What we believe - St Denys Church

We believe and trust in one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Baptism is the way the Church has welcomed new believers into the family for generations. At a baptism (or christening), these questions are asked about what we believe:

Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist?

When we say yes to this, we are declaring with Psalm 24 that “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it”. That means any commitment to love God will involve loving what he has made, people and planet. At St Denys we are very aware of the beauty of our natural surroundings and our responsibility to look after God’s creation better. Walks with Wonder, Welly Walks, Eco Club and the new Jubilee Garden have all been ways in which we try to live out our belief that God is maker of heaven and earth.

Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?

At the heart of Christian faith is the person of Jesus Christ. For many people, Jesus was a wise teacher, or a simple prophet, but for Christians he is the Son of God. We believe Jesus was both fully human and fully God. We celebrate his coming to be one with us at Christmas, his dying for our sins on Good Friday, and his resurrection that gives us all hope on Easter Day. Jesus’ story of living in the mess and suffering unjustly is one that can resonate with us all, but Christians believe death was not the end for Jesus and nor is it the end for those who put their trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who give life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world?

After Jesus returned to his Father in heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit upon his followers. The Spirit came in fire, wind and different languages. We believe the Spirit continues to be active today in the Church and the world, igniting passion for God, stirring up change, celebrating diversity. We see the fruit of the Spirit where there is love, joy and peace, and we long to see more of that fruit in our community. The Spirit helps us to live lives that are God-focussed rather than me-focussed and we constantly seek the Spirit’s guidance in prayer, scripture and fellowship.

In answer to each of these questions, we are invited in a baptism to say:

I believe and trust in him.

In the end faith is not about agreeing to a set of intellectual statements, but about what or who we trust in life. Like the generations who have gone before us, at St Denys we continue to put our trust in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

To find out more about what the Church of England has to say about faith, follow this link: https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/what-we-believe