At Christians Against Poverty (CAP), our faith in God and our understanding of how we are called to live shapes our character, culture and purpose. This is outworked through our mission to serve the poor through compassionate service and the active pursuit of justice and peace and to save the lost by clearly proclaiming the good news that God loves people and wants a saving relationship with them.
Our Christian faith is based on these essential tenets of the Christian faith:
The Triune God. We believe that there is one living God, revealed through the Bible as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The universe is the creation of the one living God and reveals God’s existence, power and goodness.
Human Beings. Every human being, male and female, is an image bearer of the creator, created in order to love, worship and obey God, to relate to one another in love and compassion to seek justice and to care for creation. Being made in the image of God, every individual is unique, sacred, dignified and equal. God loves and cares for everyone as shown by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the grace this sacrifice makes possible.
All humans have sinned (acted contrary to God’s nature and purpose) by rejecting God’s authority and disobeying God’s commands. We are therefore alienated from God, one another and creation. This unchecked rebellion leads to eternal separation from God.
Jesus the Christ. Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, the Messiah uniquely appointed by God to bring salvation to the world. Jesus Christ, being in very nature God, came to earth and becoming truly man, taught and modelled for us the new life of the Kingdom of God. In his death on the cross he took upon himself the sin of the world, bearing its full cost and penalty so that we can be put right with God through his grace, by faith in Christ alone. On the cross Christ also entered into our suffering, defeated the powers of evil and accomplished the reconciliation of all creation. In his bodily resurrection he defeated death for us all and gave us the way to eternal life. Through his ascension he is exalted as reigning Lord, and at his return he will fully establish the universal reign of God’s Kingdom.
Holy Spirit. The Bible testifies to the Holy Spirit’s activity both in creation and history as well as in our lives – empowering us to love generously, experience freedom, to fight for justice and to proclaim the gospel. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin, leading to faith and repentance and unites believers to Christ. Through Christ, God’s Spirit is poured out on all believers. The Spirit gives gifts along with the power to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel, discern truth, pray effectively and advance the Kingdom of God.
The Bible. The Bible tells the universal story of creation, the fall, God’s redemption of humanity and ultimately the hope of a new creation, begun through the person and work of Jesus Christ. We believe the Bible is the word of God spoken through human authors and that it is trustworthy in all it affirms. We view it as the ultimate revelation of God’s identity, character, purposes and actions and submit to it as supremely and uniquely authoritative for our belief and behaviour.
The Church. The Church is the worldwide community of believers who have been called by God to represent his character of holiness and compassion, to bring justice on earth and to fulfil his mission of proclaiming the new life made possible through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We exist to worship and to love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbours as ourselves.
Therefore, as Christians Against Poverty, we commit ourselves to:
• Live humbly, lovingly and sacrificially.
• Make known God’s grace through Christ, calling people to faith, repentance and discipleship.
• Demonstrate the values and the power of the Kingdom of God.
• Serve those struggling with poverty, vulnerability and marginalisation with compassion and love.
• Recognise our Christian duty of mutual encouragement to all who serve Christ including those from other churches, organisations and denominations, respecting the diversity of culture, experience and understanding of others.