Our Beliefs
Statement of Faith
The Bible
We believe: the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God. That it is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of Hiswill for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith, doctrine and life. We prefer King James Version as our standard. (2 Peter 1: 20-21; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Revelation 22:19; Psalm 7)
God
We believe:
a) that there is one and only one living and true God. He is an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of the heavens and the earth. (Psalm 75:7; Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:12; Revelation 4:11)
b) that He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love. (Psalm 75:7; Psalm 113:4; Revelation 4:11)
c) that in the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the work of the redemption of man. (Ephesians 4:3-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 28:19)
Jesus Christ
We believe:
a) in the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person in the triune God. (John 1:1, 14)
b) that without any essential change in His divine person, He became man by the miracle of the virgin birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and man. (Matthew 1:25; Colossians 2:9)
c) that as a man, He was tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
d) that as the perfect Lamb of God, He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, suffering the full penalty of divine wrath in our place. (Galatians 3:13)
e) that He rose again from the dead in a glorified body. (John 20:25-28)
f) that as our High Priest, He ascended into heaven, there to appear before the face of God, as our Advocate and Intercessor. (1 John 2:1)
Holy Spirit - His Person and Work
We believe:
that the Holy Spirit is a divine personality, who is during this present age, present in the true church. Indwelling: We believe that every true believer is upon acceptance of Jesus Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. (John 7:29; 1 Corinthians 6:19)
Baptism: We believe that every believer is in the Holy Spirit baptized into the body of Christ and that it is not an experience subsequent to salvation. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Filling: We believe that while all believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they are not necessarily filled, but that it is their privilege and duty to be filled. (Acts 4:8; Ephesians 5:18) And that the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s fullness is not in speaking of tongues or any other gift of the Spirit but the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-22; Acts 4:8; Ephesians 5:18-25)
The Devil or Satan
We believe:
a) That Satan is a person, who was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as Almighty God, fell and drew after him a host of angels. (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:13-17)
b) that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air and the unholy god of this world. (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4)
c) We hold him to be man’s greatest tempter. (Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5)
d) We hold him to be the enemy of God and of Jesus Christ. (1 John 3:8-12)
e) We hold him to be the author of all false religions and the inspirer of all apostasy. (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
f) We hold him to be the accuser of the saints. (Revelation 12:10)
g) We hold him to be the chief of all the powers of darkness (Colossians 1:13), destined to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son to suffer eternal punishment in a place prepared for him and his angels. (Revelation 12:9-11; Matthew 25:41)
h) We hold him to be the Father of the Lie. (John 8:44c)
The Creation and Fall
We believe:
a) in the Genesis account of the Creation and Fall of man. That he was the direct creation of God, not in any sense the product of animal ancestry, but made in the Divine Image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27)
b) that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man sinned and thus brought physical and spiritual death to all mankind. (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:2,3,6,22,23; Romans 6:23)
c) We are universally sinful in both nature and practice, alienated from the life and family of God and have no possible means of recovery or salvation within ourselves. (Romans 3:23; Ephesian 2:8-9)
Salvation
We believe:
a) The way of salvation is by grace through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. Redemption is possible only through the shed blood of Christ. (Hebrews 9:22; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:13)
b) A person must accept the Lord Jesus Christ by a definite act of his will as his own personal Savior; henceforth to own Him as the Supreme Lord of his life. (John 3:16; John 5:24; John 6:47)
Sanctification
We believe:
a) that the members of the body of Christ are sanctified ones and are perfected as to their standing before God forever by the one offering, the blood of Christ and are one with Christ in sanctification. (Hebrews 10:10; Hebrews 2:11)
b) that we are sanctified with the washing of water by the Word (Ephesians 5:25-27), by the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:12), and by the in working presence and power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:16)
The Church
We believe: that the church is composed of all who are united by the Holy Spirit to the risen and ascended Son of God and that by the same Spirit, we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, thus being members one of another and knit together in love. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:1-16)
The Ordinances
a) Baptism: We believe that our Lord and Savior, clearly prescribes for His believing disciples the simple rite of baptism (by immersion where possible), as a symbol and proclamation of the sinner’s death to sin and his resurrection in newness of life in Christ Jesus. (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12)
b) The Lord’s Supper: We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by our Lord and that it is the privilege of all believers. Its observance should be preceded by self-examination. The elements, we believe are only symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:23-27; Luke 22: 17-20) These ordinances are however NOT to be regarded as a means of salvation.
The Resurrection and Return of Christ and the Final Judgement
We believe:
a) in the literal, bodily resurrection of Christ, that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:4)
b) thus became first fruits of them that sleep. (1 Corinthians 15:4)
c) He ascended to His Father’s right hand, where as our Great High Priest, He ever liveth to make intercession for His own. (Hebrews 8:1)
d) we believe that according to His promise He will come again to receive to Himself from among the dead those that have died in Christ, and from among the living those that are in Him. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
e) and that after the thousand years, He will raise them that have died in unbelief from their graves to receive their sentence. (Revelation 20:5-6)
Death and Life After Death
We believe:
a) that at death, all men continue in conscious existence, awaiting the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust. (Luke 16:19-31)
b) the saved to everlasting blessedness and the lost to everlasting conscious torment. (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:12-15)
These statements of Faith do not exhaust the content of our creed, which is the whole Word of God. They are not intended as a limit to the Word of God. We do believe that in so far as these statements extend, they are a true representation of sound doctrine as taught in the Scriptures, therefore binding upon us as Christian believers.
