillars.
Discipline – Administering in love and humility the process of church discipline as outlined in Matthew 18:15-20; Galatians 6:1-4; Titus 3:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15; 1 Timothy 5:17-25; 1 Corinthians 5:2; 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 and Romans 16:17.
Plurality
The Scriptures teach that a plurality of men called elders governed individual New Testament churches (Acts 14:23; Acts 20:28; Titus 1:5; Philippians 1:1). The Scripture does not mention any congregations featuring a stand-alone pastor as sole leader, nor does it teach the church is to be run like our political system with representation and voting. Jesus Christ is the head of the church (1 Peter 5:4), the Elders are to follow His leadership as under-shepherds (1 Peter 5:2-4) and lead the church with humility, service and sacrifice (John 13:1-20).
Deacons
The Bible teaches that deacons lead by serving.
Read more in Acts 6.
Deacons at Redemption
Qualification
Specific Issues
Where we Stand on Important Topics
Our beliefs shape the way we think about important topics and theological issues.
Baptism & Communion
Charismatic Movement
Church Membership
Church Planting Philosophy
Counselling Philosophy
Creation, Evolution, And God’s Sovereignty
Gender & Sexuality
Redemption Bible Chapel affirms the teaching of Scripture that humanity has been created in the image of God as both male and female. This distinction in gender is both real and inextricably linked to our material bodies, and as such, sexual identity and expression are also to be fixed in relation to God’s gift of gender to the individual person.
To deny any part of this teaching is to subvert God’s purposeful design of humanity. Despite attempts by many to deny these distinctions and to untether gender from sexuality, the New Testament reaffirms the Old Testament’s teaching on this topic and further brings the male-female distinction to its culmination in the recognition of the relationships between Christ and His Church.
Salvation & Security
Process Of Sanctification & Maturity
Spiritual Warfare
- humbly drawing near to God, knowing that He will give grace, mercy, and strength (2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Hebrews 4:15-16; James 4:8; 1 Peter 5:6-10);
- resisting his temptations (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9);
- rightly applying the truth of the Scriptures (Matthew 4:1-11; Ephesians 4:24-27);
- forgiving offenses (2 Corinthians 2:10-11);
- putting on the armor of God’s truth, righteousness, readiness to share the Gospel, faith, salvation, and prayer (Ephesians 6:11-20);
- demonstrating faithfulness to the Lord by enduring trials (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 2:13; Revelation 3:9-10).
Sufficiency of Scripture
Worship
- lift high the name of Jesus Christ (John 4:22-26; John 14:6);
- lead God’s people to lift their hearts and voices to Him, giving Him praise and thanks in music and lyric (Nehemiah 12:45-46; Psalm 66:1-4; Psalm 95:1-2);
- emphasize fresh and contemporary expressions while retaining traditional elements that recognize the richness of our heritage in the faith (Deuteronomy 32:7; Psalm 33:3; Isaiah 46:8-9; Ephesians 5:19; Revelation 5:9);
- pursue excellence in worship, knowing that God is worthy of our best (Deuteronomy 17:1; Psalm 33:3, Hebrews 11:4).
Women in Ministry
Our church affirms the God-ordained and significant role that women should play in establishing and leading the local church. Every leadership opportunity is open to women, except those that are excluded by Scripture.
The Scriptures clearly state that men are to serve in the office of Elder and that women are not to serve in church positions in which they exercise authority over men or in which they teach men (1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Timothy 3:1-2; Titus 1:6-9).
We do not see this as an issue of equality, for men and women are equal under God. The Bible is clear that men and women do not have the same roles. Qualified women should serve in any leadership position that is not forbidden in Scripture.