Scripture Alone
We believe the Bible is the Word of God. In it, God
has revealed himself to us and only as we get to
know the Bible do we get to know God. Because it is
his Word, it has authority. We want to submit our
lives to it; following its principles and testing
everything we do and teach by its standards. So at
Open House we place a strong emphasis on teaching,
preaching and coming to know the Bible.
Christ Alone
The Bible reveals Jesus Christ as the Son of God,
who became human. He came into this world to be our
Saviour. We are not saved by our good works, or our
attempts to be religious, or our nice lifestyle. He
alone is the bridge between God and mankind. In his
death on the cross he paid the price for our sins
(our inability to do what is right) and turned away
the anger of God from us. In his resurrection Jesus
secured victory for us over sin, death and
condemnation.
New life can be found in him and only in him. So at
Open House we talk a lot about Jesus Christ. He is
our focus and our King. We believe the work of the
Holy Spirit, which is Jesus' spirit on Earth. The
Holy Spirit gives us faith to believe in Jesus,
draws our attention to him, helps us understand his
Word, makes us more like him, gives us gifts to use
in serving others and enables us to share the good
news about him to the world.
Faith Alone
The only way to be saved by Christ is to have faith
in him. Meaning, to fully depend on him. We are
saved by believing in Jesus and accepting his death
and resurrection in our place. So at Open House we
call people to believe in Christ — to trust him and
not rely on themselves or anyone else for becoming
right with God.
Grace Alone
This salvation in Jesus is not something we have
earned or deserved. It is the free gift of God. This
is called "grace". Another definition of "grace" is
"undeserved favour". We believe this is the greatest
gift God has given us — an undeserved blessing in
the fact that Jesus restored us to God and to a life
of hope and purpose when we had done nothing to
deserve it.
Our new life is an experience of joy, peace, hope,
love and purpose and all of that is a free gift from
God! So at Open House we stress that God's grace to
us is to be celebrated and enjoyed and it is to
motivate us in living good and grateful lives to God
like children do to a loving father.
God's Glory Alone
We believe that God alone is worthy of praise and
worship. He is our Creator and Redeemer. He is to be
honoured, loved, respected and praised. So at Open
House the focus is on God and his glory. Worship is
not just what we do at church — all of our life is
worship. In everything we do, we are responding to
the God who made us and saved us. Every area of life
is to be embraced as an area of service to God and
an expression of love for him.