What We Believe
God
We believe in one God, existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; Creator of all, holy, sovereign, and eternal.
(See Gen. 1:1; Ex. 3:14; Ps. 90:2; Isa. 55:8-9; Isa. 57:15; Eph. 3:21; Isa. 6:3; Ps. 111:3; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; Isa. 46:5; Ex. 15:11; Ps. 115:3; Eph. 1:6-7; Acts 17:25-28; Neh. 9:32-33; Ps. 5:5-6; Neh. 1:2-3)
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The Father
We believe in the absolute and essential deity of God the Father. He is the Father of all life, the Father of the Son and the Father of every true believer.
(See Jn. 4:24; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 1:4-7; Ex. 20:11; Eph. 4:6; Jude 25; Heb. 1:1-3; Rom. 8:29-30)
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The Son
We believe in the absolute and essential deity of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, in His eternal existence with the Father in preincarnate glory, in His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, triumphant ascension, mediatorial ministry, and personal return.
(See Jn. 1:1-2; Jn. 3:16; Jn. 12:38-41; Isa. 9:6; Col. 1:15; Col. 2:9; Heb. 10:12; Heb. 4:15; Mat. 16:16)
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The Holy Spirit
We believe in the absolute and essential deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, who convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgement; who regenerates, sanctifies, indwells, illuminates, comforts, and commissions those who believe in Jesus Christ.
(See Ps. 139:7-10; 1 Cor. 2:10; 1 Cor. 12:11-15; Rom. 15:19; Heb. 9:14; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Acts 5:3-4; Mat. 12:31-32; Jn. 16:8-11)
The Bible
We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God. The sixty-six book as originally written, were verbally inspired by the Spirit of God and free from error. The Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice and the true basis of Christian unity.
(See Heb. 1:1-2; 1 Cor. 2:14-16; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Jn. 20:31; 1 Jn. 5:13; Jn. 17:17; 1 Thes. 2:13; Rev. 22:18-19)
Satan
We believe that Satan exists as an evil being, the originator of sin, the arch-enemy of God and man, subordinate to God, defeated by Christ on the cross.
(See Ezek. 28:11-19; Isa. 14:12-14; Jn. 8:44; Lk. 10:18; Eph. 6:10-20; Job 1-2; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 4:27; Jas. 4:7; Col. 2:15; Rev. 9; Rev. 20:2,10)
Human Beings
We believe that Adam and Eve were divinely created in the image of God; than man sinned, becoming guilty before God, resulting in total depravity, thereby incurring physical and spiritual death.
(See Gen. 1:26-31; Gen. 2:1-20; Gen. 3:6; 1 Tim. 2:14; Rom. 5:12-14; Jer. 17:9; Eph. 2:1-3; Col. 3:10; 2 Cor. 5:17)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is by the sovereign electing grace of God. By the appointment of the Father, Christ voluntarily suffered a vicarious, propitiatory death. Justification is by repentance and faith in the all-sufficient sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Those whom God has effectually called shall be divinely preserved and finally perfected in the image of the Lord.
(See Eph. 1:4-11 rom. 8:9-31; Phil. 2:5-8; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rom. 3:24-26; Jn. 17:12; Eph. 2:8-10; Eph. 5:25; Heb. 2:17; Heb. 7:25; Heb. 12:24; Heb. 8:1-3)
Future Things
We believe in the personal, bodily, and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust. We believe in the eternal blessedness of the redeemed and in the judgement and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked in hell.
(See Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:8; Mat. 24:30-44; Mat. 25:19; 1 Cor. 15; 1 Thes. 4:13-17; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-6; Ps. 9:17)
The Local Church
We believe that the local church is an organised company of believers, baptised by immersion, called out from the world, separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ. The church is united for the ministry of the word, the mutual edification of its members, and the observance of the ordinances. The membership, individually and corporately, shall share the message of salvation with all persons, both at home and abroad, as the Holy Spirit gives opportunity. We believe the local church is a sovereign, independent body, which under the Lordship of Christ exercises the divinely imparted gifts of its members, obeys the precepts of God’s Word, and enjoys its privileges. We believe its officers are pastors and deacons.
(See Eph. 1:22-23; Acts 2:42; Mat. 16:18; 1 Cor. 2:13-16; Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 1:18; Col. 2:19; Eph. 5:25-27)
Ordinances
We believe there are only two ordinances the church observed in the New Testament. Neither of these ordinances, of themselves, have any inherent efficacious qualities whereby one participating in them can attain eternal life.
(See Acts 2:40-42)
a) Baptism: which is the total immersion of believers in water whereby they obey Christ’s command and publicly identify with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
(See Rom. 6:1-7; Mk. 1:10; Jn. 3:23; Acts 8:36-37; Acts 10:48)
b) The Lord’s Supper: which is the memorial wherein the believer partakes of two elements, bread and cup, which symbolises the Lord’s body and shed blood, proclaiming His death until He comes.
(See Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 11:23-30; 1 Cor. 11:18,33; Lk. 22:7-22).
Religious and Individual Liberty
We believe in freedom of religion for all people; they have the right to practice and proclaim their beliefs. We believe each individual has the right to personal decision making and the responsibility to make right decisions, recognising accountability before God for the decisions made.
(See Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-3)
The Lord’s Day
We believe the first day of the week (Sunday) is the Lord’s day and, in a special sense, it is a divinely appointed day for corporate worship and spiritual exercise.
(See Acts 20:7)
The Family, Church, and the State
We believe that God has ordained and defined in His Word, family, church, and state. Though they are separate in function and purpose they are all subject to Him.
(See Gen. 1:27,28a; 2:24; Eph. 6:1-4; Col. 1-18-21; 1 Cor. 1:2; 1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27-28; Col. 1:24; Rom. 13:1-7)
Civil Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of society; that government officials are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured and obeyed, except in the things opposed to the Word of God.
(See Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:13-17; Acts 4)