The biblical foundations of our commitment
God and creation
We believe in one God, eternally existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit in a relationship of mutual love. In his love, God created everything that exists, from the farthest reaches of the cosmos to the delicate and complex ecosystems of the Earth. God rejoices in the natural world and all that it contains, declaring it to be « very good ». Creation, in turn, is a source of wonder and wisdom, and a witness to God’s divine nature and eternal power.
We rejoice in the beauty, diversity and complexity of the natural world and commit ourselves to delighting in and caring for God’s good creation.
How we know God
God is supremely known in Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Bible, through the Holy Spirit, and also through creation. Our knowledge of God, therefore, comes primarily from our relationship with Christ, our commitment to the Word of God and our experience of creation, in worship, relationships, creativity and the scientific investigation of life and its complex interconnections and dependencies.
We commit ourselves to worship and follow Jesus as Lord. We will seek to glorify him both through the study of the Bible and through the study and care of God’s created world.
Humanity and creation
We confess our involvement in selfish choices and sinful behaviours that damage all of God’s creation and commit ourselves to repentance, to the practice of biblical lament, to renewing our vocation to serve and to preserving the integrity of God’s creation, by living in it and using it responsibly and sustainably.
God's covenant with creation
We believe that God does not abandon creation, but that in his love he continues to sustain and renew the Earth and all creation. As the biblical stories tell us, God reaches out to a wounded world, both in judgment and in the hope of renewal. Throughout the Old Testament narratives, whether in times of exile or stability, or in the prophets’ vision of peaceful and harmonious relationships, God’s purposes systematically include not only human beings (especially the poor and marginalised), but also non-human creatures and the Earth itself.
We respond to God’s initiative by committing ourselves to the pursuit of justice and peace, mutual learning and collaboration, and the flourishing of the communities and ecosystems in which God has placed us.
Life and death of Jesus
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in whom God’s good and glorious plans for humanity and all creation are fulfilled. In Jesus, God dwelt among us, participating through his incarnation in the very life and matter of the world. In Christ, God entered into the suffering and disorder of the world and revealed a new way of living in the Kingdom of God, one of justice, peace and joy. In Christ’s death on the cross, God overcame the power of sin and death and accomplished the reconciliation of all things – human and non-human – giving hope to all that is broken and blighted, and eternal life to all who receive it.
We care for creation, motivated by our affirmation that Jesus is Lord. His birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension give us purpose and hope for humanity and all creation.
Our future hope
The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the sign and guarantee of our hope for humanity and for all creation. Christ will return to renew all things, to destroy evil and death, and to bring the fullness of God’s Kingdom to Earth. When it comes to God’s new creation, the Bible speaks of both discontinuity and continuity, of judgement and hope. We affirm, with the apostle Paul, that this creation will no longer be enslaved to corruption, but will share in the freedom of the children of God(Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:21).
We seek to live in the power of Christ’s resurrected life, rejoicing, learning and participating in God’s renewal and re-creation of the world.
Safeguarding creation and the mission of the church
Caring for creation is an integral part of the Gospel, the good news of Christ. As followers of Jesus as Lord, we are called to live as citizens of Christ’s Kingdom and members of Christ’s body on earth, the Church. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we share in the healing and reconciliation that Christ has accomplished, both for our relationships with one another and for our relationship with the whole of creation.
We joyfully respond to this call to follow Jesus in caring for creation, and we invite the churches and all Christ-followers to join us in prayer, advocacy and practical action on behalf of the world God has created. We look forward to working with a wide range of individuals, groups and organisations to respond to this call.
Nicée Creed
As followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, we bear witness to the divine authority of the Bible. This is summed up in the Nicene Creed and forms the basis of the following affirmations of the historic Christian faith and is the foundation of our work.[1] We come from many cultures and church traditions, but we are united in our desire to be faithful to Jesus and to demonstrate Christ’s lordship in caring for God’s world.[2]
[1] A Rocha’s origins lie in the evangelical Christian movement, as reflected in our Fundamental Statement of Faith. Within our leadership, we welcome those from all Christian traditions who accept A Rocha’s commitment to the care of creation.
[2] We work with a wide range of national and global denominations and networks. In addition, we join fully in practical action to care for God’s world with those of other faiths and no faith, as well as with scientific and environmental organisations.
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible;
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, light of light, true God of true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, through whom all things were made. For us, men, and for our salvation, he came down from heaven; by the Holy Spirit he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered; he was buried; he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven; he sits at the right hand of the Father and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, whose reign will have no end;
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is Lord and giver of life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified; who spoke through the prophets;
We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come.
Amen.