Beliefs
Doctrinal Statement
THE DOCTRINE OF THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and that they are the supreme and final authority for faith and practice (2 Peter 2.21; 2 Timothy 3.16-17).
We believe that God breathed out His Words to holy men of God who were borne along by the Spirit in the penning of the words of Scripture. (2 Peter 2.21)
We believe in the verbal (the very words of Scripture), plenary (extending to all parts alike), inerrant (not liable to be proven false), infallible (without any error or deception) inspiration of the Bible.
We believe that God preserves His Word from loss, corruption, or addition. (Psalm 12.6-7; Psalm 33.11; Psalm 78.1-7; Psalm 100.5; 105.8; 111.7-8; Isaiah 40.8; Matthew 24.3; Luke 16.17) The preservation of Scripture ensures its physical perpetuity and textual purity. We use the King James Version for teaching and preaching in the English language.
We believe that the Word of God should be the object of our constant study and meditation (Joshua 1.8), and that it is the matter through which the Holy Spirit will enact change in the life of the believer (Romans 10.17; 12.2).
THE PERSON OF GOD
We believe in one God, existing eternally in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1.1; John 10.30; Matthew 28.19; Acts 5.3-4). These three are eternally one God (1 John 5.7).
We believe that God is a Spirit (John 4), a personal God that can be known even though He is infinite, and, as such, beyond the grasp of finite human minds (Exodus 3.14; Romans 1.21).
We believe that the Bible clearly teaches both the unity of God (He is One – Isaiah 44.6-8; 45.5; John 17.3) and the Trinity (Genesis 1.1-2; Matthew 28.19; 2 Corinthians 13.14; Matthew 3.16-17; John 14.16; 1 Corinthians 12.4-6; 1 John 5.7).
We believe that God is self-existent (John 5.26; Exodus 3.14), omniscient (Romans 11.13; Job 37.16; 1 John 3.20; Acts 15.18), omnipotent (Matthew 19.26; Job 42.2; Genesis 18.14; Jeremiah 32.17; Isaiah 40.26); omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10; Matthew 28.20; Proverbs 15.3; Hebrews 4.13), eternal (without beginning nor end – Genesis 21.33; Habakkuk 1.12; Psalm 90.2; Isaiah 44.6), immutable (Malachi 3.6; James 1.17). These represent the natural attributes of His divine essence, which are unique to Him and cannot be found in any other being.
We believe that the moral attributes of God are to some extent reproducible in His children, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit (Colossians 3.10; 2 Corinthians 3.18; Romans 8.29). These attributes are holiness (1 Peter 1.16), righteousness (Psalm 145.17); justice (He cannot look upon sin – Deuteronomy 32.4; Joshua 24.19; Romans 1.23; James 1.13), love (John 3.16; 1 John 4.8-10), mercy (Psalm 103.8; 2 Corinthians 1.3; Titus 3.5), grace (Ephesians 1.6-7; 2.7-9), patience (longsuffering - 2 Peter 3.9; Nehemiah 9.17), goodness (Mark 10.18); faithfulness (Lamentations 3.22-23), truth (Numbers 23.19; Romans 3.4), wisdom (1 Timothy 1.17; Jude 25).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost, from a virgin named Mary, and that He is absolutely God and absolutely man. (Isaiah 7.14; Matthew 1.18-25; Colossians 2.9)
Christ is eternal, existing before His incarnation (John 1.3, 10; Colossians 1.16-17; Hebrews 1.2, 10). His incarnation fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (Genesis 3.15; Isaiah 7.14).
We believe that Jesus Christ was absolutely man and absolutely God. The Bible teaches His humanity in the fact that He was born of a woman (Galatians 4.4), was a descendant of the human race (Matthew 1.1-17; Luke 3.23-38; Genesis 3.15), and that He took on the actual attributes of humanity (Hebrews 10.5, 10; Matthew 26.38; Luke 23.46).
