Our Beliefs

HYMN STORY

Abide With Me

Abide with Me is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican cleric Henry Francis Lyte. A prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death. The opening line alludes to Luke 24:29, and the penultimate verse draws on text from 1 Corinthians 15:55. It is most often sung to the tune “Eventide” by the English organist William Henry Monk.

It was written in 1847, as Lyte was dying from tuberculosis. He died on November 20, 1847 in Nice (then part the Kingdom of Sardinia). The hymn was sung for the very first time at his funeral.

We Believe

The Holy Bible: It is the only accurate Bible and authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths (for example: not traditions or other writings). In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant.

(See: II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26).

The Trinity: God is eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal.

(See: I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).

Jesus Christ is God the Son (the second person of the Trinity). On earth, Jesus was both 100% God and 100% man. Filled with The Holy Spirit beyond limit, He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, took the punishment for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.

(See: John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5).

Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb; therefore, He is the Son of God.

(See: Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35).

Redemption through faith in Christ: Though man and woman were created good and upright, by voluntary transgression they fell from grace (and each of us have sinned) so that a person’s only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

(See: Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21).

The Resurrection means Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life, and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation.

(See: Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21).