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.