The Bible
The Bible is too wonderful to be the work of unaided men; we believe its writers were inspired by God, whom it reveals. It contains all we need to know about God and His dealings with mankind, and is the only certain source of knowledge of such things. The Bible is the basis of our beliefs, and the basis of the existence of the Christadelphian community. We encourage each other to read portions of the Bible every day.

If you would like to consider some of the evidence for believing the Bible to be reliable, please click here: The evidence

What the Bible tells us
God created the universe and everything in it. Man was made in the image of God.

Having been given free-will, all men fail to live up to God's perfection and are sinners in his sight. (Since men are held fully responsible for their sin, the Bible "Devil" cannot be a supernatural agent of sin, but is a figurative term for any source of evil or temptation, particularly that within mankind.)

Death is God's punishment on mankind for sin; it is the natural end of a man (not an automatic gateway to a better or spiritual existence).

God offers men and women forgiveness of sins and salvation from death through faith in Jesus Christ. No-one can earn salvation; it is a gift of God.

The birth of Jesus came about by the operation of God's Holy Spirit (the power of God) on the virgin Mary, so that he is Son of God and also Son of Man, and was able to show divine attributes although he shared our human nature. (However, the common idea that Jesus is "God the Son" and part of a "Trinity" of "three persons in one God" we do not find in the Bible.)

Although Jesus suffered temptation like the rest of mankind, he lived a perfect life, culminating in his death on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

God raised Jesus from death. Many of his disciples saw him after his resurrection. Later, he ascended to heaven, leaving his disciples the task of preaching the gospel to others. To help them in this work, they were given the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them.

God's promises to the fathers of the nation of Israel that their offspring should inherit the earth and bring blessings to all nations are still relevant. The great offspring of Israel is Jesus Christ. Those who put their trust in Jesus will receive a share in the fulfilment of those promises.

Believers must first symbolically associate themselves with Jesus' death and resurrection by baptism (total immersion in water); then they must show their faith by trying to live according to the teaching of Jesus and his apostles.

The re-establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, their repossessing the whole of Jerusalem in 1967 and the continuing tension in the Middle East suggest that the return of Jesus to the earth will be soon.

Jesus will return to the earth as the Jews' Messiah and the Christians' King. He will take over world government and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

Those "in Christ" who die before his return will be raised from death when he comes; until then they are "asleep".

At his coming, Jesus will judge both those raised from death and those still living. Some will be punished with eternal destruction; the faithful will be rewarded with eternal life and share in the Kingdom of God.

During the "Millennium" of Christ's reign, his immortalised disciples will help in bringing justice, righteousness and peace to the whole world. Finally, the perfected kingdom will be handed over to God, the Father.

If you would like details of a free course to help you read and understand the Bible for yourself, please click here: Bible Course