What we believe: 1. The Scriptures We believe that the Holy Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is verbally inspired by God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is the complete, final, and authoritative revelation of God’s will to man, and therefore the absolute authority for Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conducts, creeds, and opinions should be tried. We believe the Scriptures should be interpreted literally (whenever possible), consistently, contextually, grammatically, culturally and historically. Psalm 119:89,160; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 Corinthians 2:11-14; Revelation 22:18-19. 2. The True God We believe that there is only one true and living God, Creator and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth, inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honour, confidence and love, and Who eternally exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, known as the Godhead, each having the same nature and attributes, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. Genesis 1:1; 1:26; Exodus 15:11; Psalm 111:9; Isaiah 45:5-6; Matthew 28:19; Mark 12:29-30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14, Colossians 2:9. 3. The Lord Jesus Christ We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, truly God and truly Man, and that He is both the Son of God, and God the Son. We believe in His sinless life, His atonement as a substitution for the sins of mankind by the shedding of His blood on the cross, and in His bodily resurrection from the tomb and ascension into heaven. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:31-35; John 1:1-4; 1:14; Acts 1:9-11; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:19; l Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:9; 2:14-16; 4:15. 4. The Holy Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit is the divine third person of the Godhead, with the Father and the Son co-equal and co-eternal, and is the source and power of all acceptable worship and service; that He was active in creation, and in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the wicked one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and is the agent in the new birth and the infallible interpreter of the Word of God, Who baptizes, indwells, seals, empowers, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer, and Who is ever present to testify of Christ. Genesis 1:2; John 3:5-8; 14:16-18; 16:8-15; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; 8:14-16; Ephesians 1:13; 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:11-14; 12:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18. 5. Creation We believe that the Genesis account of creation is to be literally accepted, and that creation was a direct act of God. Therefore we teach that any evolutionary hypothesis is totally inconsistent with the Scriptures. Genesis 1:1-2:25; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3. 6. Satan We believe in the existence and personality of Satan, though created holy, became the author of sin and all the powers of darkness, and is the deceiver, the prince of the power of the air, the unholy god of this world who endeavours to keep souls from coming to Christ, and that he is at enmity with God, Christ, and the church, and by Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross, he is destined to judgment of eternity in the Lake of fire. Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:12-19; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Hebrews 2:14; Ephesians 2:2; 6:11-12; Revelation 20:10. 7. Man We believe that man was directly created by God in His image and after His likeness, free of sin, with a moral responsibility to his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his innocent and happy state, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not only by nature, but also by choice, and are become inherently corrupt, and therefore under just condemnation without defence or excuse. Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7; 2:15-24; 3:1-19; Jeremiah 17:9; John 3:36; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 1:18-32; 3:9-23; 5:12-19; 6:23. 8. Atonement We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ freely partook of our nature, yet without sin, was made a curse for the sinner, bore our sins in His own body on the cross, and by His death and shed blood made a full and substitutional atonement for our sins, and is the only means of salvation, and that no efforts or attitudes of man can add to the finished work of Christ. Isaiah 53:4-7, Romans 5:6-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:13-14; 1 John 2:1-2; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2:24; 3:18; Revelation 1:5. 9. New Birth We believe that in order to possess eternal life, and enter the kingdom of God, sinners must be born again, and that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus, instantaneous and not a process, in which the sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, is made alive in Christ and a partaker of the divine nature; that the new creation is brought about in a manner, not by water baptism, neither by culture, nor by character, or by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit using the Word of God to secure our voluntary obedience, and that it is evidenced by repentance, faith, and newness of life. John 1:12-13; 3:3-8; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 3:1-3; Titus 3:5. 