What We Believe
1. The Holy Scriptures: We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old Testament and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. We believe that the Bible reveals God, the Fall of Man, the Way of Salvation, and God’s Purpose for the Ages.(2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
2. God: We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10,26).
A. God the Father: Perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, rich in grace, supreme in love, and measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of all mankind, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him in faith through Jesus Christ.
B. God the Son, Jesus Christ:
(a) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).
(b) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
(c)We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).
C. God the Holy Spirit:
(a) We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 18:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14.)
(b) We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27).
(c) We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12).
(d) We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gifts of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).
(e) We believe that the modern day charismatic movement is not Scriptural; therefore, we abstain from any involvement with this movement and any of its practices.3. Man: We believe that man was created in the image of God but because of Adam’s transgression (disobedience) that the whole human race fell. Because of this, all men are totally depraved and without Christ, spiritually dead and lost. All men everywhere are sinners, both by nature and by choice. To die in this condition is to be damned forever and eternally separated from God.
4. Satan: We believe in a personal devil (Satan) who is presumptuous, proud, powerful, wicked, malignant, subtle, deceitful, religious, and fierce. He was cast out of Heaven and is now prince of the air and this world system. He caused the fall of man, is his constant adversary, and seeks to beguile, tempt, accuse, and devour him. He opposes the work of God, hinders the Gospel, and works lying miracles (wonders). He has already been judged and someday will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night, forever and forever.
5. Salvation: We believe that salvation is only in Christ. To obtain this salvation is to repent of one’s sin toward God and to have faith toward Christ (to receive Him in the heart by faith). This great salvation is solely by grace, a free gift, through the shed blood of the Son of God. The blood of Jesus Christ was shed for the sins of the whole world (all mankind). As a work of God’s grace and not man’s works, it is an eternal work. Those who are truly saved can never be lost again. Those who are truly saved will persevere until the end. It entails what Christ called the new birth, being born again from above by the Word of God (the instrument), and the Spirit of God (The Person).
6. Heaven & Hell: We believe that Heaven and Hell are literal places, prepared of God as the only eternal abodes of mankind. All those who have been saved (born-again) shall live eternally with God in Heaven. All those without Christ (devoid of spiritual life) shall abide in Hell, the lake of fire, forever, eternally separated from God.
7. Church: We believe in the Church (the Body of Christ), which is made up of all blood-bought, born-again believers from the public ministry of Christ until His coming again for His own (the Rapture). Some are already in Heaven. The group has never all been together at one time; so, in this respect, we could say that the Church is in prospect. The Church will be together for the first time at the time of the Rapture. We also believe in the churches (local assemblies). The Scriptures teach us more concerning the local churches than the Church. These local churches consist of regenerated believers who have been Scripturally baptized (buried with Him in baptism) and are banded together for worship, work, and spiritual fellowship, spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth, according to the specific teachings of the New Testament. Christ is the Head of the Church and the churches. The authority to carry on the work of God in this dispensation is given to the local church, the visible body of Christ in this dispensation. As such, all Christians and all Christian ministries should be the ministry of, and accountable to, a local New Testament church. Scripture knows nothing of authority of, or accountability to, a single universal church. Each local church is to be independent, autonomous, and free from political authority or ecclesiastical hierarchy. We believe in separation of church and state.
8. Ordinances: Two ordinances have been given to the local church, those being Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These two ordinances are for believers only and to be administered by the local church.
Baptism: We believe that the only Scriptural baptism is by complete immersion in water, in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The prerequisite to Scriptural baptism is the new birth. There is no saving power in baptism but is rather the first step of obedience of every Christian, identifying them with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Scriptural baptism must be administered by a local, New Testament, Bible-believing church.
The Lord’s Supper: We believe that the Lord’s Supper consists of unleavened bread, and unfermented fruit of the vine, and that they are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, broken and poured out on the cross for our sins. The prerequisites to Scriptural observance of the Lord’s Supper are the new birth, and Scriptural baptism. Those receiving the Lord’s Supper should either be members of the local church where being administered (Closed Communion), or if the church desires to invite guest, those who are members of a church of like precious faith (Close Communion). There is no Scriptural grounds for the practice of Open Communion whereby anyone is invited to take of the elements.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only ordinances of the New Testament assemblies and are not for believers apart from the assemblies.
9. Separation: We believe in Bible separation, that is, to be set apart from the world, sin, self, and Satan, and to be separated “unto the praise of His glory” and the furtherance of the Gospel. We believe in being separated from pride, lying, tattling, backbiting, envy, jealousy, bitterness, malice, foolish talking, ingratitude, covetousness, and any other sin of the flesh or spirit. We believe in being separated from the world, and therefore not participating or indulging in the things of this world, its organisations and lodges, or being a part of anything that dishonours our Lord or jeopardizes the Gospel. This is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit when He fills and controls our life. True separation can only come when we are filled with His Spirit.
We believe that every believer should be born of the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, and be filled with the Spirit, that by His power and grace we might bear the fruit of the Spirit. Every Christian is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the family of God at the time of the new birth, but the filling of the Spirit is a daily requirement and need in our lives.
10. Witness: We believe that all believers are to be witnesses unto the lost for Christ. We believe that all believers have certain God-given gifts and are stewards for God and that some are called to preach or to other special tasks. We also believe that all who have rejected the Gospel or have never heard the Gospel are lost and that it is every believer’s responsibility to help get the Gospel to everybody. The individual Christian and the local church should do everything in their power to get the Gospel to the ends of the world through both local and foreign mission.
11. Creation: We believe in the Genesis account of creation as literal and factual, and therefore that God created all that exists in 6 literal days. God spoke and it was! Our God is big enough to do all that He did without the need of millions or billions of years. The fact that God created a mature earth, and that earth was later covered in a worldwide flood, leaves scientists with the impression that it took millions or billions of years when in fact it was all accomplished in 6 days. We would also deny the need of any gap theory between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
