Statement of Faith
The following doctrinal statement 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 following statement of faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members.
Article: OF THE SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Bible is a supernatural book, that it is the very Word of God, in sixty-six books, the full, final and complete revelation of God's will to man. We believe the author of the Bible is God the Holy Spirit and that holy men of God wrote as they were supernaturally inspired by the Holy Spirit. We believe that those inspired words have been inerrantly preserved to the English-speaking people in the Authorized Version (commonly called the King James 1611 Version). Whereas there are a number of other English versions of the Bible in circulation, all of which are not reliable due to their errors and omissions of words and their being translated from a line of wrong manuscripts, we consider it therefore a necessity and privilege to declare that the King James Version shall be the only English Bible believed, used, and upheld in our pulpit, classrooms, and ministry outreaches. We believe that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Peter 1:19-21, Psalms 119:89, Isaiah 8:20)
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man's responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations - the law, the church, and the kingdom - are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture.
(Ephesians 1:10; 3:2-10, Colossians 1:24-27, 2 Timothy 2:15)
Article: OF THE TRUE GOD
We believe that there is one, and only one, true and living God. He is absolute in nature, perfect in attributions, holy in character, and is revealed in three Persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) commonly referred to as the Trinity. The three Persons of the Trinity exist in the same divine nature, essence and being. They are co-existent and co-equal and each One has a distinct office in the work of Redemption. (John 10:30-33; 14:10,26, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Ephesians 4:6, 1 John 5:7, Deuteronomy 6:4, Psalms 90:2, Isaiah 43:10-11; 44:6)
Article: OF THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit in a miraculous manner and born of the virgin Mary as no other man was born or can be born of woman. He is both the Son of God and God the Son.
(Matt.1:18-25, Lk.1:35, John 1:1-2,14, Galatians 4:4-5, Isaiah 7:14; 9:6)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, by the shedding of His divine blood, accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by his literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Roman 3:24-25, 1 Corinthian 15:1-4, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrew 9:22,28; 12:2, 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:24; 3:18, 1 John 1:7, Isaiah 53:4-12)
We believe that the Lord 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. 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. (Acts 1:9-10, Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Hebrews 7:25; 9:24, 1 John 2:1-2)
Article: OF THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature, Who was active in the Creation. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment and is the Divine Agent of regeneration. At the instant of New Birth, by means of a supernatural baptism, the Holy Spirit places each Church-Age believer into the body of Christ, and forthwith indwells and seals that believer unto the day of redemption. (John 16:7-11, Romans 8:9,16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 1:13-14)
We believe the Holy Spirit is our Divine Teacher who guides and directs believers into all truth and helps them to understand and appropriate the Scriptures. The saved are commanded to yield themselves daily to that Divine leadership. In so doing, we are continuously filled with the Spirit. (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13, Romans 8:26-27, Ephesians 1:17-18; 5:18, 1 John 2:20,27)
We believe that the Holy Spirit enables every believer to serve the Lord by bestowing on each a spiritual gift(s), as the Spirit Himself chooses. These gifts were never intended for the vain glory of that individual, but that each might accomplish the work of our Lord's ministry as a whole. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in each assembly. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit (such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing) served their purpose during the "apostolic age", but reject the claim made by present-day movements that these are still being done by God. Although God still frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing, this in no way gives Bible endorsement to today's self-proclaimed "faith healers". (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 1:22; 12:4-11,28; 13:8; 14:21-22,27-28, Ephesians 4:7-12, Philippians 2:25-27)
Article: OF THE DEVIL
We believe that the Devil is an actual being and not an imaginary influence; that he once enjoyed high heavenly honours and glorious heavenly privileges; that through pride, ambition and self-will he betrayed God and as a result brought down upon his head the judgment of God. He operates today as the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air. He is the arch deceiver, and father of all lies. He is the greatest enemy, the biggest tempter and the greatest opposition of the saints. His final abode shall be the lake of fire, which is the eternal place of punishment prepared for the Devil and his angels. (Job 1:6-12, Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekial 28:11-17, Matthew 25:41, Ephesians 2:2, 1 Peter 5:8, Jude 6, Revelation 19:20; 20:10)
Article: OF THE CREATION
We believe the Genesis record of creation is literal, and not allegorical or figurative; that God personally created the heaven and the earth in a direct act, that He brought forth all original matter out of nothing; henceforth, God's established Law says that all species shall bring forth "after their kind.". We believe man was created directly in God's own image and not by the hypothesis of any kind of evolution, and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race.
