About Blackhill Baptist Church
About Us
The Gospel of Mathew in the New Testament section of The Bible was possibly written at least in part in the Aramaic language, a type of ancient Hebrew, and later translated into Greek. The Greek writer in chapters 16 and 18 gives Jesus the word "ecclesia" when referring to the church which translates as "an assembly of the people" or "community". "The Church” is therefore the people and is neither a building nor an institution. Blackhill Baptist Church is a group of ordinary people who are trying to follow The Way shown by Jesus. We are a small friendly church committed to Him, to one another, to the local community of which we are a part, and to the World. The "Good News" preached by Jesus was that God's Kingdom was very close and that every human being was invited with no divisions, no exclusions, and no special groups. We stand for breaking down divisions in a community and house of prayer for ALL people.
Baptist Union Declaration Of Principle
1. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. God in the flesh, is the sole and absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practise as revealed in The Bible, and that each church has liberty under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to interpret and administer His laws (Freedom of Conscience).
2. That Christian baptism is the immersion in water into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Baptism does not bestow salvation which is achived by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, but is an outward sign of an inner truth.
3. That it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ , and to take part in spreading this truth throughout mankind.
The Gospel
The Greek word "gospel" translates as " good news" . Jesus himself taught the Good News that God's perfect kingdom was vary close and that all people were invited, adding after his death and resurrection that everyone who believed in him would be saved. This open invitation and response in faith are central to the Christian message of eternal hope.
The Bible is the story of how God, through his love and mercy, has provided a way for all humanity to be reconciled to him, creating humans in his image and giving them the freedom to choose whether or not to obey him. Unfortunately humanity chose unwisely and a rift opened between God and humanity, a perfect creation was tarnished, introducing sin into the world and separating humanity from God.
But God did not abandon humanity. In the Old Testament God chose Abram (later changed to Abraham) to be the father of the Jews who would become a holy nation of priests, tasked with reminding humanity of their great creator God who loved them all. The Jews failed in this task, keeping God to themselves and throughout the Old Testament rebelling against the prophets sent to remind them of their special status and sacred mission to the World.
In the New Testament God's plan for reconciliation comes to fruition through Jesus Christ who was both fully divine and fully human, came to earth and lived a blameless life, dying on the cross to offer his blood to wash away human sin but rising victorious over death on the third day. By accepting this sacrifice and through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be restored to a right relationship with God and receive eternal life.
At the close of the Gospel story, as a reminder of the original holy purpose of the Jews to tell the World the Good News, Jesus instructs his twelve Jewish disciples (the traitor Judas replaced by Matthias), representing the twelve tribes of Israel, to travel out into the whole World and tell everyone the Good News that salvation is offered to all people through faith in Jesus.