1. The Holy Scriptures. The Bible, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, inerrant and sufficient Word of God. It is our final authority for all that we believe and how we live, and it speaks to every area of life: the home, the church, the school, the marketplace and the nation. (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Psalm 19:7–11)
2. God. There is one living and true God, eternal, holy, all-powerful, all-knowing and good. He exists eternally in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory. He created all things, sustains all things and rules over all things for His glory. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:11)
3. Creation and humanity. God created the world good. He made human beings, male and female, in His own image, giving every person dignity and worth from conception to natural death. Marriage is the lifelong covenant union of one man and one woman, given by God as the foundation of the family, and children are a blessing from Him. (Genesis 1:26–28; 2:24; Psalm 127:3; 139:13–16; Matthew 19:4–6)
4. The fall. Our first parents disobeyed God, and through them sin and death entered the world. Every person is born sinful, guilty before God and unable to save themselves. Sin touches every part of human life and culture, including our own. (Genesis 3; Romans 3:23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1–3)
5. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who became truly human, born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a substitute for sinners, bearing God's judgment in their place, and rose bodily from the dead on the third day. He ascended to the Father, where He reigns as Lord and intercedes for His people. (John 1:1–14; Isaiah 53:4–6; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Hebrews 7:25)
6. Salvation. Salvation is God's gift, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Sinners are justified, declared righteous before God, not by their works but because Christ's righteousness is counted to them. All who repent and believe are forgiven, adopted as God's children and kept by His power to the end. (Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 3:21–26; 5:1; John 10:27–29)
7. The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives new life to sinners, unites them to Christ, lives in every believer and makes them holy. He illuminates the Scriptures and equips every church with gifts for teaching, serving and building up the body. The revelatory and sign gifts, such as apostleship, prophecy, speaking in tongues and gifts of healing, confirmed the apostolic message and laid the church's foundation; they ceased with the apostolic age. God still answers prayer and may heal according to His will, but the Spirit now speaks to the church through the completed Scriptures, which are sufficient for faith and life. (John 3:5–8; 16:13–14; Romans 8:9–11; Ephesians 2:20; Hebrews 1:1–2; 2:3–4; Jude 3)
8. The church. The church is the body of Christ, made up of all who truly believe. Christ calls believers to gather in local churches to worship, hear the Word preached, observe baptism and the Lord's Supper, care for one another and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 2:42–47; Ephesians 4:11–16; Hebrews 10:24–25)
9. The Christian life. Believers are called to holiness, to love God and neighbour, and to live faithfully in every sphere: in marriage and the family, in work, in the public square and in the church. Parents are responsible to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Romans 12:1–2; Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:17, 23)
10. Eschatology. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to judge the living and the dead. The wicked will be justly condemned, and God's people will live with Him forever in a new heaven and a new earth. This hope steadies us in a troubled world. (Acts 17:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Revelation 21:1–4)
We hold the beliefs above firmly. On other questions, faithful Christians have long disagreed, and contributors may hold different views. These include:
We will not turn a matter of wisdom into a test of fellowship. Writers may argue for their convictions on these questions, but should not treat those who disagree as unfaithful.
We gladly confess the historic Christian faith summarised in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. The editorial voice of Between Two Worlds stands in the Reformed and Baptist tradition (the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith), but we welcome contributors from across the evangelical church who share the convictions above.
This statement guides what we publish. Every contributor agrees to it before writing, and the Editor decides whether a piece fits within it. It summarises our beliefs; it does not replace Scripture, which remains our final authority.