(Genesis 1 - 2, Exodus 20:11, Matthew 19:4, John 1:1-3, Acts 17:23-26, Romans 1:20, Colossians 1:16-17, Hebrews 11:3)
Article: OF THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man was created in innocence and holiness and in the image and likeness of God, but by voluntary transgression of the Lord's command, fell from the state in which he was created. As a result of Adam's sin, all men are totally depraved (excluding the will), are alienated from God, and are sinners by nature and by conduct. Man is now, by virtue of his fallen nature, void of holiness, positively inclined to evil, and under just and eternal condemnation without defence or excuse. (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:6-24, Ezra 1:4; 3:5; 7:13, Psalms 51:5; 119:108, Romans 1:18,28; 3:10-23; 5:12,19; 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
Article: OF THE GRACE OF SALVATION
We believe that salvation is a free gift of God offered to sinful man. It is the privilege and duty of every sinner to repent and receive as personal Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. All who voluntarily reject salvation will face eternal separation from God in a literal place of punishment called Hell.
(John 1:12; 3:15-18,36, Roman 5:8; 6:23; 10:1-13, 2 Peter 3:9, Revelation 20:15; 21:8)
We believe that repentance and faith are solemn and required prerequisites for salvation; that they are wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit acting upon the light of truth in the heart, and as the sinner is deeply convicted of his guiltiness and helplessness he turns in repentance to the Lord Jesus Christ. Surrendering himself wholly and receiving Him as personal Saviour, he is immediately born again. We believe that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, and that man is drawn to God by the love of God toward Him as exhibited through the cross. (Luke 18:3,5, John 6:44, Acts 3:19, 20:21, Romans 10:17, 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, 1 John 3:16, Hosea 11:4)
We believe that God's eternal purpose in salvation is to reconcile us to Himself, to preserve the believer forever in Christ, and to conform us to the image of His Son. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation by the testimony of God's Word. This, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (John 5:24; 6:37-40; 10:27-30, Romans 8:1,38-39; 13:13-14, Galatians 5:13, 2 Timothy 1:12, 1 Peter 1:5)
Article: OF THE CHURCH
We believe that all true believers in this Church-Age Dispensation are united in one "body". This body (also referred to as "the Body of Christ", "the Bride of Christ", and "the Church") was established on the day of Pentecost, and all believers from Pentecost to the Rapture, both Jews and Gentiles, are added to this all-inclusive, unseen organism of the Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the exact time that they trust Jesus Christ as Saviour. (Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthn.12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-28, Ephesn.1:10,22-23; 3:1-6, Colossn.1:18,24)
We believe that the New Testament commands a local assembling of such called-out believers into a public, visible, and organized place of worship and service. Although every facet of our society has been permeated with the "come in without commitment" philosophy, we believe the Scriptures not only command the Christian to attend faithfully and regularly, but also expects him to be added to its membership, and to become actively involved therein. Salvation and baptism by immersion are the prerequisites for church membership. We believe and teach that the locally-assembled church is an independent congregation observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws in accordance with Pauline revelation, under the overseeing leadership of its own pastor, and responsible to carry out the Great Commission. It is not governed or controlled by any outside ecclesiastical hierarchy. The will of the local church is final.
(Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:41-47; 8:1-4; 11:22; 13:1; 16:5, Romans 16:1-2, 1 Corinthians 16:19, 1 Timothy 3:1-6,15, Hebrews 10:24-25)
Article: OF THE CHURCH ORDINANCES
We believe that Water Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the only two Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. We also believe that there is no saving power or grace in either baptism or the Lord's Supper.
Baptism: For Believer's baptism to be scriptural, it must be:
a. The Proper Candidate: one who has already been genuinely born again;
b. The Proper Mode or method: immersion (buried under water and then raised back up);
c. The Proper Design or motive: to show forth the Gospel and indicates obedience by publicly identifying one's self with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
Baptism extends no further than simply an outward picture of what Jesus Christ has already done inside the heart of the believer.
(Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 8:36-39; 10:47-48; 16:33, 1 Peter 3:21)
Lord's Supper: We believe the Lord's Supper is a memorial supper, that is administered by the authority and instruction of the local church, and it symbolizes the broken body and the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Believers who have submitted themselves to scriptural baptism and whose spiritual lives being in a right relationship are qualified participants in the Lord's Supper service.
(Matt.26:17-30; 28:19-20, Mark 14:22-26, 1Cor.11:23-34)
Article: OF THE RETURN OF CHRIST
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth in two stages. The first stage, called the "blessed hope" or "Rapture", is when He descends in the clouds to "catch away" all genuine believers before the seven year Tribulation on this earth. We, expecting this event to happen at any moment, are praying "Even so, come, Lord Jesus". The second stage, called the "Second Advent", occurs seven years later, at the close of the Great Tribulation Period. Many of His saints will return with the Lord at this second advent to help establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel.
(Acts 1:6-7, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4,42-58, 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 4:13-18, Titus 2:13, Revelation 20:1-4)
Article: OF THE ETERNAL STATE
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. As Jesus rose bodily from the grave, all believers are assured of their own bodily resurrection at the personal, imminent return of Christ for His Church.
We also believe that 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 shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment.
(Matt.10:28; 25:46, Mark 9:43-48, Luke 16:19-31, John 5:28-29; 11:25-26, 2 Corinth. 5:8, Philippians 1:23; 3:21, Hebrews 9:27, Revel. 20:11-15)
Article: OF THE GRACE OF GIVING
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated wilfully to give back a portion to the Lord. As every believer has an obligation to support his local church financially, the Scriptural method of financing God's work of spreading the Gospel is by the tithes and offerings of His people. The place to tithe is the local church, and the time to tithe is upon the first day of the week. Everyone is accountable to the Lord for one tenth of his income. Any additional amounts (above the tithe) given to the church, or towards other Christian works, and where those finances are directed is left as an individual matter between every believer and God. This divine method of "proportional giving" (tithing) was practised before the law, dictated during the law, and continued by Christ in the New Testament. (Genesis 14:20; 28:22, Leviticus 27:30-32, Deuteronomy 12:5-6,11-14, Proverbs 3:9-10, Malachi 3:8-11, Matthew 23:23, Luke 6:38, 1 Corinthians.16:1-2, 2 Corinthians 9:6-13, Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 5:17-18)
Article: OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home; 2) the church; and 3) the government. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the government are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. Civil officers should be prayed for and conscientiously honoured and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of Kings. (Proverbs 8:15, Acts 5:29; 4:19-20, Romans 13:1-7, Ephesians 5:22-24, 1 Timothy 2:1,2, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 2:9-20)
Article: OF ABORTION
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortion of pregnancies is acceptable.
(Luke 1:44, Job 3:16, Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16, Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5, Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18)
Article: OF LAWSUITS BETWEEN BELIEVERS
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Corinthians.6:1-8, Ephesians.4:31-32)
Article: OF THE PLAN OF SALVATION
1. You need to be saved;
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans.3:23)
2. You can't save yourself;
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus.3:5)
3. God has provided for your salvation;
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25)
4. Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation;
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)
5. God wants to save you;
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
6. God can save you now;
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
