What
We Believe
Scripture
(a) Both
the Old and New Testament Scriptures are verbally inspired
by God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and are the
ultimate authorities in all areas of faith and practice
and,
(b) The Scriptures should be interpreted literally whenever
possible, consistently, contextually, grammatically,
culturally and historically. Psalm
19:7-11; Psalm 119:160; Romans 7:5; 2 Timothy
3:16-17; Revelation
22:18-19.
God
We
believe that the Godhead also known as "The Trinity"
eternally exists in three persons: GOD THE FATHER, GOD THE
SON, GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit are one God, having the same
nature, attributes and perfection. Isaiah
48:16; Matthew 28:19; John 17.5; Romans 1:20; 2 Corinthians
13:14.
(a) We believe that the Father is perfect in holiness,
almighty in power and infinite in wisdom. As the Creator of
all, He is the Father to all men, but, He is a spiritual
Father only to those who believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Psalm
145:8-9; Matthew 5:45; 6:24-34; John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5.
(b) We believe in the personality and deity of the Lord
Jesus Christ, begotten of the Holy Spirit, born of the
virgin Mary, truly God and truly Man. We believe in His
sinless life, His vicarious atonement for the sins of
mankind by the shedding of His blood on the cross and in
His bodily resurrection from the tomb. Matthew
1:20; Luke 1:30-37; John 1:1, 1:14, 10:30; Philippians
2:5-7; Colossians 1:19; 1 Timothy 3:16.
(c) We believe that the Holy Spirit is the divine third
person of the Godhead, and thereby co-equal with the Father
and the Son. He is the infallible interpreter of the Word
of God. He convicts man of sin; indwells every believer; is
ever present to testify of Christ; regenerates; baptizes;
seals the believer; guides; teaches; empowers the life of
the believer and is vitally involved in the sanctification
of the believer. John
3:5, 6,8; 14:16-18; 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians
12:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13; 5:18.
Creation
We
believe that the account of the six day creation as given
in the Book of Genesis is to be literally understood and
that creation was a direct act of God. Therefore we teach
that any evolutionary hypothesis is totally inconsistent
with the Scriptures. Genesis
1:1-2:25; John 1:3- 10; Colossians 1: 16.
Mankind
(a) Man
was directly and immediately created by God in His
likeness, free of sin, with a rational nature,
intelligence, volition, self-determination, and moral
responsibility to God; and,
(b) God's intention in the creation of man was that man
should glorify God, enjoy His fellowship, live his life in
the will of God, and by this accomplish God's purpose for
him. Genesis
2:7, 15-25; Isaiah 43:7, Colossians 1:16;
James
3:9;
Revelation 4:11.
Sin
We
believe that, in Adam's sin of disobedience to the revealed
will and Word of God, man lost his innocence; incurred the
penalty of spiritual and physical death; became subject to
the wrath of God; and became inherently corrupt and apart
from divine grace utterly incapable of choosing or doing
that which is acceptable to God. With no recuperative
powers to enable him to recover himself, man is hopelessly
lost. Therefore, man's salvation is wholly dependent upon
the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Genesis
2:17,
3:1-19; John 3:36; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Corinthians
2:14; Ephesians
2:1-3;
1Timothy 2:13-14; 1 John 1:8.
Salvation
(a)
Salvation is wholly of God by grace through faith on the
basis of the redemption by Christ Jesus, the merit of His
shed blood, and not on the basis of human merit or works;
and
(b) Salvation is an all-inclusive term from the special
calling of God to justification by faith to regeneration
and sanctification through the Holy Spirit to ultimate
glorification in the presence of God; and
(c) Believers have two natures, namely the flesh and the
spirit; that the believer is to grow in grace and in the
knowledge of Christ, and to strive to live a life of
holiness, characterized by his love of God and the love of
his neighbours; and
(d) If the believer is truly regenerated or born again, he
has eternal security through the election and grace of
God. John
1:12; John
3:16;
Romans
3:24-30;
Romans
8:30-39;
2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7, 1Thessalonians 4:3; 1
Peter 1:18-19.
Satan
We
believe in the existence of Satan, the deceiver and prince
of this world; that he was defeated and judged by the death
and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore
that his final doom is certain. John
8:44; Ephesians 2:2; Hebrews 2:14.
The
Church
(a) All
who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are
immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united
spiritual body, the Church, the Bride of Christ, of which
He is the Head; and
(b) The formation of the church, the body of Christ, began
on the day of Pentecost and will be completed at the coming
of Christ for His own at His second coming; and
(c) The establishment and continuity of local churches or
assemblies is clearly taught and defined in the New
Testament, and that the members of the one spiritual body
are directed to associate themselves together in a local
church or assembly.
(d) The responsibilities of leaders are to lead or rule as
servants and to have Christ's authority in directing the
church, the congregation of which are to submit themselves
to their leadership; and
(e) The Scriptures stress discipleship within the context
of the local church and mutual submission of all believers
fellowshiping therein to each other; and
(f) Discipline of sinning members of the local church is to
be administered in accordance with the Scriptures; and
(g) The purpose of the Church is to glorify God by the
following:
(i) Building herself up in
the faith; and
(ii) Instruction of the Word;
and
(iii) Fellowship; and
(iv) Keeping the ordinances
of the Church; and
(v) Advancing and
communicating the Gospel to the entire world; and
(vi) Prayer.
(h) The ordinances of the local church which were
instituted by Jesus Christ are two in
number and are as follows:
(i) Believer's Baptism by
immersion; and
(ii) The Lord's Supper, in
which all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be
invited to participate with due
regard to the Scriptural
warnings in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. The Lord's Supper shall
be observed normally on the
first and third Sundays of
each month and also at such other times as may be
determined by the Elder Board. It
may be served by any of the
Elders or Deacons or by any other believer approved for
that purpose by the Elder
Board.
Separation
We
believe that the Scriptures require separation to God from
the world and from apostasy within the visible church. This
doctrine is based upon God's eternal principle of division
between truth and error, darkness and light, and His
specific command to be separated from unbelievers and
disobedient brethren. 2
Corinthians 6:14-17, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 1 Timothy 6:3-5;
James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16; 2 John 1:9-11.
Last
Things
(a) We
believe in:the resurrection of the body, the judgment of
the world by the Lord Jesus Christ, with eternal
blessedness of the righteous and eternal punishment of the
wicked. (Matthew
25:32-34; 46; Revelation 20:5-6,
12-15); and
(b) The imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ
(Philippians
4:5; James 5:9; Revelation 22:12). This
church teaches that:
(i) Believers will be caught
up to meet the Lord in the air prior to the seven year
tribulation (I
Corinthians 15:51- 52; 1
Thessalonians 4:17); and
(ii) The Lord Jesus Christ
will personally and visibly return to the earth with the
saints to end the seven year
tribulation and to reign with
the saints for 1000 years. (Daniel
9:24-27; Matthew 24:30-31; Matthew 25:31-32;
Revelation 19:11;
20:1-6).