There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in His Holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator, Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to His sovereign will for His own glory.
God has revealed Himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.
All men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all His words are true. On the cross He died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by His blood. He rose from the dead and in His resurrection body ascended into heaven where He is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for His people in the presence of the Father.
Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God in His love forgives sinners whom He calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.
The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply His work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.
The universal church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of union with Christ and entry into his church but does not impart spiritual life. Baptism follows a profession of repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and is administered by means of immersion. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.
The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.
These great truths, all found clearly taught in the Bible, are humbling, saving, glorious truths. They should move us to praise God!
The evangelical faith, summarised above, should not be regarded as one aspect of Christian faith – one emphasis that can sit comfortably alongside other views. It is the original and authentic Christian faith – it is the gospel – the good news of salvation in Christ from sin through the atoning work of Christ.
The truths set out above are an abbreviated and modified version of the Statement of Faith of the Calvinistic Methodist Church in Wales, 1823. They are also a reflection of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith to which the Church adheres.
For any who would be interested to enquire about the basic teachings of the Bible we would be willing to arrange a Christianity Explored Course which covers a basic overview of the Bible’s message. Click here to visit the Christianity Explored website.
It can sometimes be daunting to walk into an unfamiliar building for the first time. What can you expect if you come to Newhouse Baptist Church?
Q – Do you support any missionary work?
A – The Church has an active interest in missionary work, both overseas and in the U.K. Missionary speakers visit the Church regularly and we support them both by giving and in prayer.
Q – Do you seek to reach out to others?
A – We visit and distribute leaflets to local homes, villages and to a nearby shopping centre. We have a local Evangelist who comes to help us in this work. In addition we hold occasional special events to which we welcome people to come and hear speakers who will present the Bible’s message in a way which will be helpful for those who do not come regularly.
Q – Do you have any affiliations?
A – We are in fellowship with a number of like–minded Churches in the South West and we hold joint prayer meetings with some on a quarterly basis which proves a great encouragement. We are also in fellowship with the Association of Grace Baptist Churches.
The Church acts as host to twice-yearly West Country Reformed Fellowship Meetings. These are Bible teaching meetings which are held on the third Saturdays in May and November. A good number gather for these meetings from many different churches.
Q – Who conducts the services and preaches on Sunday?
A – Normally, the Pastor. In his absence a visiting minister or a member of the congregation will be invited to do so.
Q – Do you have a Sunday School?
A – Not at present, but children and parents are made to feel comfortable in the service and there is usually a special talk for the children. Parents are welcome to use an adjoining room, if needs be, where the service is relayed.
Q – Do you have Ladies’ / Men’s meetings?
A – We have two ladies’ meetings each month. One is on the first Wednesday evening to which we often invite a guest speaker. The other, called ‘Prayer and Share’ is on the third Wednesday morning when, after coffee, we have a time of Bible – related study followed by prayer.
A men’s prayer group takes place at the same time as the ladies’ meeting on the first Wednesday evening of the month.
Q – Which Bible versions do you use?
A – Members of the congregation use several different versions but normally the New King James Version is used from the pulpit or sometimes the Authorised Version.
Q – Which hymn book do you use?
A – Christian Hymns.
Sundays – 11.00am & 6.00pm
Tuesdays – 7.00pm
Smeatharpe, Nr Honiton
Devon, EX14 9RG
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
Psalm 34 verse 8