INTRODUCTION
The
Evangelical Christian Church of Veszprém is formally independent, but
belongs to the worldwide Evangelical family. (Our understanding of Evangelicalism
is close to what John Stott says about it in his book Evangelical Truth, IVP,
1999.)
We are Catholic in the sense that we value the
unity of all true Christians and believe in the continuity of the people of
God throughout the centuries. Strictly speaking, however, we are Protestants.
We believe in the Reformational principles: sola Scriptura, sola fide, solus
Christus, sola gratia, soli Deo gloria.
We have a basically
Reformed theology, but our church government is more Baptistic and our worship
style is contemporary. We are open to some of the emphases of the Charismatic
movement, but we are critical of it as well. We highly value biblical teaching
and heartfelt worship.
DOCTRINAL
STATEMENT
Evangelical Christian
Church, Veszprém
1. THE BLESSED TRINITY
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - three in one God.
2. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
God is the sole Lord of creation, revelation, redemption, and the final judgment.
3. THE BIBLE
The
Holy Scriptures are God-breathed and trustworthy and sure in their original
form.
It is the principal authority with regard to truth, faith, and answers
to life's questions.
4. SIN
Since the fall of man, mankind is universally sinful. This is why God's wrath and judgment is upon him.
5. THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST
The
Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God incarnate, fully God. Conceived by the Holy
Spirit,
born of a virgin, fully man but without sin. He was crucified, died,
and
rose from the dead and is the Lord of heaven and earth.
6. CHRIST'S WORK OF SALVATION
Jesus
Christ alone can save us from sin and its punishment, who once for all time
by His sacrificial death, substituted Himself for us, and effectively represented
us.
7. JUSTIFICATION
Justification
is God's undeserving grace, by which the sinner receives forgiveness for all
his
sins and God places Christ's righteousness upon him. All this is received
by faith alone.
8. THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The
Holy Spirit alone is able to convict man of his sins. Through His presence the
born-again believer
becomes more Christ-like. The Holy Spirit enables
him to be a witness to the world.
9. THE CHURCH
The church is the one, holy, and catholic body of Christ to which all true believers belong.
10. THE END TIMES
Jesus Christ will personally return and be judge at the final judgment.
SOME COORDINATES OF OUR SPIRITUALITY
FIRMNESS - OPENNESS
We adhere to the truth of the gospel and its values because it is the basis of our salvation and who we are. The life of our church is built upon the firm and solid rock of God's revelation. This firmness, however, does not mean we are closed-minded or inflexible. First of all, we want to be open toward God. We know that there are mysteries that God has not revealed to us personally and that our ability to understand is limited. Therefore, we are willing to leave unanswered questions unanswered, and it is enough that the Truth takes possession of us. We are also open to learning from others. Together with the signers of the II Helvetic Confession we are also ready to change our opinion if others convince us from the Scriptures.
THE BIBLE - CHURCH HISTORY - CONTEMPORARY LIFE
We believe the Bible to be the Word of God and our chief, only, and final authority. At the same time, we desire to study the Bible humbly knowing we are not the first to do so. The expository tradition of church history is important to us because knowledge of church history can protect us from being led to strange and false conclusions with regard to our interpretation of the Bible. We feel we have completed our task when we have applied to contemporary life the teaching of the Bible that had been tested by the expository tradition of the church. We would like to pass on an old message relevant to contemporary man. We are aware of and critical of our own culture from which we cannot fully separate ourselves, nor do we think it wise to do so.
THE WORD - THE SPIRIT
We have noticed that there are certain Christian tendencies to either solely stress the role of God's Word or to solely stress the work of the Holy Spirit. Along with many of our predecessors, we likewise believe that there is no need to set one up against the other. Christian spirituality will only be well balanced and healthy when the authority of God's Word and the work of the Holy Spirit are both strongly evident in the life of the church. Therefore, we desire that our spirituality and our church's life be nurtured through the soil of both God's Word and the work of the Holy Spirit.
HOLINESS - FREEDOM
We don't consider holiness and freedom to be two concepts exclusive of one another. We believe that true holiness is born in the freedom of the Holy Spirit, and genuine freedom can only be lived through holiness. In the New Testament we see that Christian spirituality is not without law, but it is also not legalistic. In our church we desire to live out our holiness in freedom and our freedom in holiness.
DOCTRINE - EXPERIENCE - PRACTICE
In our church's life we place much stress on the systematic and thorough teachings of the Bible. At the same time we believe that this leads us to a healthy spirituality only if we do not separate the teaching of the Bible from experience and practice. Teaching and experience without practice leaves the life of the congregation fruitless; teaching and practice without experience leaves the fellowship dry; experience and practice without teaching leaves her spirituality without definition and shallow. We strive toward a balance between the teaching of God's Word, the experience of our relationship with God, and practical ministry.