The Bible teaches His deity by express declaration (John 1.1-3; John 5.18; 58; Romans 9.5; 1 Timothy; Hebrews 1.8 1 John 5.20), by Christ’s possession of the divine attributes (John 16.30; Revelation 1.8; Matthew 28.18; Ephesians 1.23; Hebrews 7.16; Hebrews 1.11-12; 13.8; John 10.30), by development of His divine works (John 1.3; Colossians 1.16; Mark 2.5-11; 2 Timothy 4.11), and by His titles (John 8.58; 10.36; Romans 14.9)
We believe that through His death, burial, and resurrection, Christ accomplished the work of redemption. Through his substitutionary death, He atoned for the sins of the world (Romans 5.11). It was the one single and perfect way to satisfy the holiness of God (Isaiah 59.2) and the love of God (John 3.16). His death was substitutionary (Romans 5.8), vicarious (on our behalf – 1 Peter 2.23), propitiatory (it covers us – Romans 3.25), redemptive (1 Peter 1.18-19), sacrificial (Ephesians 5.2), expiatory (paid for sin in full – Galatians 3.13; 1 John 3.5), and final (John 19.30; Hebrews 10.26; 1.3)). Through this perfect work of Christ, the believer is reconciled to God (Romans 5.10; 2 Corinthians 5.18-20).
We believe that the shedding of the blood of Christ was necessary (Hebrews 9.22), and that His sinless blood has taken away all my sin, delivering me from the wrath of God (Romans 5.9).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave, ascended bodily into Heaven, and that He is our Great High Priest and Advocate in Heaven today. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 15:20-25; Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 7:25).
THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person, Member of the Godhead (Matthew 28.19). He is directly identified by Scripture are being God (2 Corinthians 3.17; Acts 5.3-4). He possesses all the divine attributes and performs divine works.
We believe, as aforementioned, that He is the Author of the Scriptures (2 Peter 1.21) and that He is the giver of eternal life (Titus 3.5; John 3.6).
We believe that the Holy Ghost is the divine Agent that transforms the life of man into the likeness of Christ (Galatians 5.22), in accordance with man’s submission to Him. The Holy Spirit regenerates (Titus 3.5), frees from sin (Romans 8.2), indwells (Romans 8.9; 1 Corinthians 6.19), seals (eternal security – Ephesians 1.13-14), empowers (Acts 1.8; Ephesians 5.18), and guides (Acts 8.29).
We reject the idea of a baptism of the Holy Spirit as being an event separate from salvation (Romans 8.9). The Holy Spirit indwells the believer from the moment of salvation (Galatians 4.6).
We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to the believer for the edification of the local church (1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4). We believe that the sign gifts of tongues, healing, and the like were transitory, and, as such, ceased (1 Corinthians 1.8) with the passing of the apostolic generation (Mark 16.17-18). They are unnecessary today with the completion of the canon of Scripture (Mark 16.17-18; 1 Corinthians 13.8).
We believe that the modern-day tongues and healing movement is contrary to the Scriptures and to sound doctrine. Those who pursue these things err doctrinally (1 Corinthians 14.22, 40; 13.8-11).
THE DOCTRINE OF MAN
We believe that man was created sinless in the image of God (Genesis 1.26-27) during the sixth of the seven literal days of Creation. Man wilfully sinned in the Garden of Eden (Romans 5.12-14). At that moment, mankind died spiritually, began to await physical death, and was condemned to eternal death. As such, he was separated from His Creator, in need of a Saviour to reconcile him to God.
All men are born sinners and are inclined towards sin. They are under the righteous condemnation of eternal punishment, without any recourse outside of the blood of Christ, and without excuse. (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12-21; Psalm 58:4; I Corinthians 2:14; Romans 1:20; Genesis 1:26-27)
We believe that man is a tripartite being: body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5.23; Genesis 2.7).
Man was created in the image of God, in the sense of possessing intelligence (Genesis 1.26-28; 2.19-20), moral sense (Romans 2.5), social likeness (Genesis 3.8), and a will (1 Corinthians 9.17). We oppose the idea that God denies man the exercise of his will to satisfy divine sovereignty (2 Peter 3.9).
We believe that man was created in a state of innocence (Genesis 2.16-17) but sinned wilfully and deliberately (Genesis 3.6-7; Romans 5.12-19). As the federal (our representative) and seminal (father of all men) head of mankind, Adam plunged all men into a state of sinfulness (1 Corinthians 15.22). Man is born a sinner (Psalm 51.5) and is a sinner by choice and by performance (Romans 3.9-12).
THE DOCTRINE OF SIN
We believe that sin is the act of missing the mark of God’s holiness (Romans 3.23). It takes the form of transgression (wilfully violating God’s law – 1 John 3.4) and iniquity (inherent and natural distortion of right – Isaiah 59.2-13).
