Theology
Find out about our Theology at Redeemer Central
At Redeemer Central we believe that we are part of an amazing story of hope, grace, mercy, justice, salvation and resurrection. This is God’s story and its hero is Jesus.
We believe that our theology is best communicated as a narrative of six acts.
Pre-Creation // Creation // Rebellion & Hope // Israel // Jesus // Re-creation
Before the world was created God existed in perfect community as Father, Son and Spirit. God had a plan to reveal himself in time and space, A plan that existed before the creation of the world. The earth was in a state of emptiness and nothingness, an emptiness that was orderless, like a chaos. Darkness was over the face of the void which was marked by the absence of life. Yet the breath of God was fluttering over the face of this chaos. God inhabited the absence of life.
God spoke light and life into the chaos, his word brought order. Over his creation God makes the declaration that it is good, it is very good. Mankind is created as unique among Gods creation and are made in the creators image. God is not absent from this creation, he walks with mankind, and is in intimate community and relationship with his image bearers. Yet in rebellion mankind sought to become like God and went against his intended pattern for creation. The intimacy is interrupted, the pattern of creation as God intended was fractured. Yet in his grace God walks, and goes in search of mankind. Adam and Eve are found in their shame. But in the interruption there is grace and resurrection, as God makes a sacrifice and covers their shame. The story is not over, in fact it has only just begun.
God is a God who is in community and on mission. God intended to use the community of the nation of Israel descended from Abraham to tell his story on earth and to act out what life as a redeemed people looks like. His promise was that through the nation of Israel, all of the nations of the world would be blessed. Yet Israel find themselves in Egypt living in slavery and working under an oppressive regime. God does not forget his promises to his people and using Moses leads his people from the slavery of Egypt to the freedom of Sinai. Israel soon forget their identity as a free and redeemed people, and at different times on their journey fall back into a default position of living as slaves. To a nation in rebellion God sends prophets to warn his people of what living as a redeemed people should look like. The prophets also talk about a future hope of a messiah. Israel do not heed the call of the prophets and are taken into exile by another oppressive regime, the Babylonians.
In fulfillment of the future hope that the prophets spoke about God sent his Son Jesus. Jesus was miraculously born of the virgin Mary as a man, yet fully God,. He was sent as the fulfillment of Gods plan to usher in his kingdom, defeat sin and death, declare a new Exodus and make all things new. Jesus would live a perfect life and die a criminals death on a cross, even though he was innocent. However death was not the final word, and Jesus was resurrected, having been victorious over sin and its consequences. In his death, burial and resurrection we can find forgiveness for our rebellion, a new identity as adopted sons and daughters, a place in his story and a future hope. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the centre piece of Gods story and the only way that mankind can be reconciled to God the father.
After his resurrection Jesus returned to his father, promising not to leave us as orphans. He sent his Holy Spirit to equip his church to continue living out and telling his story. Empowered by God the Holy Spirit, the church is Gods new community with the mandate to tell his story and make disciples. This is where we find ourselves in Gods story for creation. As his church we join with God in seeing hope, grace, restoration, salvation, justice and resurrection brought into his creation. This is the churches mandate until a time when Jesus will be sent again to judge the world. The effect of mankind’s rebellion will then be reversed, there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain. The old order of things will have passed away and the earth will be restored to Gods intended pattern.
At Redeemer Central we believe that we are part of Gods story and are therefore story tellers. We are currently living in the outworking of Act 5 of Gods story. As the church we have the responsibility and privilege, empowered by the Holy Spirit to invite people into this narrative.
We believe that the most effective way to tell Gods story is to follow his missional pattern; To be in community and on mission.
We also express what we believe about Gods great salvation story in the following statements;
The Trinity
The one true God who lives eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In community and on mission.
God
The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
Scripture
The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God—fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
People
The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
God:Man
The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—born of the virgin Mary; fully and truly divine and fully and truly human, yet without sin.
The Cross
The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin, bearing the full wrath of God and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
Resurrection
The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
Salvation
The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
Holy Spirit
The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship, enables our witness and seals our adoption in Christ Jesus.
The Kingdom now
The coming of Jesus Christ ushered in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is now and not yet.
The Church
The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love
Mission
We believe that the church is and outpost of the Kingdom and the outworking of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Kingdom then
The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.
Images
Caption: water for fire
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