OUR BELIEFS
SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men and supernaturally inspired; that it is truth without any admixture of error for its matter; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only concrete and final revelation of the will of God to man; that it is the true center of the Christian union and the only standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
By the “Holy Bible” we mean that collection of sixty-six books from Genesis to Revelation, which, as originally written, does not only contain and convey the Word of God, but is the very Word of God. By “inspired” we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of God, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally“breathed out” by God, the Holy Spirit.
We also believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the divinely preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people (Psalm 12:6,7 ) and that it has enjoyed a miraculous manifestation of God’s approval all during its history and use.
GOD
We believe that there is only one living and true God, infinite in every excellence; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three personal distinctions – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – yet one in substance and equal in every Divine perfection . (Exodus 20:2,3; I Corinthians 8:6; I John 5:7 )
We believe in the absolute deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; that He was Divine as no other man can be, being very man and very God, existing from all eternity co-equal with the Father and the Spirit; that He never ceased to be God for one instant and that His humiliation did not consist of laying aside His deity; that as man He was miraculously begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. ( John 1:2; Matthew 1:20; Luke 1: 26-38 )
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with the Father and the Son and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, bears witness to the truth, is the Agent of the New Birth and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer, indwelling every true child of God. ( II Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16,17; Romans 8:14-27 )
Baptism of the Holy Spirit – Relationship and Standing -We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is once and for all and takes place at the time of regeneration. This baptism is the identification of the believer in the body of Christ. ( I Corinthians 12:13 )
Filling of the Holy Spirit – Fellowship and State – We believe that all of the saved are sealed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but that not all are filled with the Holy Spirit. As we walk according to the will of God, we are filled with the Spirit of God. ( Ephesians 5:18 )
Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Temporary and Permanent – We believe that nine gifts were given in the church until the New Testament was completed. ( I Corinthians 12:8-11; I Corinthians 13:8-13 )
We believe that the gift of tongues, the special gift of healing, and sign miracles were temporary and are no longer useful for this age.
We believe that the modern-day speaking in tongues and divine healing (so-called) movements are in no way related to the filling of the Spirit.
SATAN
We believe in the distinct personality of Satan; That he is the unholy god of this age; that he is the author of all powers of darkness and sin, and is destined for the judgment of the eternal justice of God in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1-3; II Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10)
CREATION
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all of life, “each after its own kind” by direct act, in six literal twenty-four (24) hour days. (Genesis 1-2; Colossians 1:10-17; John 1:3; Exodus 20:11)
MAN
We believe that man, in the person of the one first Adam, was created in innocence but by voluntary transgression fell into sin, thus plunging the entire race into condemnation and death, so that now all of mankind is born in sin and “shapen in iniquity” and become willful sinners with the first expression of personal choice, and so are without excuse before a Holy God. (Genesis 3; Romans 5:10-19)
REDEMPTION FROM SIN
We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the redemption wrought by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, when He voluntarily took upon Himself a human body and nature, yet without sin, and by His suffering, death, and resurrection made full satisfaction before the justice of God for the sin of the human race; that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and confess; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept this offer of mercy. (John 1:1-3, 14; John 3:1-7; Hebrews 10:4-14; Acts 16:30-33)
SALVATION BY GRACE
We believe that faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition for salvation from sin and that this salvation is wholly by the grace of God; that no works, however good, make that salvation more secure. (Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 10:9-13)
We believe that all who receive Christ as their Saviour are born from above and are eternally secure in Christ. (John 10:28-29; Romans 8:38-39; Philippians 1:6)
CHURCH
We believe that the church is a New Testament institution, unknown to the Old Testament prophets; that it was established by Jesus Christ, Who is its sole head; that it was revealed through the holy apostles; that it is empowered and perpetuated by the Holy Spirit; that it is Christ’s “body” for service and His “Bride” for glory. (Matthew 17:18; Acts 1:8; 2:1-13, 41-47; 15:14; Romans 16:25-26; I Corinthians 12:2-28; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:21; 5:23-33; I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
We believe that the church is the Local Church which is a congregation of immersed believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in it by His absolute right of self-government directed by the Holy Spirit; that it is answerable only to Christ. (Matthew 18:15-17; I Corinthians 1:2; 6:4-5; 7:17; 11:16; Ephesians 4:8, 11-13; I Timothy 3:1-15)
ORDINANCES
We believe that there are two (2) local church ordinances – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water and is properly called “Believer’s Baptism.” It sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with the effects of that faith in the life of a believer as it produces death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is a pre-requisite to the privileges of church membership.
The Lord’s Supperis the commemoration of our Lord’s death until He comes and our continual fellowship with Him and His body; that it should be preceded by baptism and always by careful self-examination. (Acts 8:30-39; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-32)
RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only such as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of God are truly righteous in God’s esteem; while all such who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse; that this distinction holds true among men both during life and after death, in the everlasting conscious felicity of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost. We believe hell to be a literal place of incessant suffering for unbelievers, the devil and his angels. (Malachi 3:18; Romans 6:17-23; Matthew 25:34-41; Luke 6:25; John 8:21; Revelation 20:15; 21:8; Mark 9:43-48)
RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe in the bodily, personal, imminent, pre-millenial return of Jesus Christ; that He will come before the seven-year tribulation period; that He will come in the air to meet and catch away His bride, the church; that this coming will be followed by the judgment seat of Christ; that He will come with His church at the close of the tribulation to judge the living nations and to set up His kingdom on the earth. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 19:11-21)
RESURRECTION
We believe in the literal, physical bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day after His death on the cross. (I Corinthians 15:3-4)
We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead; that believers who sleep (die) in Jesus will be raised up at the coming of Christ for His church and caught up with the transformed living saints to meet the Lord in the air; that the wicked dead will be raised at the close of the Millennial Kingdom and stand in their bodies at the Great White Throne Judgment to receive their final doom. (John 5:21-30; I Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 7:9-17; 20:11-15)
HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)
We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)