The Bible
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. That is, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. The very words themselves are inspired; God breathed. The writers of scripture were carried along by the Holy Spirit so that the Bible is complete. It is the revealed Word of God to man. The words of Scripture are the words of God and pure. They are inerrant. Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, Hebrews 3:7; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21,3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:12; John 17:7; Psalm 12:6.
God
We believe God is eternally self-existent in three persons. He is a tri-unity -God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All the persons of the Godhead are equally divine. He has divine attributes such as He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. God is sovereign, infinite, eternal, immutable. He has personal attributes such as God is holy, light, love. He is our Creator. He is our Judge. Genesis 1:1-3; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 135:5-6; Isaiah 40:26,42:1; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 3:34; Romans 1:18-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:15; 1 John 1:5, 4:8; He is also God the Father of human offspring, of Israel, of Christ, and of all who believe. Acts 17:29; Exodus 4:22, Matthew 3:17; Galatians 3:26.
The Lord Jesus
We believe Jesus Christ the Son of God is the Savior sent by God the Father to redeem sinners and reconcile them back to God. He is fully man and fully God. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a vicarious death, was buried, rose a victorious bodily resurrection and has promised to return. He is the eternal Word of God manifested in the flesh. He gives eternal life to all who believe in Him. He is preeminent and the King of kings and Lord of lords. Isaiah 53:4-6; Matthew 1:18; John 1:1,14; 5:24,10:30,11:25- 26; 14:6; Romans 5:8; 2 Cor 5:2; Philippians 2:6; Colossians 1:18; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:3,8; Revelation 1:17-18, 19:16.
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is a person. He is divine. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. The Holy Spirit regenerates the believer. (A believer is a person who has been awakened to their need of Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. They have trusted in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary to save them from their sin.) The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the body of believers in Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells those who believe in Christ. He imparts spiritual gifts to the believer. He fills the believer to empower them to live the Christian life. He conforms the believer to the image of Christ. He brings the words of Christ to the believer’s memory. He is the believer’s comforter, counselor and guide. He seals the believer and marks the believer out as ones who belongs to God the Father. Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 16:8, Titus 3:5; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:4, 13.
Man, Creation
We believe Man is created in the image of God. Man was created male and female. He has a body, a soul and a spirit. Man was given woman to be his helpmate. We believe God instituted marriage between one man and one woman. God has put man in dominion over the works of His hands. Man was made to worship God and enjoy Him forever. Genesis 1:26-27, 2:18, 22-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 9:27
Sin
We believe Man was created in innocence and tempted into sin. Man was disobedient to God’s command not to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He fell from innocence and because of sin brought a curse on the entire human race. All of mankind will die because of sin. Sin must be paid for. Sin is an offense to God. God is Holy and He has wrath against sin. God sent Jesus Christ to be the sacrifice for our sins. Sins have been forgiven for those who trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. 1 John 5:17; Genesis 3:6; Ephesians 2:1, 3; John 3:36; Romans 3:23, 5:12, 6:23.
Salvation by and Through Faith Alone
Salvation is a free gift from God. No one deserves or earns salvation. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven and cleansed from all our sins. We are saved by grace through faith. God has provided a solution to man’s sin problem. He gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Our salvation is eternal and will be complete at the death of our earthly bodies. We have been saved from the penalty of sin and the power of sin. One day our body will be redeemed, and we will be saved from the presence of sin. Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:9; 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 8:23; Romans 3:21-28; Galatians 3:1-9.
Sanctification
Walking worthy of the Gospel. We believe God is holy. He wants the believer in Jesus Christ to be holy. The believer has a new standing in the Lord Jesus Christ as a son and heir of God. We are to walk in a way that our behaviour reflects our new life in Christ. Sanctification is the lifelong process of putting off the flesh and putting on Christ. The Christian is to cooperate with the grace of God in a war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The goal of sanctification is for the Holy Spirit to transform the believer into Christ’s likeness. 1 Peter 1:14-19, 5:8; Galatians 4:7; Ephesians 4:1-3, 6:10-20; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 John 2:15-17; Romans 12:1-2.
The Church
The church is the body of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe Christ is building a church. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. Christ is the head of the church. There is only one universal church, but there are local gatherings that express that universal church. The church is cared for by pastoral, functioning, qualified leaders. Local churches are led by a plurality of elders. The church is the pillar and ground of the truth and is a display of God’s infinite wisdom. Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 12:27 1 Timothy 3:2- 4,6,7,15; Ephesians 3:10; Colossians1:18.
Future Things, The End-Time Events
We believe in the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to take his bride (the church) to heaven in an event called the rapture. We believe in a literal 7-year period of intense tribulation on the earth. At the end of the 7 years, we believe in the second coming of Christ to the earth to rescue His people Israel and to reign for a literal 1,000-year period called the millennium. We believe in judgement where mankind will be judged after death. Those who have rejected Jesus Christ will be sentenced to eternal damnation in everlasting conscious punishment. Believers will be judged separately at the Judgement Seat of Christ. The old universe will be destroyed and replaced with a new one. Those who believed in Jesus Christ and have been saved will enter into eternal life in everlasting bliss in heaven. Matthew 16:27, 24:3-31; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, 15:51-52; Daniel 9:24-27; Revelation 20:15, 21:1, 22:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10.
