Statement of Faith
The Scriptures
We
believe that the Bible is the literal and completed word of God. We believe
that the Bible is verbally inspired, the product of Spirit-filled men and is
preserved for us today without error in the Authorized Version of 1611. We
believe the Bible to be the sole standard of conduct for the believer and to
have only one correct interpretation which may be revealed to any believer by
the Holy Spirit.
The True God
We
believe that there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite,
intelligent Spirit, the Creator and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. We
believe that in the Godhead there are three persons - The Father, The Son and
The Holy Ghost - equal in every divine perfection and yet executing distinct
but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
The Holy Spirit
We
believe that the Holy Spirit is equal with God the Father and God the Son and
of the same nature; that He was active in creation; that He convicts of sin, of
righteousness, and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the
Gospel in our preaching and testimony; that He is the agent of the new birth;
that He seals, fills, leads, intercedes, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and
comforts the believer.
Jesus Christ
We
believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Ghost in a miraculous
manner, born of a virgin; and that He is both completely man and completely
God. He was subject to temptation, yet was without any sin. He is the Messiah
for Israel, the Saviour of the world, the only way any man can come to God the
Father for forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. He is to be worshipped and
glorified as the LORD.
Satan
We
believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors but through pride
and ambition to be like God, fell and drew after him a host of angels. He is
now the prince of the power of the air and the unholy god of this world. We
hold him to be a real and literal being responsible for all evil in the world.
His final destiny will be the Lake of Fire.
The Creation
We
believe the Genesis account of creation to be a literal, historical account of
the direct creative acts of God in the person of Jesus Christ without any
evolutionary processes. We hold that man is made up of a body, soul and spirit
with all men being descended from the historical Adam and Eve, the first
parents of the human race.
The Fall of Man
We
believe that man was created in a state of innocence by his Creator, but by
voluntary and willful disobedience Adam sinned bringing death and sin into the
human race. As all men since Adam are partakers of his fallen nature, all men
are sinners by nature and by conduct and therefore are under just condemnation,
without defense or excuse.
Salvation
We
believe that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins on the cross with His shed blood;
this atonement was not limited, but is effectual for any sinner accepting it by
faith. We believe that the new birth is the regenerative act of the Holy Spirit
upon a sinner when he repents of his sins and believes the gospel according to
the Scriptures, receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. We
believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and is in no
way dependent upon our own works or merits. As a result of the new birth, the
sinner is made a new creature in Christ receiving eternal life as a free gift
of God; salvation makes one a son of God and this relationship is eternally
secure.
Eternal Destiny of Man
We
believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust; the everlasting
blessedness of the saved in heaven and the literal, eternal punishment of the
lost in the Lake of Fire.
The Church
We
believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the Body of
Christ, which was established on the Day of Pentecost, and that all believers
are added to this Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the exact time
that they trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour. We believe that this Church is only
manifested practically through the local church which is a congregation of
immersed believers associated by covenant of faith; observing the ordinances of
Christ; governed by his laws in accordance with Pauline revelation; and that
its officers are pastors and deacons, whose qualifications and duties are
clearly defined in Scripture.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper
We
believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water, by
the local church, to show forth in a like figure our submission to, and faith
in, the crucified, buried and risen Saviour, through Whom we died to sin and
rose to new life. We hold that only one scriptural baptism is necessary in the
life of any believer and that baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of
church membership. We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of
His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by serious
self-examination and confession.
Spiritual Gifts, Miracles, Signs & Wonders
We believe that the gifts of the Spirit from I Corinthians chapter twelve are given, today, for the ministry to all parts of the Body of Christ with the exception of those gifts which are specifically called "signs." Those gifts which are signs, wonders or miracles given by the Spirit during the beginning of the church in the book of Acts were for the purpose of identifying the apostles, challenging Jews to listen to the gospel of Christ and to confirm new revelation from God before the completion of the New Testament scriptures.
With no apostles alive today, a completed Bible and God’s attention focused
on the Gentiles, we do not see any valid purpose or use for the supernatural
sign gifts today until the church is raptured and the Lord turns his attention
once again back to the nation of Israel.
Things to Come
We believe in the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ to catch up to Himself the church. We believe that the church will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ in heaven where the individual Christian's works and motives will stand the test of fire for reward or loss. Simultaneously, those on earth will be undergoing the seven years of tribulation determined upon the nation of Israel and the world. Christ will return at the end of the tribulation to judge the nations and establish his earthly kingdom for 1000 years. Following this will be the last, great judgment of the Great White Throne where all of the unconverted since Adam will be judged according to their works to determine their degree of punishment in the Lake of Fire. God will then destroy the earth by fire making a New Heaven and a New Earth.
