The Christadelphians
Who we are
Christadelphians are from all different walks of life. We are bound by a common belief that Jesus is coming back to this earth to set up God’s Kingdom bringing peace to a world full of trouble. The name ‘Christadelphian’ simply means ‘brethren in Christ’ and is taken from Colossians 1:2: ‘To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.’ As the New Testament was originally written in Greek, the word for Christ is ‘Christos’ and the word for brethren is ‘adelphos’, so when you put the two together it forms ‘Christadelphian’. You can find out more about the Christadelphians by reading this leaflet: Introducing the Christadelphians.
Here is a summary of our beliefs:
-
The Bible is a revelation of God’s purpose given through chosen men who were guided by His Spirit. It is therefore infallible and authoritative.
-
The Bible reveals God to be the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He dwells in the heavens in unapproachable light. He is all powerful, all wise, a God of love, mercy, holiness, righteousness and truth. God is a unity.
-
The Spirit of God is His power by which He sustains creation, is everywhere present, and reveals and fulfils His will.
-
Jesus Christ, was the only begotten Son of God, was born of the virgin Mary. He was tempted, as we are, but remained perfect and sinless. He died and was resurrected and has ascended to his Father in heaven, where he sits on the right hand of God.
-
Jesus Christ conquered sin, through a sinless life. The death of Jesus was an act of loving obedience to God by which we may have forgiveness of sins. He is our Saviour.
-
Jesus will return to the earth, to judge the living and the dead, and to establish upon the earth a universal and abiding Kingdom.
-
Man is mortal: that is subject to death in consequence of the disobedience of Adam which brought death as the penalty of sin. In the death state a man is a body deprived of life, and is utterly unconscious as if he had never existed.
-
“Soul” in the Bible means ‘creature’, but it is also used of the various aspects in which a living creature can be contemplated, such as person, body, life, breath, mind. It never expresses the idea of immortality.
-
The earth is the destined sphere of the activity of God’s people, when made immortal. The word “hell” in the Bible simply means the ‘grave’.
-
Repentance and baptism into Christ by full immersion in water is necessary for salvation.
- In God’s Kingdom on earth, Jerusalem will be the future capital of the world. All nations will be embraced.
How we live
We believe that the Bible gives us effective direction in our lives and with God’s help, we try to please and obey Him every day, striving to imitate Jesus Christ who faithfully obeyed his Father perfectly. Therefore, we endeavour to be dedicated in sharing our hope, compassionate to others, enthusiastic in work, loyal in marriage, generous in giving and happy in our God.
Our members
We commonly refer to our members collectively as an ‘ecclesia’. This is the New Testament Greek word usually translated as ‘church’ in our English Bibles. Over the years, a church has come to refer more to a building rather than the people. Since the building in which we meet has no relevance to our salvation (Acts 7:48-50), we call ourselves an ‘ecclesia’, that is, a people called out to serve God. As the Bible states in Ephesians 2:18-22, God’s building is His people.
