What do Anglicans believe?

Anglicans believe in one God, who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God the Father created us in love, so we may have loving relationship with our Creator; we also believe that we choose to reject and fracture our relationship with this eternal God and live without reference to God (called sin).

We believe that God the Son, Jesus of Nazareth, lived in perfect relationship with God the Father, and died on a cross in order to reconcile humanity’s relationship with God. We believe that, through the power of God the Holy Spirit, he rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven and remains at the Father’s right hand, and we believe that he will come again one day.

We believe that after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, God the Holy Spirit was given as a gift to all believers, and equips, guides, and renews God’s people whilst conforming the church to the image of Christ.

We believe that through the death and risen power of Christ, all who believe and confess Jesus as Lord can be saved from the penalty and power of sin, enjoying an eternal relationship with God and an abundant life. We believe that no amount of good deeds will help us live up to God’s perfect standard: only faith in Jesus of Nazareth and a belief in his reconciling work can mend our broken relationship with God.

We believe that the Bible is fundamental to life as a Christian and that “the Scriptures contain all things necessary for salvation.” The Bible instructs us in a life of faithfulness to Jesus’s person and work, which involves regular praise and worship of God, prayer – both with others and alone, teaching others how to follow Jesus, and expressing our faith through acts of love to those around us. We believe that this faithful life points others to the reality of God’s love for us, expresses our love for God, and springs out of a lively faith in Christ – much like a tree is known by the fruit that it bears.

We believe that people become members of God’s church through baptism, and that all Christians celebrate Holy Communion (also known as Eucharist) as a shared “meal” which they eat together in Jesus’ name. We believe in the resurrection of the dead, and that all true believers will one day experience the eternal presence of God, through Christ.