The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Bible, consisting of thirty-nine Old and twenty-seven New Testaments books, is verbally inspired by God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is complete, being divinely preserved through time. It is the authoritative revelation of God’s will to man, and therefore the absolute authority for Christian union and supreme standard by which all human conducts, creeds, and opinions should be tried.
We believe the Scriptures should be interpreted literally, consistently, contextually, grammatically, culturally, and historically in our teaching and preaching. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only English translation used by this Church. Psa. 119:89, 160; 1 Tim.3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 Cor.2:11-14; Rev. 22:18,19
The True God
We believe that there is only one true and living God, Creator and Supreme ruler of heaven and earth. Inexpressively glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honour, confidence, and love, and Who eternally exists in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, known as the Godhead. Each having the same nature and attributes, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. Gen. 1:1,26; Exo. 15:11; Psa. 111:9; Isa. 45:5,6; Matt.28:19; Mk.12:29,30; 1 Cor8:6; 2 Cor 13:14; Col. 2:9.
The Lord Jesus Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary truly God and truly Man, and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son. We believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement for the sins of mankind by the shedding of His blood on the cross, and in His bodily resurrection from the tomb and ascension into heaven. Isa.7:14, 9:6; Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:31-35; John 1:1-4,14; Acts 1:9-11; Phil.2:5-11; Col.1:19; 1 Tim 3:16; Heb.2:9, 14-16, 4:15.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the divine third person of the Godhead, co-equal with the Father and the Son, and is the source of power of all acceptable worship and service; that he was active in the creation and in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the wicked one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement, and is the agent in the new birth and the infallible interpreter of the Word of God. Who baptises, indwells, seals, empowers, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer, and Who is ever present to testify of Christ. Gen.1:2; Jhn.3:5-8, 14:16-18, 16:8-15; Acts 1:8; Rom. 8:9,14-16; 1 Cor 2:11-14, 12:13; 2 Cor 3:18; Eph.1:13, 5:18.
Creation
We believe that the Genesis account of creation is to be literally accepted and that creation was a direct act of God in six literal days. Therefore, we teach that any evolutionary hypothesis is totally inconsistent with the Scriptures. Gen.1:1-2:25; Jhn.1:3; Col.1:16,17; Heb. 11:3.
Satan
We believe in the existence and personality of Satan, though created holy, became the author of sin and all the powers of darkness. That he is the deceiver, the prince of the power of the air, the unholy god of this world who endeavours to keep souls from coming to Christ. That he is at enmity with God, Christ, the church, and by Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that he, Satan, is destined to judgement for eternity in the Lake of fire. Isa.14:12-17; Ezek. 28:12-19; Jhn 8:44; 2 Cor 4:3,4; Eph.2:2, 6:11,12; He.2:14; Rev.20:10
Man
We believe that man was directly created by God in His image and after His likeness, free of sin, with a moral responsibility to his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his innocent and blessed state, incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death, in consequence of which all of mankind are now sinners, not only by nature, but also by choice and are inherently corrupt, and therefore under just condemnation without defence or excuse. Gen.1:26, 2:7, 15-24, 3:1-19; Jer. 17:9; Jhn 3:36; Rom.1:18-32, 3:9-23, 5:12-19, 6:23; Eph.2:1-3.
Atonement
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ freely partook of our nature, yet without sin, was made a curse for the sinner, bore our sins in His own body on the cross. And by His death and shed blood made a full and substitutional atonement for our sins, and is the only means of salvation, and that no efforts or attitudes of man can add to the finished work of Christ. Isa.53:4-7; Rom. 5:6-8; 2 Cor.5:21; Col.2:13,14; Heb.2:9; 1 peter 1:18.19, 2:24, 3:18; 1 Jhn.2:1,2; Rev.1:5.
New Birth
We believe that to possess eternal life and enter the kingdom of God, sinners must be born again, and that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus, instantaneous and not a process. In which the sinner, dead in trespasses and sins is made alive in Christ and a partaker of the divine nature, that the new creation is brought about in a manner, not by water baptism, neither by culture, nor by character, or by the will of man but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit, using the Word of God to secure our voluntary obedience to the Gospel, and that is evidenced by repentance, not a work on our part, but which means : to think differently, or afterwards to reconsider, to feel compunction (metanoeo, metanoia), faith and belief and the newness of life. Jhn. 1:12,13 3:3-8, 5:24; 2Cor5:17; Eph.2:1-5; Col.3:1-3; titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2Peter 1:4.
