About Bethany Hall, Glenburn

Things we do

We meet together weekly to remember the Lord Jesus, and we do so in the way described by Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian Believers, where they (and we) are reminded that “... the Lord Jesus, in the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread: and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said: ‘Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.’ After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying: ‘This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.’ ”

The letter then continues with these words: “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come” (1st Corinthians ch. 11, vv. 23 - 26).

We baptise, by full immersion in water, people who have repented of their sins and have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. It is normal for someone who has experienced the forgiveness of God to have a desire to obey him, and since the Lord Jesus commands that all believers be baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, obedience to this command is an excellent first step.

Baptism identifies believers with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and indicates their willing acceptance of the fact that God has called them to walk “in newness of life” (Romans ch. 6, v. 4). The Bible defines baptism with great clarity as “the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1st Peter ch. 3, v. 21).

Things you can learn from the Bible about:

God: There is one God, the living God, who is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things (Deuteronomy ch. 6, v. 4). He is infinite, eternal, unchanging, and is revealed to us as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew ch. 28, v. 19; 2nd Corinthians ch. 13, v. 14). When the Bible uses the term “the Godhead,” it refers to the eternal co-existence and unity of these three distinct persons.

In John ch. 4, vv. 23-24, Christ speaks of worshipping the Father, and states: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

In John chapter 1 and verse 1, we read: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then, in verse 14 of the same chapter, we read: “.. the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us …” “The Word” is one of the names by which Christ is known. See also Revelation ch. 19, v. 13.

In Acts chapter 5, verses 3 and 4, Ananias, who was guilty of lying to the Holy Spirit, was told in no uncertain terms that he had lied to God.
The Father: One of the first indications we find in the Bible that God wishes to be known as the Father of his people is found in the book of Exodus, chapter 4, verses 22-23, where God instructs Moses to tell Pharaoh: "Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me ..."

Other examples are:-

Deuteronomy ch. 32, v. 6 - Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

Isaiah ch. 63, v. 16 - Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

Isaiah ch. 64, v. 8 - But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

There are a total of 15 references in the Old Testament to the subject of the Fatherhood of God. When we explore the New-Testament writings, however, we find that the number of such references runs into hundreds, with around a hundred found in the Gospel of John alone.

The Lord Jesus addressed God as "Father" and taught his disciples to do the same. However, his "Sonship" was different from that of his followers. He was by nature the Son; they were "sons" through adoption. This is clearly seen in John ch. 20, v. 17 in the distinction between "my" Father and "your" Father, and between "my" God and "your" God.

In Galatians ch. 3, v. 26, Paul reminds those who have trusted Christ for salvation that they “are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus,” a fact which the apostle John feels compelled to view in the context of the love of God: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God …” (1st John, ch. 3, v. 1).
The Son: The Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (Luke ch. 1, vv. 34 - 35; John ch. 1, vv. 1, 2, 14, and 18).

He accomplished this redemption by dying for our sins according to the scriptures, voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgment against sin (Romans ch. 3, vv. 24 - 26).

After substantiating the accomplishment of that redemption and our justification by His bodily resurrection from the grave, He ascended to the right hand of His Father, where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him (Romans ch. 8, v. 34). And, before ascending there to prepare a place for those who believe in Him, Christ promised, in John chapter 14, verse.3: “… I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment (John ch. 16, vv. 8 - 11).

He is the divine Comforter whom Jesus promised he would send to be with and in his disciples forever (John ch. 14, vv. 16 - 17).

In fulfilment of that promise, He dwells in all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and seals them until the day of final redemption (Ephesians ch. 1, vv. 12 - 14; Ephesians ch. 4, v. 30).

The Holy Spirit is also called “the Spirit of God,” “the Spirit of the Lord,” “the Comforter” and, in some instances, simply “the Spirit.”

He distributes spiritual gifts within the church, equipping each member to function for the glory of God and for the blessing and edification of the church itself (1st Corinthians ch. 12, vv. 4 - 11).

He gives assurance to those who have trusted Christ for salvation, as stated in Romans ch. 8, v. 16: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.”
The Word of God: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2nd Timothy, ch. 3, v. 16).

Peter describes in his second letter how this took place, when he points out that “... the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2nd Peter ch. 1, v. 21). We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of Scripture, and we therefore believe that the whole Bible is completely true and without error in the original manuscripts.

In Isaiah chapter 40, verse 8, we read: “The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”

And in Mark chapter 13, verse 31, Christ declares: “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”
Creation: Man was created directly by God and in his image (Genesis ch. 1, v. 27).

God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, by direct act (Genesis ch. 1, v. 1; John ch. 1, v. 3; Colossians ch. 1, vv. 16 - 17).

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else (Isaiah ch. 45, v. 18).
Mankind: Although man was created in the image of God, he fell into sin and is lost (Genesis ch. 3, vv. 17 - 19). This is true of the whole human race, and unless a person is born again by the Holy Spirit, that person cannot see the kingdom of God (John ch. 3, v. 3; Romans ch. 3, v. 10 and v. 23).
Forgiveness of Sin: The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe on Him are redeemed by His shed blood (Isaiah ch. 53, v. 5; Hebrews ch. 10, vv. 4 - 14).

We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ and in His ascension into heaven (Luke ch. 24, vv. 36 - 40; Acts ch. 1, vv. 9 - 11).

He is our High Priest and Advocate (Hebrews ch. 4, vv. 14 - 16; 1st letter by John, ch. 2, v. 1).

Christ taught his disciples to show their appreciation of God’s forgiveness by forgiving others (Luke ch. 11, v. 4).

Hezekiah, one of the kings of Israel, experienced the forgiveness of God in his life and celebrated it with these words: “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back (Isaiah ch. 38, v. 17).
Salvation: The Bible teaches that salvation is the gift of God’s grace (Ephesians ch. 1, v. 7).

It cannot be gained or made more secure by works of righteousness, but is freely bestowed upon all who put their faith in Jesus Christ and in the work which he completed when he died to redeem us at Calvary (Ephesians ch. 2, vv. 8 - 9; Titus ch. 3, vv. 4 - 7).

All who so trust the Saviour are forgiven of their sins and born into the family of God by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit (John ch. 1, v. 12; Romans ch. 10, vv. 9 - 10).

Being “saved,” being “born again,” being “justified by faith,” being “redeemed” are all expressions which describe the human experience of being reconciled to God, the experience of salvation. The old-testament prophet Jonah said: “Salvation is of the LORD.”

In Acts chapter 4, verse 12, Peter, speaking of Christ, boldly states: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”