10. Salvation We believe salvation is wholly of God by grace, made free to all by the Gospel, received by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and includes regeneration, pardon and forgiveness of sins through justification, adoption and sanctification through the Holy Spirit to ultimate glorification in the presence of God, and that the true believer is eternally secure and cannot be lost. John 1:12; 3:16; 10:27-31; Acts 4:12; 13:38-39; 16:31; Romans 5:1-9; 8:35-39; 10:9-13; Ephesians 1:3; 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7; 1 John 5:11-13. 11. Election We believe in the sovereign act of God whereby He chose in Christ Jesus for salvation all those whom He foreknew, and that God’s will is for all to be saved as evidenced by the Scriptural declarations that God is no respecter of persons, that God has no joy in the death of the wicked, that Christ came into the world to save the lost and that He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, that God’s saving grace is extended to all, and that the Gospel is addressed to all. Ezekiel 18:31-32; Matthew 28:18-20; John 3:16; 12:32; Acts 10:34; 1 Timothy 2:1-6; Romans 2:11; 8:28-30; 10:9-13; Titus 2:11-13; 1 Peter 1:1-2; 2 Peter 2:1; 3:9; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 1 John 2:2. 12. The Church We believe that the church is a local assembly of true baptized believers in Christ, associated by a covenant of faith, love, and fellowship of the Gospel, each sharing the responsibilities and privileges as found in God’s Word, obeying the commandments of Christ, meeting for worship, service, the study of God’s Word, and prayer; that in its complete form in addition to the saints contains Pastors (Elders, Bishops) and Deacons, who meet the qualifications and perform their duties in accordance with Scripture; that its supreme mission is to preach the Gospel, faithfully witnessing of Christ to all men, and that the local church has the absolute right to self-government, free from interference and influence of any hierarchy of individuals and organization, and that the only head is Christ, Who directs the church through the Holy Spirit. We believe that all who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, the glorious Church in prospect and Bride of Christ, and that having become part of the family and kingdom of God are responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and love with a pure heart fervently. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2:42, 6:1-5; 20:17-35; Romans 12:14-8; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:15; 4:3-6; 4:12-16; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3:1-13. 13. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper We believe that Christian baptism is the total immersion in water of a believer in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, with the authority of the local church, to show forth in solemn and beautiful emblem our identification and faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrect a new life, and that it is a pre-requisite to membership and the privilege of a church relation to the Lord’s supper, in which the members of the church, by the sacred use of bread and the fruit of the vine are to commemorate together the death and resurrection of Christ, and preceded always by solemn self-examination. These ordinances are non-efficacious and do not warrant merit towards our salvation. Matthew 26:26-30; 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; 20:7; Romans 6:1-7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34. 14. The Miraculous Sign Gifts We believe the miraculous sign gifts of the early church, enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, were given temporarily in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the Word of God, as spoken by the Apostles and later recorded by divine inspiration forming the New Testament, and now as the full revelation of God is complete, are no longer in use. Mark 16:17-20; 1 Corinthians 13:8-13; 14:21-22; Hebrews 2:1-4; 2 Peter 1:19-21. 15. Separation We believe that all true believers are called into a life of separation unto God which will result in holiness, chastity, purity, and godliness, and a life of separation from evil which will result in non participation in worldly and sinful practices, such amusements and habits as will cause others to stumble or bring reproach upon the name of Christ, and non involvement or fellowship with false teachers, false prophets, and the world ecumenical and religious system. Romans 12:1-2; 14:13-21; 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 8:9-13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Thessalonians 3:6; 3:10-15; 1 John 2:15-17 16. Return of Christ We believe in the visible, personal, bodily return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, first in the air to call His church unto Him, known as the Blessed Hope (Rapture). We believe that the church will be translated and received into the clouds by Jesus Christ before the period of Tribulation, known as Israel’s seventieth week; that this translation will be followed by a time of judgement on the whole earth lasting seven years, to conclude with the visible return of Christ to the earth to put down all rebellion and establish His Millennial kingdom, after which Satan shall be cast into eternal judgment in the Lake of Fire and joined by all unbelievers judged at the Great White Throne, followed by the destruction of the heaven and earth in fervent heat and the creation of a New Heaven and New Earth where the saints shall be forever with Christ. John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:57-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; 2 Peter 3:9-13; Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24-25; Revelation 20-22.
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 04:21:28 +0000
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