Our Beliefs

WE BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

Accepting fully the writing of the Old and New Testaments as the very Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God, and altogether sufficient in themselves as our only infallible and authoritative rule faith and practice.

WE BELIEVE IN THE ONE TRIUNE GOD

Who is personal, spirit and Sovereign; perfect, infinite, eternal in His being, His holiness, His love, His wisdom and His power; who is absolutely separate and above the World as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the Upholder of all things, self-existent and self-revealing in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, each having a distinct ministry in God‘s relation to His creation and people.

WE BELIEVE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

Who is the Second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and Only Begotten Son: that without any change in His divine Person, He became man by the miracle of the Virgin Birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and true man, one Person with two natures; that as Man He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin;that as the perfect Lamb of God He gave himself in death upon the cross, becoming there the sin of the World, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our place; that He arose bodily from the grave and was glorified; that as our great High Priest He ascended into heaven there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor.

WE BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Who is the Third Person of the Trinity, and the divine Agent in nature, revelation and redemption; that He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment; that He regenerates, indwells, baptizes and seals all who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies and fills believers who daily surrender to Him.

WE BELIEVE ALL MEN ARE BY NATURE AND BY CHOICE SINFUL AND LOST

That man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness; that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race which is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and family of God, under the righteous judgement and wrath of God, and has within himself no possible means of salvation.

WE BELIEVE IN SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

That Salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part or in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation, every spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish; that this salvation affects the whole man; that apart from Jesus Christ there is no salvation possible to any person.

WE BELIEVE IN RIGHTEOUS LIVING AND GODLY WORKS

Not as a means of salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and fruit; that as Christians we should obey the Word of our Lord, seek the things which are above, walk as He walked, accept as our solemn responsibility the duty and privilege of bearing the gospel to a lost world, remembering who in gratitude for the infinite and undeserved mercies of God have presented themselves wholly to Christ.

WE BELIEVE IN THE EXISTENCE OF SATAN

Who originally was created a holy and perfect being, but through pride and wicked ambition rebelled against God, thus becoming utterly depraved in character, the great adversary of God and His people, leader of all other evil angels and spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world; that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God who over-rules all his wicked devices for good; that he was defeated and judged at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God, by the Blood of the Lamb and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

WE BELIEVE IN THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

That His return from heaven will be personal, visible and glorious; the blessed hope for which we should constantly watch and pray, the time being revealed but always imminent; that when He comes He will first by resurrection of the dead and translation of the living remove from the earth His waiting Church, and then pour out the righteous judgments of God upon the unbelieving world, and afterwards descend with His Church and establish His glorious and literal kingdom over all the nations for one thousand years.

WE BELIEVE IN FUTURE LIFE, BODILY RESURRECTION AND ETERNAL JUDGMENT

That the spirits of the saved at death go immediately to be with Christ in Heaven, that their works shall be brought before the Judgement Seat of Christ for the determination of rewards which will take place at the time when Christ comes for His own; that the spirits of the lost at death descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of Judgement, at which time their bodies shall be raised from the grave, that they shall be judged and cast into Hell, the Lake of Fire the place of final and everlasting punishment.

WE BELIEVE IN THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

That Jesus Christ Himself is our Great High Priest, and through Him every born-again person has direct access into God’s presence without the need of any human agency or priest; that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study understand the Scriptures guided by the Holy Spirit; that each believer is personally accountable to God for his own life.

WE BELIEVE 1N THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST

That He alone is the Head of the Church, the Body of Christ, into which all true believers are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit upon Conversion; that all members of this one spiritual body should assemble themselves together and identify themselves in local churches.

WE BELIEVE IN THE LOCAL CHURCH

That a New Testament church is a local assembly of born-again believers united in organization to practice New Testament Ordinances, meet together for worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching and presenting a united testimony to the World in outreach and missions in carrying out the Great Commission of our Lord to take the gospel to the whole World.

WE BELIEVE IN THE INDEPENDENCE AND AUTONOMY OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

That each Church is free to govern itself without ecclesiastical interference and has the right to cooperate with other churches in programs of mutual interest, as it senses it is pleasing to the Lord to do so; that it is responsible to follow the pattern of the New Testament church, and is directly accountable to God for its actions.

WE BELIEVE THE ORDINANCES GIVEN TO THE LOCAL CHURCH ARE TWO: BAPTISM AND THE LORD‘S SUPPER

That Baptism is by the immersion of believers only, thus portraying the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that the Lord‘s Supper is the partaking of the bread and cup by the believer as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ for our sins.

WE BELIEVE THE OFFICES GIVEN FOR THE GOVERNING OF THE LOCAL CHURCH ARE TWO: PASTOR (ELDER) AND DEACON

That God raises up pastors to be undershepherds and overseers of the Congregations, under the authority of the Headship of Christ; that God raises up deacons to assist the pastors in the ministry, especially in ministering to the needs of the families within the congregation.

WE BELIEVE IN THE MINISTRY AND ACTIVITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY

That every believer has at least one spiritual gift which he is responsible to develop and use for the good of all; that the “sign gifts” were active in the early church but are not valid for today’s needs; that the so-called “Charismatic” or “Neo-Pentecostal” movement of today is unscriptural in its emphasis and interpretation of this doctrine.