| Here is a short article which nicely
summarises our beliefs and community
Christadelphians are a worldwide community which has existed
for almost a century and a half, though the faith we hold we believe to be
first century Christianity and right for us today.
Christadelphians believe that there is one God and one person
in the Godhead. He is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of
Jacob, and the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the only
begotten Son of God, born of the virgin Mary by the personal power of God,
His Holy Spirit. Christ was all God's promises and intentions made flesh.
Sharing fully our nature, he revealed to us what God is like, not in form
or feature, but in sublime holiness, absolute righteousness and boundless
love, all of which qualities run through every word, every purpose, every
act of compassion, every part of the whole life lived by the Saviour.
Christadelphians believe that man is mortal and sinful, in
need of salvation and unable to save himself. When man dies his existence
ceases and he has no hope except by resurrection from the dead.
God's grace and desire to save were made known in the gracious
promises revealed to man of which the greatest are those given to Abraham,
as well as those subsequently made to David. These promises made known God's
coming Kingdom on earth with Christ as King, and the way in which man can
share the glory of that age in life eternal by the saving grace of God in
Jesus. His perfect life, sacrificial death and resurrection to glory and immortality
are the guarantee that man's twin enemies, his sinfulness known as the devil,
and his mortality known as death, have been altogether conquered by Jesus
who, though the only begotten Son of God, shared our nature in everything,
but without sin.
Every believer must acknowledge his faith in the things concerning
the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. He must acknowledge his need
of help, of forgiveness, and of deliverance from death. This he shows when,
believing the truth of the Gospel, he asks for God's pardon and help, and
is baptised by immersion in water, confessing his sins. He then belongs to
God, and is in the new covenant through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As an heir of the promises made to Abraham, he waits in patience for the coming
Kingdom of God.
His new life in Christ is a life of fellowship with fellow
believers through fellowship with God and the Lord Jesus Christ. His life
of discipleship must be free from personal selfishness, unsullied by politics
and violence, and based upon the love for God, and for his neighbour. The
life of the believer is one of prayerful confidence in God and His purpose,
and in His providential care. Week by week, in the breaking of bread, he remembers
the saving work of God in Christ, and "shows forth", the Lord's
death by associating himself with it. He is convinced that Jesus will personally
return to the earth to bring peace to a troubled world and to establish God's
Kingdom with Jerusalem at its centre. The regathered Jews are God's witnesses
that God will fulfil this purpose.
Death has no final sting for the true servant of God. Life's
fitful fever over, he sleeps in peace, knowing nothing of the passing years,
until, as though it were but a moment after death, his Lord, returned from
heaven, awakens him from death for the day of resurrection and judgement.
Then the responsible among men, living and dead, will stand forth to receive
the due reward of their deeds: eternal life and endless joy in the kingdom
of God for the faithful; and shameful dismissal and oblivion in the second
death for those who have been unfaithful to the Word of God or knowingly have
rejected its call.
These things we beileve because we find them clearly taught
in the Bible, and we are glad to have them as the common bond in Christ for
our community. World wide we seek to hold our faith without distinction as
to race or class; without bishops or clergy, we worship and witness in a simple
and consistent way. We do not observe any days or feasts other than the breaking
of bread on the first day of the week.
We would sincerely urge our readers to get to know at first
hand the things we stand for and the kind of people we are. You are earnestly
invited to make contact with us.
written by Harry Tennant
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