
The
Scriptures
We
believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Bible, "as it is in
truth, the Word of God..." (I
Thessalonians 2:13). We believe in verbal, plenary inspiration in the
original writings, and God's preservation of His pure words to every generation.
(II
Timothy 3:16, Psalm
12:6-8).
The Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the Received Text of the New Testament (Textus Receptus) are those texts of the original languages we accept and use; we believe the Authorised Version of the Bible is the most accurate translation available for the English speaking world; therefore we use the AV in all teaching and preaching ministries of the church. The Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice.
The
Godhead
We believe in one
Triune God, eternally existing in three persons--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in
being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes
and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; II
Corinthians 13:14).
The Person and Work
of Christ
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 mankind. (John
1:1-2, 14; Luke
1:35; Isaiah
9:6; 7:14; Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians
4:4-5).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His finished work on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).
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 fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2).
The Person and Work
of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the
Holy Spirit is the Person who reproves 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; II
Corinthians 3:6; Romans
8:9; Ephesians
1:13-14).
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 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 salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer of believers for physical healing. (II Corinthians 12:12; I Corinthians 13:8; Hebrews 2:3-4; Mark 16:17-20; I Corinthians 1:22, 14:21-22).
Man
We believe
that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the race fell,
inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and that man by choice has
rejected God, and may come to God only by the grace of God and faith in Jesus Christ.
(Genesis 1:26-27; Romans
3:22-23; Ephesians
2:1-3, 12).
The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image and is mindful of him, and in that Christ died for every man; therefore every individual possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. (Psalm 8:4-9; Colossians 3:9-11).
The Way of
Salvation
We believe that the clear message of salvation is
"repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Acts
20:21). We believe that salvation is "by grace" plus nothing minus
nothing. We believe that men are justified by faith alone and are accounted righteous before
God only through the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Ephesians
2:8-10; John
1:12; I Peter
1:18-19).
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that eternal life is the present possession of every believer (John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1, 2).
The
Church
We believe that the New Testament church is a local assembly of
baptised believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to carry out the Great
Commission. The Lord is doing His work in this world through local churches. The
establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New
Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; I Timothy
3:1-13; Titus
1:5-11).
We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. Christ is the only head of the church. (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; I Peter 5:1-4).
The Ordinances of the
Church
We recognize the ordinances of baptism by immersion in water
and the Lord's Table as a Scriptural means of testimony for local churches in this age.
(Matthew. 28:19-20; Acts
2:41-42, 18:18; I Corinthians 11:23-26).
Biblical
Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as
not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and, that separation from all religious
apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of
God. (II Timothy 3:1-5; Romans
12:1, 2, 14:13; I John
2:15-17; II John
9-11; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1).
The Return of
Christ
We believe the "Blessed Hope" of our Lord's return is
literal, personal, visible, imminent, premillennial, and pretribulational. Believers will
caught up to be with the Lord prior to the seven years of tribulation, and at the end of the
tribulation Christ will return with His saints to establish His thousand-year reign on the
earth. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus
2:13; I Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:1-6; Psalm
89:3-4).
Our
EternalState
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to
eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew
25:46; John
5:28, 29, 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13).
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; Revelation 20:4-6; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16-17).
We believe that the spirit and souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with the spirit and 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. (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15).