Our Statement of Faith
THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the Bible to be the very Word of God; that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are verbally inspired in all parts and therefore wholly without error as originally given by God; that it is our final authority, our only and all sufficient rule of faith and practice. (Matt. 5:17; 2 Tim.3:16; 2 Pet.1:21)
THE GODHEAD: TRINITY
We believe there is but one true God; who is inexpressibly holy, infinite, eternal and perfect in all His attributes; who is self-existing in three distinct persons. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each of whom is to be honoured and worshipped equally. (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)
THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God the Son who is eternally existed in pre-incarnate glory. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, all-sufficient substitutionary death, victorious bodily resurrection, triumphant ascension, present intercession and personal and glorious return. (Micah 5:2; John 1:1,14; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; 1 Tim.3:16)
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the absolute deity and personality of the Holy Spirit; that He is the Divine agent in the sinner’s regeneration and the believer’s sanctification. (John 6:63; Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor. 2:10; Phil. 1:6)
SATAN
We believe in the existence and personality of Satan; that he was created perfect; but through pride rebelled against God thus becoming utterly depraved; that he is the adversary of God and His children, and is the power behind the world’s godless and deceptive activity; that his final doom in the Lake of Fire is settled. (Isa. 14:12-15; Eph. 6:12; 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:9, 20:10)
MAN
We believe that mankind was directly created by God, in his image, both male and female, and is not a product of evolution. We believe that gender as assigned by God is an unalterable reality and that the only rightful, God-glorifying expression of one’s sexuality is in the body and gender of one’s birth. We believe that man, through personal disobedience, became a fallen creature thus incurring both physical and spiritual death upon the human race. Being then totally depraved, he is dependent upon the mercy of God. (Gen. 1:26,27, 2:7; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22)
SALVATION
We believe 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. It is bestowed only by the sovereign grace of God through the all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ. We believe that those whom God has effectually called shall be preserved and finally perfected in the image of the Lord. (John 1:12,13; Rom. 3:24,11:6; Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 1 John 3:2,3)
THE CHURCH
We believe that the New Testament local church is a company of immersed believers voluntarily associated together for: the ministry of the Word, mutual helpfulness and edification, observances of the ordinances, and fulfillment of the Great Commission (making disciples, baptizing, and teaching unto the ends of the earth). We believe the church is to be sovereign and under no higher ecclesiastical authority. We believe that Christians are to live in newness of life by being separated unto God from the carnal indulgences of the world. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:42, 8:36-39; Heb. 10:25)
CHURCH ORDINANCES
We believe there are but two church ordinances in the New Testament in the following order: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe baptism to be the immersion in water of a believer in testimony of union by faith with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. We believe the Lord’s Supper to be the symbolical partaking of bread and the “fruit of the vine” in testimony of the believer’s faith in the death of Christ and efficacy of His shed blood and is to be observed “till He come”. It is important that each member regularly and humbly observe this memorial ordinance to continue in spiritual fellowship and to be a member in good standing. (Acts 2:41; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)
FUTURE THINGS
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ and that as Christians we will be resurrected to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. We believe in the eternal punishment of the wicked. The wicked will be judged at the Great White Throne of judgment. (John 5:28,29; 1 Thes. 4:13-16; 2 Thes. 1:7-10; Rev. 20:11-13)
CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the Scriptures. (Acts 5:29; Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim.2:1,2)
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
We believe in religious liberty; that every man has the right to practice and propagate his beliefs. (Rom. 14:5)
MARRIAGE
We believe that man and woman were created by God and that marriage is the covenantal union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. (Gen. 1:27; 2:22-24; Matt. 19:4-6; Eph. 5:31)