The Bible
We believe: the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God. That it is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of Hiswill for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith, doctrine and life. We prefer King James Version as our standard. (2 Peter 1: 20-21; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Revelation 22:19; Psalm 7)
God
We believe:
a) that there is one and only one living and true God. He is an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of the heavens and the earth. (Psalm 75:7; Genesis 1:1; Hebrews 1:12; Revelation 4:11)
b) that He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love. (Psalm 75:7; Psalm 113:4; Revelation 4:11)
c) that in the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the work of the redemption of man. (Ephesians 4:3-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 28:19)
Jesus Christ
We believe:
a) in the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person in the triune God. (John 1:1, 14)
b) that without any essential change in His divine person, He became man by the miracle of the virgin birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and man. (Matthew 1:25; Colossians 2:9)
c) that as a man, He was tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
d) that as the perfect Lamb of God, He gave Himself in death upon the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, suffering the full penalty of divine wrath in our place. (Galatians 3:13)
e) that He rose again from the dead in a glorified body. (John 20:25-28)
f) that as our High Priest, He ascended into heaven, there to appear before the face of God, as our Advocate and Intercessor. (1 John 2:1)
Holy Spirit - His Person and Work
We believe:
that the Holy Spirit is a divine personality, who is during this present age, present in the true church. Indwelling: We believe that every true believer is upon acceptance of Jesus Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. (John 7:29; 1 Corinthians 6:19)
Baptism: We believe that every believer is in the Holy Spirit baptized into the body of Christ and that it is not an experience subsequent to salvation. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
Filling: We believe that while all believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, they are not necessarily filled, but that it is their privilege and duty to be filled. (Acts 4:8; Ephesians 5:18) And that the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s fullness is not in speaking of tongues or any other gift of the Spirit but the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-22; Acts 4:8; Ephesians 5:18-25)
The Devil or Satan
We believe:
a) That Satan is a person, who was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as Almighty God, fell and drew after him a host of angels. (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:13-17)
b) that he is now the malignant prince of the power of the air and the unholy god of this world. (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4)
c) We hold him to be man’s greatest tempter. (Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5)
d) We hold him to be the enemy of God and of Jesus Christ. (1 John 3:8-12)
e) We hold him to be the author of all false religions and the inspirer of all apostasy. (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
f) We hold him to be the accuser of the saints. (Revelation 12:10)
g) We hold him to be the chief of all the powers of darkness (Colossians 1:13), destined to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son to suffer eternal punishment in a place prepared for him and his angels. (Revelation 12:9-11; Matthew 25:41)
h) We hold him to be the Father of the Lie. (John 8:44c)
The Creation and Fall
We believe:
a) in the Genesis account of the Creation and Fall of man. That he was the direct creation of God, not in any sense the product of animal ancestry, but made in the Divine Image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27)
b) that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man sinned and thus brought physical and spiritual death to all mankind. (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:2,3,6,22,23; Romans 6:23)
c) We are universally sinful in both nature and practice, alienated from the life and family of God and have no possible means of recovery or salvation within ourselves. (Romans 3:23; Ephesian 2:8-9)
Salvation
We believe:
a) The way of salvation is by grace through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. Redemption is possible only through the shed blood of Christ. (Hebrews 9:22; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:13)
b) A person must accept the Lord Jesus Christ by a definite act of his will as his own personal Savior; henceforth to own Him as the Supreme Lord of his life. (John 3:16; John 5:24; John 6:47)
Sanctification
We believe:
a) that the members of the body of Christ are sanctified ones and are perfected as to their standing before God forever by the one offering, the blood of Christ and are one with Christ in sanctification. (Hebrews 10:10; Hebrews 2:11)
b) that we are sanctified with the washing of water by the Word (Ephesians 5:25-27), by the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:12), and by the in working presence and power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:16)
The Church
We believe: that the church is composed of all who are united by the Holy Spirit to the risen and ascended Son of God and that by the same Spirit, we are all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, thus being members one of another and knit together in love. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:1-16)
The Ordinances
a) Baptism: We believe that our Lord and Savior, clearly prescribes for His believing disciples the simple rite of baptism (by immersion where possible), as a symbol and proclamation of the sinner’s death to sin and his resurrection in newness of life in Christ Jesus. (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12)
b) The Lord’s Supper: We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by our Lord and that it is the privilege of all believers. Its observance should be preceded by self-examination. The elements, we believe are only symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:23-27; Luke 22: 17-20) These ordinances are however NOT to be regarded as a means of salvation.
The Resurrection and Return of Christ and the Final Judgement
We believe:
a) in the literal, bodily resurrection of Christ, that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:4)
b) thus became first fruits of them that sleep. (1 Corinthians 15:4)
c) He ascended to His Father’s right hand, where as our Great High Priest, He ever liveth to make intercession for His own. (Hebrews 8:1)
d) we believe that according to His promise He will come again to receive to Himself from among the dead those that have died in Christ, and from among the living those that are in Him. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
e) and that after the thousand years, He will raise them that have died in unbelief from their graves to receive their sentence. (Revelation 20:5-6)
Death and Life After Death
We believe:
a) that at death, all men continue in conscious existence, awaiting the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust. (Luke 16:19-31)
b) the saved to everlasting blessedness and the lost to everlasting conscious torment. (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:12-15)
These statements of Faith do not exhaust the content of our creed, which is the whole Word of God. They are not intended as a limit to the Word of God. We do believe that in so far as these statements extend, they are a true representation of sound doctrine as taught in the Scriptures, therefore binding upon us as Christian believers.