What we believe

The Bible is God's Word to all people. Although human authors wrote the words of each of the 66 books, they were under the careful and supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Since God inspired the very words of Scripture, we believe that the Bible is truth without any error and is the final authority for faith and practice. We believe the Holy Scriptures to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God; furthermore, we believe that the Holy Scriptures, as originally written, do not only contain and convey the Word of God, but are the very Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and, therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. According to Paul's writing to Timothy, Scripture teaches us doctrine (what is right), reproof (what is wrong), correction (how to make things right), and instruction in righteousness (how to keep things right) (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

God is the Supreme Being, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. God is infinite (1 Timothy 1:17), incomparable (2 Samuel 7:22), and unchanging (Malachi 3:6). God exists everywhere (Psalms 139:7-12), knows everything (Psalms 147:5; Isaiah 40:28), and possesses all power and authority (Ephesians 1; Revelation 19:6). Scripture teaches that He created everything we can see and everything we cannot see out of nothing (Genesis 1), even though it might be difficult for the human mind to understand how this is possible. The Bible also teaches that God is a spirit (John 4:24) who is One, yet eternally exists as three distinct and equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (referred to as the Trinity). Although each person of the Trinity possesses unique functions, each possesses equal power and authority (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

Jesus Christ, God's only Son, became man (the incarnation) when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, so that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice; and our justification (being declared righteous) was accomplished by His resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:24). Following His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfils the ministry of Representative, Intercessor and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2).

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14). He is the divine Teacher who indwells and enables believers to understand the Bible (Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27). The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to every believer so that they can do the work of the ministry (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12). He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptising all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 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. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit, and the 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 prayers of believers for physical healing (1 Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).

Man is a created being, made in the image and likeness of God, but he is fallen due to sin. Man was created as a rational, intelligent, responsible moral agent in order to love and serve God, but through the temptation of Satan, he transgressed the command of God and fell from his original innocence; whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin, and as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfil the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore every man possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love (Genesis 1:27; Psalms 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; 5:6, 12, 19; 6:6; 1 John 3:4).

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favour with God (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

When a person expresses faith in Jesus Christ's death for sin and His resurrection, he is kept by God's power and secure in Christ forever. A person with genuine, life-changing faith cannot lose his salvation if he sins or disobeys God's revealed commandments. Although a believer is capable of committing the same sins as an unbeliever, his sins are forgiven based on Christ's payment on the cross. Nothing can separate a believer from the love of God (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Peter 1:4-5).

We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men – the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment in hell (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13). The souls of those who believe are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they await the first resurrection, when soul and body will be reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6). The souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when, with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment and will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15).

The statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the statement of faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members.