STATEMENT OF BELIEFS
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scripture shall be interpreted to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. The King James Version (AV 1611) of the Bible shall be the official and only English translation used by the church. If ministries in other languages are later added requiring the use of Bibles in other than English and there is disagreement between the foreign language Bible and the King James Bible then the language, intent and meaning of the King James Version shall take precedent. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
THE GODHEAD
We believe in one triune God, eternal, existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST
(a) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful man (Isa. 7:14; 9:6, Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8).
(b) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
(c) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfils the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
(a) We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, indwelling all believers and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14).
(b) We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27).
(c) We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they may do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12).
(d) We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that the gift of tongues was nothing more than a believer being supernaturally enabled to speak in an established language that he would not normally know or understand. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our deliverance in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing (Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor. 13:8-10; 14:21-22; Heb. 2:3-4; James 5:14-16).
THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but by voluntary transgression fell from the holy and happy state. The consequences of which is that all mankind are now sinners, by nature and by choice and therefore in themselves, totally unable to remedy their lost condition (Gen. 1:26-27; Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19).
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-21); that repentance and faith are inseparable and essential graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, helplessness and of the way of salvation in Christ, we turn to God with sincere broken heartedness and confession; and at the same time we heartily receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour (Mark 1:15; Luke 13:5; Acts 11:18; 20:21; Rom. 10:9-13; 2 Peter 3:9).
ETERNAL SECURITY AND ASSURANCE OF BELIEVERS
(a) We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by the power of God and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 5:24; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
(b) We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s word (1 John 5:11-13), which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-14).
THE CHURCH
(a) We believe that the local church, which is the body of Christ, is solely made up of born-again baptized believers. (1 Cor. 12:12-14, 27; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph 1:22-23; 5:23-27).
(b) We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 20:28; Rom. 16:1-4; 1 Cor. 3:9,16; 5:4-5,13; 1 Peter 5:1-5).
(c) We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 1 Cor. 11:23-31).
SEPARATION
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 8:8-13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11).
THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST
We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture the saints prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the tribulation Christ will personally and visibly return, with his saints, to establish his earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel (Psalm 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1 Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).
THE ETERNAL STATE
(a) We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Daniel 12:2; Matt 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6; 12-13).
(b) We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Phil. 1:20-23; 3:20-21; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 20:4-6).
(c) We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).