We believe that sin is described and quantified by the law of God (Romans 3.19-20). It has passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Psalm 58.3; Romans 3.10; 3.23).
We believe that the entrance of sin into the world has negatively affected and altered the state of God’s once-perfect Creation (Romans 8.22), has led man into increasingly greater perverseness and spiritual blindness (Romans 1.18-22) and moral depravation (Romans 1.23-32.
We believe that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6.23). This separation from God (death) is manifested spiritually, physically, and eternally.
We believe that the only remedy for sin is the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1.7; Hebrews 13.12). All men must come to Jesus Christ by faith alone to receive His grace for the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 2.8-9).
We believe that the believer who walks in sin will lose the sweet fellowship that He should have with God (1 John 1.3-7), and that he may come under the loving chastisement of his Heavenly Father (Hebrews 12.7-8).
THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as our representative and substitute. All those who believe in Him for salvation are entirely justified on the basis of His blood that was shed at Calvary. (I Corinthians 15:1-4; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:24; Romans 5:9; I Peter 1:18-19).
We believe that those that receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith are born again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, thus becoming children of God and being eternally and inalterably saved. (John 3.3; Galatians 3.24-26; 1 John 5.13).
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, received by man on the basis of faith only (Ephesians 2.8-9), without any contribution of man’s works (Romans 4.4).
We believe that God sincerely offers salvation to all men (John 3.16; 2 Peter 3.9) and that their rescue from sin is His will for all (John 3.16).
We believe that Christ’s saving work is complete, perfect, and sufficient (John 19.30; Hebrews 7.25).
WE believe that salvation includes the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1.14), a family bond with God (Romans 8.15; John 1.12), and ultimately the eternal enjoyment of the presence of God in Heaven (John 14.1-4; Revelation 21.3).
We believe that the Scriptures command us to perform good works, but as a fruit of the new birth (Ephesians 2.10), not as a payment for salvation (Ephesians 2.8-9; Titus 3.5).
We believe that election to salvation is based on the foreknowledge of God (1 Peter 1.2), not on an arbitrary selection or rejection of men without any action of their free will (John 3.16).
THE DOCTRINE OF LAST THINGS AND THE RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe in the « blessed hope »: the personal, bodily, pretribulational, premillenial, and imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He will take up His church in the Rapture. (2 Thessalonians 2; John 14.1-3; Matthieu 24.44).
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, both of the saved and unsaved (1 Corinthians 15.51-47; 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18; Revelation 20.11-15). The saved will be judged in view of gain or loss of reward (1 Corinthians 3.13-15; Romans 14.12; Hebrews 13.17; 1 Peter 4.5), whereas the unsaved will be judged for eternal condemnation (see below).
We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell. We believe that, upon death, the souls and spirits of the unsaved descend immediately to Hell, where they are kept under punishment until the day of final judgment (Luke 16.19-31; 2 Peter 2.9), when their bodies will be resurrected from the grave, when they will be judged according to their works, and banished to the lake of fire, which is the place of final and eternal judgment. (Mark 9.43-48; 1 Thessalonians 4.16-18; Jude 13; Revelation 20.11-15; 21.8)
We believe in a pretribulational Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4.13-18; Titus 2.13; Revelation 4.1) of all believers, as God has not destined His children unto wrath (1 Thessalonians 5.9)
We believe in a premillennial return of Christ (Revelation 19.11-20.6), which will conclude the seven years of tribulation upon the Earth. Christ will then set up a millennial kingdom on this Earth, in fulfillment of Bible prophecy, during which He will reign with the saints (Revelation 20.6).
We believe that the tribulation period, following the Rapture but preceding the Second Coming of Christ, is the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 9.20-27). As such, it concerns itself primarily with the nation of Israel, and does not include the presence of the church.
We believe that after the millennial reign of Christ, God will create a new Heaven and a new Earth, where there will be no sin nor any presence of the effects of sin (Revelation 21.1-5; 2 Peter 3.12-13).
THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN AND ANGELS
We believe that angels are spirits created for the worship and service of God (Isaiah 6.3), and that they also minister to the saints as God chooses (Hebrews 1.14).
