Statement of Belief.
As a microcosm of the Church across the world, Saint Wilfrid Church has members who hold a range of views on a range of subjects. We view this as a strength. In the tension (and sometimes pain) of our differences, we seek to live together well, in the love of Christ.
As we navigate through the disagreement, we draw on the teaching of St. Augustine, who once taught the following: “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In everything, love.”
Augustine’s teaching emphasizes that certain core teachings in Scripture are essential for unity and experiencing life in God as His family.
While the Church has often divided over less central issues, these should be held with liberty, allowing individuals space to grow in their faith journey.
Essential doctrines anchor the Church, while non-essentials, though important, should be approached with grace.
Above all, love must define the Church—right belief must be held and expressed in love, as Jesus did, making the Body of Christ a living reflection of Him.
The Essentials.
These are the core beliefs that unite the Saint Wilfrid Church family:
The Bible
We affirm the authority of Scripture and commit ourselves to live under its timeless and life-giving guidance.
The Gospel
We proclaim that through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, God restores humanity to relationship and wholeness with Him.
Salvation
We believe that salvation by grace is essential for restoring our relationship with God and with one another.
The Bible.
At Saint Wilfrid Church, we believe the Bible—comprising the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testament—to be both true and authoritative. We hold this conviction because we believe God divinely inspired the original authors through the Holy Spirit to write these Scriptures (see 2 Timothy 3:15–17 and 2 Peter 1:21).
While we expect God to be present with and within us, continually revealing Himself, we do not believe that His revelation ever contradicts what Scripture has historically declared in matters of faith and practice. God never contradicts Himself. Therefore, Scripture not only draws us into the life of God but also serves as a safeguard, helping us discern His will and test the truth of all things.
We have fellowship with other members of the Body of Christ who profess their faith as follows:
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic and apostolic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
The Apostles Creed.
We also hold onto the Nicene Creed as a foundational statement of faith:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
The Nicene Creed.
“The Gospel is not merely a history, but the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.”
- John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 AD)
No single theology can contain the full scope of God’s good news. At Saint Wilfrid Church, we find it most helpful to speak of the Gospel as both a statement and a story — a declaration of what God has done in Jesus, and an invitation to participate in His kingdom.
The Gospel Statement
The Gospel is the good news that God, the Creator and King, has come in Jesus the Messiah to reclaim His world, defeat sin and death, and restore His creation through His people by the power of the Holy Spirit.
This good news is initiated by God, who acts in grace to rescue and renew His creation.
This good news is centered on Jesus, whose faithful life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection inaugurate God’s kingdom.
This good news is participatory, calling us to join God’s work as His faithful people, embodying justice, mercy, and reconciliation.
This good news is kingdom-shaped, addressing not only individual hearts but the renewal of the entire world under Christ’s lordship.
This good news is powerful, awakening us from death to life and forming a people who are a foretaste of God’s restored creation.
The Gospel.
The Gospel Story: The Kingdom Come
The Gospel announces that God’s kingdom has come near. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection reveal God’s rule breaking into our world, restoring creation, and inviting humanity into participation. This story can be seen through four kingdom-centered movements:
1. God’s Reign Established
God, the Creator, made the world to reflect His loving rule. Humanity was created to flourish under His kingship, living in harmony with Him, one another, and creation itself.
2. Rebellion and Brokenness
Humanity rejected God’s rule, seeking independence and power apart from Him. This rebellion brought corruption, injustice, suffering, and death into the world.
3. The King’s Inauguration
God’s promised King, Jesus, came to restore His kingdom. Through His teaching, healing, death, and resurrection, Jesus defeated sin and death, reconciled humanity to God, and began the renewal of His creation.
4. The Kingdom Come
God’s reign is now advancing through His Spirit and His people. The Church participates in God’s work, embodying justice, mercy, and love. One day, God will fully restore all creation, bringing peace, justice, and life under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Our Conviction.
We believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the world’s true story and humanity’s only hope. By God’s grace alone, people are rescued from sin and death, made righteous and alive in Christ, and invited to share in His renewing work. The Gospel speaks to the whole person and the whole world, bringing forgiveness, transformation, and healing, and advancing God’s kingdom of heaven on earth.
Salvation (Present Tense)
Paul also writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Notice the phrase, “to us who are being saved.” Salvation is not only a past event; it is actively happening now. Present-tense salvation is the ongoing work of the risen Jesus through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, transforms our hearts and minds, and conforms us into Christ’s likeness. This is Sozo in motion: our whole being—spirit, soul, and body—is being renewed, healed, and made whole as we walk in obedience and faith.
Salvation (Future Tense)
Jesus speaks of the ultimate experience of salvation in Matthew 24:13:
“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
Even though salvation is already ours through faith and being lived out in the present, its full consummation is yet to come. Our bodies may age, our circumstances may challenge us, and death may appear powerful—but God’s saving work will not fail. As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:16:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
The future dimension of salvation assures us that God’s restoration of our whole being and of creation itself will be completed. Death has no final victory because the work of the Father through Christ, and the present work of the Spirit within us, guarantees ultimate renewal.
At Saint Wilfrid Church, we use the word salvation to describe how an individual experiences the transformative power of the Gospel. In the words of Eugene Peterson, “Salvation is God’s way of dealing with what is wrong with the world and with us.”
Salvation, or Sozo, is more than a legal declaration; it is the healing, restoration, and renewal of the whole person—spirit, soul, and body—brought into alignment with God’s purposes. Scripture teaches that this salvation is experienced in past, present, and future tenses: it has happened, it is happening, and it will be fully realized.
Salvation (Past Tense)
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8–9:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
In this sense, salvation has already been accomplished through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. This past-tense salvation is a finished work: God has secured our redemption, reconciled us to Himself, and offered it as a gift to all who believe. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the foundation of our Sozo—our restored relationship with God and the promise of new life—has been laid.
Salvation.
Sozo: Salvation of the Whole Person.
Salvation is therefore holistic: it restores our relationship with God, heals our inner life and emotions, and renews our physical existence. Sozo is the life-transforming work of God that touches every dimension of our humanity—past, present, and future—and shapes us into the daughters and sons He intended us to be.