Salvation
We believe salvation is wholly of God by grace, made free to all by the Gospel, received through faith and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, and includes regeneration, pardon, and forgiveness of sins through justification, adoption, and sanctification through the Holy Spirit to ultimate glorification in the presence of God and that the true believer is eternally secure and cannot be lost. John 1:12, 3:16, 10:27-31; Acts 4:12. 13:38,39,16:31; Rom 5:1-9, 8:35-39, 10:9-13; Eph.1:3-7, 2:8-10; 1 Thess4:3-7; 1Jhn. 5:11-13.
The Church
The Church of God. We believe that all who place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord are baptised by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, the Church, the Bride of Christ, and that having become part of the family and kingdom of God are responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, loving one another with a pure heart fervently. Rom.12:4-8; 1Cor 1:2, 12:12-27; Eph.1:22,23, 3:15, 4:3-6,12-16; Col. 1:18; Heb.12:23.
The Local Church
We believe the local church is an assembly of true baptised believers in Christ in a particular area, associated by a covenant of faith, love, and fellowship of the Gospel. Each sharing the responsibilities and privileges as found in God’s Word, obeying the commandments of Christ, meeting for worship, the study of God’s Word and prayer. That in its complete form in addition to the saints contains Pastors (Elders and Bishops), and Deacons, who meet the qualifications and perform their duties in accordance with the Scriptures. That the local church’s supreme mission is to preach the Gospel, faithfully witnessing of Christ to all men as it has opportunity, and that the local church has the absolute right to self government, free from the interference and influence of any hierarchy, individuals, and organisation. That the only head is Christ, who directs the church through the Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8, 2:42. 6:1-5, 20:17-35; 1 Cor1:1; Eph.4:11-16; 1 Tim.3:1-13; 1 Peter 5:1-4.
Baptism and Lord’s Supper
We believe that Christian baptism is the total immersion in water of the believer in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit, with the authority of the local church, to show forth in solemn beautiful emblem our identification and faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect in our death to sin and resurrection to new life. And that it is a pre-requisite to the privilege of a church relation to the Lord’s Supper in which the church by the sacred use of bread and the fruit of the vine are to commemorate together the death and resurrection of Christ. All baptised believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who are present shall be invited to participate, preceded always by solemn self examination. 1 Cor 11: 27-31
Miraculous Sign Gifts
We believe the miraculous sign gifts of the early church enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 were given temporarily in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the Word of God, as spoken by the Apostles, and later recorded by divine inspiration forming the New testament, and now as the full revelation of God is complete, are no longer in use. Mark 16:17-20; 1 Cor. 13:8-13, 14:21,22
Separation/Sanctification
We believe that all true believers are called into a life of separation unto God which will result in holiness, chastity, purity and godliness and a life of separation from evil which will result in nonparticipation in worldly and sinful habits such as amusements and habits as will cause others to stumble or bring reproach upon the name of Christ, and non-involvement or fellowship with false teachers, false prophets, and the world’s ecumenical and religious system. Rom 12:1.2, 14:13-21; 1 Cor.5:9-11, 8:9-13; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 2Thess. 3:6, 10-15; 1 Jhn 2:15-17.
Return of Christ
We believe in the imminent, visible, personal, bodily return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, first in the air to call His church unto Him, known as the Blessed Hope (rapture). We believe that the church will be translated and received into the clouds by Jesus Christ before the Tribulation period known as Israel’s seventieth week, that this translation will be followed by a time of judgement on the whole earth lasting seven years, to conclude with the visible return of Christ to the earth to put down all rebellion and establish His Millennial kingdom. After which Satan shall be cast into eternal judgement in the Lake of Fire and joined by all unbelievers judged at the Great White Throne Judgement, followed by the destruction of the heaven and earth in fervent heat and the creation of a New heaven and New Earth where the saints shall be forever with Christ. Daniel 9:27; Matt.24,25; Jhn 14: 1-3; 1 Cor 15:57,58; 1 Thess 4:13-5:11; 2 Pet 3:9-13; Rev. 20-22.