We believe in the literal and personal existence of Satan, the agent of the fall of man, the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2.2). We believe that he will be condemned and punished in the lake of fire for eternity, along with the fallen angels that followed him in his rebellion (Revelation 20.1-10; Ephesians 2.1-5).
We believe that Satan (Lucifer) was once a cherub that embodied wisdom and beauty (Ezekiel 28.13-15), but that he pridefully desired to take the place of God (Isaiah 14.12-17) and was therefore banished and appointed for destruction by God (Ezekiel 28.17-18). He is active today in deceiving men of all nations (Revelation 20.3), in tempting the saints (1 Thessalonians 3.5), in accusing the brethren before God (Revelation 12.10), opposing the work of God in every way (Ephesians 6.12), and seeking to destroy the objects of God’s love (1 Peter 5.8).
We believe that Satan was defeated by Jesus Christ through our Lord’s sacrifice on Golgotha and His resurrection from the dead. (Colossians 2.15; Hebrews 2.14)
THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
We believe that a New Testament church is an organized assembly: a body of baptized believers assembled for worship, Bible teaching, observation of the two church ordinances, and the local and world-wide proclamation for the Gospel (Acts 2; Acts 1.8; Matthieu 28.19-20).
We believe that immersion is the only form of baptism revealed and commanded in the Scriptures, that water baptism has no saving power whatsoever, but is for those who are already saved; that the new birth, which comes by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, is the prerequisite for baptism according to the Scriptures, so that only those who are of age to believe on Christ for salvation should be baptized (Acts 2.38; Romans 6.3-5).
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is only commemorative of the death of Christ, and that only those who are saved by faith in His blood and walk obediently before Him should partake of it (1 Corinthians 11.23-32).
We believe that Jesus Christ is the one Head of the Church (Ephesians 5.23).
WE believe that the Bible teaches that the two biblical offices of the church, pastor and deacon, should be held by men. (1 Timothy 2.12; Acts 15).
We believe that the New Testament teaches that the local church is to be led by a pastor, and that this pastor will give an account of the flock to the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13.17). This pastor’s gifting and character must be evident, as delineated in 1 Timothy 3.1-7 and Titus 1.5-9.
We believe that deacons are men called to serve the church (Acts 6.1-6). They ought to be men filled with the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6.3), meeting the requirements of 1 Timothy 3.8-13)
BIBLICAL SEPARATION
We believe that all saved people are called to live a life of separation. This separation spans at least three areas: moral, personal, and ecclesiastical.
Moral: The commandments of God are the perfect standard of God for man. We are commanded to be fully holy (2 Corinthians 7.1) in the fear of God. The believer should never suffer as an evildoer (1 Peter 4.15), for he is commanded to be pure in body and spirit (2 Corinthians 10.5).
Personal: In areas of disagreement among believers over the acceptability or sinfulness of a practice or activity, as exemplified in Romans 14, each believer should be fully persuaded in his own mind and practice personal separation for the purpose of holiness before the Lord. A believer should not place himself under a yoke with an unbeliever (2 Corinthians 6.14-18).
In order to maintain a pure testimony and to remain under the control (filling) of the Spirit, the believer should abstain from intoxicating substances as per the command of God (Ephesians 5.18). The Christian’s desire should be to always remain in a state of ready usefulness to Christ, such as the practices of continuous worship (Hebrews 13.15), praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5.17), and consistent service (Mark 10.45)
Ecclesiastical: While all true believers are part of the body of Christ, there is today a recognizable and unmistakable apostasy, promoted and spread by several organized and developed associations. We therefore disapprove of any association or group that sacrifices doctrine for the sake of influence, worldly credibility, or any other reason that takes away from the pure and literal interpretation and practice of God’s Word. Examples of such organizations would include, but are not limited to, the “World Council of Churches”, the “National Association of Evangelicals”, and other groups that seek to bridge the gaps between churches and denominations at the expense of the fundamentals of the faith. We stand in opposition to the ecumenical, neo-orthodox, new evangelical movements, as well as evangelistic programs that group churches which do not share our doctrine. (2 Corinthians 6.14-18; Ephesians 5.11-12; Luke 12.51).
CREATION
We believe that God created the universe in 6 literal days, with the 7th day being a day of rest (Genesis 1-2; Mark 10.6; Exodus 20.8-11). We reject any form of the theory of evolution, including any shades of it that may be labeled “theistic” or otherwise.