What We Believe
1. We believe that there is one eternal, self-existent, true and living God, who possessesabsolutely all the natural and moral attributes of deity. These include omnipotence,omniscience, omnipresence, truth, holiness, justice, love, and mercy. This God is infinitelyperfect and exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1; Exodus. 3:13-14; Isaiah. 9:6; Acts 5:3-4; Romans 1:7; Titus 2:13; I Peter 1:2).
2. We believe that the entire Bible consisting of 66 books is the revealed Word of God.Given by special revelation and recorded by inspiration of the Spirit, we accept the Bibleas inerrant in the original writings and faithfully and miraculously preserved andtransmitted through the ages. As such, it is the final and authoritative basis for our faithand practice and operates effectually in salvation, sanctification and service (I Corinthians 2:9-13; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).
3. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who, without any change in His eternal deity and equality with God, became man through the miracle of the virgin birth. His true deity and humanity in one person were demonstrated in His sinless life, perfect teaching and supernatural miracles. His death on the Cross provided a perfect and complete salvation for all mankind. His bodily resurrection from the dead was the divine seal of His completed atonement. On the basis of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection all who place their trust in Him are declared righteous before God. He ascended to Heaven and sits at the right hand of God where He ever lives to serve as our High Priest and Advocate, making intercession to God for us (John 1:14-15, 30; 3:16-17; Philippians 2:6; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 4:14; 1 John 2:1).
4. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person and not a mere force. He is truly God and He shares equally all the attributes belonging to the Father and the Son. His ministry is to glorify Father and Son as He effectually applies the saving work of Christ to believing sinners by convicting them of sin, righteousness and judgment and imparting the new birth to those who believe, thus making them children of God. Since Pentecost, the Spirit permanently indwells born again Christians, who, at their conversion, are baptised by the Spirit once for all into the Body of Christ, the Church. He daily convicts Christians of anything that displeases God, and He empowers Christians for victorious life and service as they carry out God’s mission on earth (Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 12:13; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18; Titus 3:5-6).
5. We believe that Satan is a personal, spirit being, who by the mysterious but sovereign will of God is allowed to temporarily control the present world system. As arch-enemy of God and humankind he works unceasingly as he seeks to prevent the unsaved from coming to a saving knowledge of Christ and to draw the saved from obedience to Christ. Satan’s destiny, determined by God, is eternal consignment to the Lake of Fire (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Matthew 4:1-12; Luke 22:31-32; John 12:31; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 John 5:19; revelation 12:9; 20:3,10).
6. We believe that God created the first human pair, Adam and Eve, in His image (spiritual, moral and intellectual likeness). By disobedience, our first parents fell into sin and through their sin brought sin and death upon the entire human race. While the image of God in humankind has not been eliminated, it has been marred by the fall. All humankind has inherited a sinful nature, and all stand in need of God’s salvation through Christ (Genesis 1:6, 26-31; Acts 4:10-12; Romans 3:23; 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Timothy 2:14).
7. We believe that all born again believers are in the Kingdom of God. The Church, while part of the Kingdom of God, is not the Kingdom, but is the Body of Christ with Christ as its Head. It began on the Day of Pentecost with the baptism of the Spirit and it is universal, transcending race, culture, and language. The Church exists to fulfil God’s mission which is to make disciples of all nations. Local churches are visible representations of the universal Church, and are responsible to execute God’s mission on earth in partnership with other local churches of like faith
8. We believe that water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church until Christ returns. While they are not means of salvation, they are important witnesses to a Christian’s faith in Christ and fellowship with the Body of Christ (Deuteronomy 6:6-9; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 41; 9:18; Acts 1:8; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25; Ephesians 4:11; 2 Timothy 3:14-15).
9. We believe that the Scriptures are best understood when interpreted dispensationally. The dispensations are not ways of salvation, but are various arrangements instituted by God in His relationship to humankind . in part, or the whole. The dispensations of Law, Grace and Kingdom occupy the largest place in the Bible. We are now in the Dispensation of Grace. The next event will be the return of Christ in the air to remove the Church from the earth before the Tribulation begins. This is called the Rapture. At the end of the Tribulation Christ will return with His saints to defeat His enemies and to establish the Dispensation of the Kingdom (Fullnes of Times) during which Christ will reign over the earth for 1000 years in literal fulfilment of His covenant promises Thus, we believe that the return of Christ will be personal, pretribulational (and therefore imminent), and premillenial. After the Millenium, there will be a resurrection to judgment of all the unsaved of all ages. They will be judged by Christ and consigned to an eternal future of separation from God in the Lake of Fire. The righteous will enjoy eternal happiness in the presence of God and in the new heavens and earth (Job 19:25-27; Isaiah 11:1-10; Daniel 9:24-27; Micah 4:1-4; Matthew 24:40-41; Luke 17:34-37; 1 Corinthians 15:12-26; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11; revelation 3:10; 19:11-20)
10. We believe that there are theological, religious, secular, and philosophical trends orchestrated by Satan to corrupt and overthrow the Christian faith and to promote ungodliness. Our duty is to be vigilant against such satanic compromise and corruption, and to remain separate from any alliance or association which will aid or encourage the spread of such false teaching. While guarding ourselves against error we are to actively and earnestly seek to promote the truth of the Gospel in partnership with fellow Christians who likewise stand for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (1 Timothy 3:; 6:1-16; 2 Timothy 2:19-26; 1 Peter 5:8; Jude 3-4).
11. We believe that marriage as ordained by God, is a heterosexual and permanent union of a man and a woman. Such marriage in the will of God provides a safe haven for the promotion of mutual love, acceptance, joy, peace, inner security and stability. Divorce is not an option when conflict arises in the marriage, but the partners are to seek to resolve marital problems by seeking godly counsel. Where divorce does take place the church is to respond in a biblical way with compassion, counsel, and encouragement towards possible reconciliation and healing