We would like to introduce you to the Free Reformed Churches in South Africa (FRCSA). We hope that this overview will be helpful in establishing or strengthening contacts with individual Christians as well as churches which cherish the inheritance of the Reformation, so that “they be brought to complete unity…” (John 17: 23)
Good News for you!
We confess the Bible as the Word of God. God is real, and has spoken through his prophets in the Old Testament and finally through his only Son, Jesus Christ, in the New Testament. Therefore we submit to the authority of the Scriptures for our faith and church life. We reject anything that undermines or attacks this authority. We believe the Bible fully contains the will of God as it has been revealed through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. All that man should believe in order to be saved is sufficiently taught therein. This sufficiency of Scripture means that man should not add anything to it or remove anything from it.
The Scriptures are a unity and have Jesus Christ as the centre. He is the eternal Son of God who deserves our worship. He has become man and was born on earth in order to die on the cross. The Bible clearly preaches Jesus Christ as the only Saviour. There is no one else who can reconcile you to God. Why not?
We believe this is expressed clearly in the doctrines of grace that were rediscovered during the Reformation in the 16th century: we can only be saved by God’s grace, through faith and in Christ (sola gratia, sola fide, and solus Christus) to the glory of God alone. Once you are saved, you’re always saved.
The first chapters of Ephesians and Romans describe this clearly.
Every person on earth was born as a sinner because he shares in the sin Adam and Eve committed in paradise (Genesis 3). We are dead in our sins and fall short of God’s glory and deserve God’s eternal punishment.
We can only be saved from this punishment by the blood of Jesus Christ: because he had no sin and was crucified as an innocent man, he took our place under God’s judgment and provided atonement for us. Jesus, who is true God and true human, died for our sins, rose again from the dead, and is coming back to earth. This is the Good News!
God calls you and me to believe in Jesus Christ. Everyone who believes in him no longer faces condemnation, but is free from the guilt of sin. God adopts every believer as his own child because of Jesus Christ, deeply loves them and promises them forgiveness of sin and eternal life.
Jesus also gives believers his Holy Spirit, through whom they are united with him and belong to Him. They remain anchored in Jesus through his Spirit and Jesus will protect them and make them holy. Holy, means the Holy Spirit changes believers so they gradually become more and more like Jesus Christ. This process of sanctification begins on the day you first believe in Christ, and continues until your death or until the day Jesus returns.
We believe God calls all believers to join the church. It is important for you, when you repent from your sins and believe in Jesus, to find a church that is faithful to the Bible and lives as the body of Christ. Why? Because the Word of God is the only reliable source for knowing God, and where the Word is preached we are under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit. . The preaching is the instrument the Spirit uses to change believers, through the explanation and proclamation of the gospel. The apostles often refer to the church community and command that the elders oversee the flock of God (Acts 20 :28; 1 Peter 5:2) – which would be impossible if there is no idea of membership. You can only grow as a believer in a church that obeys the authority of the Bible.
Our church strives to preach and practice the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore we humbly welcome you to our church fellowship and invite you to worship and grow together with us.
We are looking forward to the return of Jesus. He has promised to come and establish his kingdom on earth in all its fullness. This day will be terrible for everyone who does not believe in Him, because they will be judged for their sins. Believers, however, look forward to this day with anticipation and joy: finally, we will see Jesus and we will serve him and love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, because there will no longer be any sin to hinder us. This eternal joy means that we will forever be in God’s presence in a renewed heaven and earth.
This is the good news written in the Bible, also meant for you. We pray you may accept this and will join us in following Jesus.