Our Statement of Faith

Paragraph I - Of the Scripture
We believe that the Bible is the inerrant product of Spirit controlled men and is verbally and plenarily inspired of God in the original autographs (2 Pet. 1:12-21; 2 Tim. 3:16). That is, every part of the Bible in its minute grammatical structure, is considered to be the correct product of the mind of God to man, regardless of the subject matter under consideration.

Paragraph II- Of the True God
We believe in the one triune God: who is personal, spirit, and sovereign (Mk, 12:29; Jn. 4:24; 14:9; Ps. 135:6); who is perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness, love, wisdom, and power (Ps. 18:30; 147:5; Deut. 33:27); who is absolutely separate and above the world as its Creator who is everywhere present in the world as the Upholder of all things (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 104); who is self-existent and self-revealing in three distinct Persons--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 5:26; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14), each of whom is to be honored and worshipped equally as true God (Jn. 5:23; Acts 5:3-4).

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ: who is the Second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word and Only begotten Son, our great God and Saviour (John 1:1; 3:16; Titus 2:13; Rom. 9:5); who is without any essential change in His divine Person thus to continue forever as both true God and Man, one Person with two natures (col. 2:9; Rev. 22:16); and as Man, He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15; Jn. 8:46); that as the perfect Lamb of God, He gave Himself in death upon the Cross bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead (Isa. 53:5-6; Matt. 20:28; Gal. 3:13; John 1:29); that He rose again from the dead and was glorified in the same body in which He suffered and died (Lk. 24:36-43; John 20:25-28); and as our great High Priest He ascended into heaven, there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor (Heb. 4:14, 9:24;I John 2:1).

We believe in the Holy Spirit: who is the Third Person of the Triune God (Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3-4) the divine Agent in nature, revelation and redemption (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 104:30; I Cor. 2:10; II Cor. 3:18), convicts the world of sin (Jn. 16:8-11), regenerates those who believe (Jn. 3:5), and indwells, baptizes, seals, empowers, guides, teaches, and sanctifies all who become children of God through Christ (I Cor. 6:19; 12:13; Eph. 4:30;3:16; Rom. 8:14; John 14:26; I Cor. 6:11).

Paragraph III - Of the Devil, or Satan
We believe in the existence of Satan: who originally was created a holy and perfect being but through pride and unlawful ambition rebelled against God (Ezek. 28:13-17; Is. 14:13-14; I Tim. 3:7) thus becoming utterly depraved in character (John 8:44), the great Adversary of God and His people (Matt. 4:1-11; Rev. 12:10), leader of all other evil angels and spirits (Matt. 12:24-26, 25:41) the deceiver and god of this present world (Rev. 12:9; II Cor. 4:4); that his powers are supernaturally great, but strictly limited by the permissive will of God, who overrules all his wicked devices for good (Job 1:1-22; Lk. 22:31-32); therefore, his final doom is certain (Jn. 12:31-32, 16:11; Rev. 20:10); that we are able to resist and overcome him only in the armor of God and by the Blood of the Lamb (Eph. 6:12-18; Rev. 12:11).

Paragraph IV - Of the Creation and Fall of Man
We believe in the Creation and fall of man: that he was the direct creation of God, in spirit, in soul, and body, not in any sense the product of an animal ancestry, but made in the divine image (Gen. 1:26-28; 2:7 and 18-24; Matt. 19:4; I Thess. 5:23); that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature and the progenitor of a fallen race (Gen. 3:1-24, 5:3) and is universally sinful in both nature and practice (Eph. 2:3; Rom. 3:23; 5:12), alienated from the life and family of God (Eph. 4:18; John 8:42-44), under the righteous judgment and wrath of God (Rom. 1:18, 3:19), having within themselves no possible means of recovery or salvation (Mk. 7:21-23; Matt. 19:26; Rom. 7:18).

Paragraph V - Of the Atonement for Sin
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and rose again for our justification; and that all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood, and are saved by grace through faith, wholly apart from human merit and works.

Paragraph VI - Of Salvation by Grace
We believe that faith in the Person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation from sin, and that this salvation is wholly by grace. No works, however good, make that salvation more secure (Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; Rom. 19:9-13).

We believe that all who take Christ as their Saviour are born from above and are eternally secure in Christ (John 19:28-29; Rom. 8:35-39; Phil. 1:6).

A Christian through sin can lose fellowship, joy, power, testimony, and reward, thus incurring the Father's chastisement. One's relationship is eternal, being established by the New Birth. Fellowship, however, is dependent upon the degree of the believer's obedience to the Word and will of God (I Cor, 3:11-17; Heb. 12:5-11; I Cor. 11:30-32).

Paragraph VII - Of the Church
We believe that the Church universal is a New Testament institution; that it was unknown to the Old Testament prophets; that it was established by Jesus Christ, who was its sole Head; that it was revealed through the holy Apostles; that it was empowered and is perpetuated by the Holy Spirit; that it was and is composed of believers in Jesus Christ as Saviour (both Jews and Gentile), who were called out from the world and indwelt by the Holy Spirit; that it is His "body" for service and His "bride" for glory. It, the church, began with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and will be complete when caught up in the clouds at the coming of Christ at the rapture (Matt. 16:18; Acts 1:8; 2:1-3, 41-47; Rom. 16:26).

We believe that the Church universal is manifest through the local Church. The local Church is a congregation of immersed believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; that it is observing the ordinances of Christ; that it is governed by His laws; that it is exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in it by His word, that its officers are bishops or pastors or deacons; that it has absolute right of self-government directed by the Holy Spirit and it is answerable only to Christ; and that in all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local church is final (Matt. 18:15-17; I Cor. 1:2; 6:4-5; 7:17; 11:16; I Tim 3:15).

Paragraph VIII - Of the Ordinances
We believe that there are two church ordinances-- Baptism and The Lord's Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water and is properly called "Believers Baptism." It sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour. Its effect symbolizes in our lives the death to sin and resurrection to new life. Water baptism after salvation is a command from Jesus Christ, and obedience to it evidences the desire in the heart of a new believer to walk in full agreement with the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Child of God who neglects this ordinance is walking in disobedience to the clear doctrine of the Word of God (I Cor. 11:23-32; Acts 8:36-39).The Lord's Supper is the commemoration of our Lord's death until He comes and our continual fellowship with Him. It should be preceded by careful self- examination (Acts 8:36-39; Rom. 6:3-5; I Cor. 11:23-32).

Paragraph IX - Of the Righteous and Wicked
We believe there is a radical difference between the righteous and the wicked. Those who receive Jesus Christ by personal faith are justified and sanctified through the Spirit of God. Positionally speaking, born-again believers in Christ are truly righteous from God's perspective. All those who neglect or refuse to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour are viewed as wicked in the sight of God. Unbelieving persons, however relatively good they appear among men, are abiding under the wrath of God. At death believers are absent from the body and present with the Lord. Unbelievers, at death are placed in hades to await their final condemnation at the Great White Throne Judgment. The saved are guaranteed by the Word of God, eternal life consisting of joy, happiness, glory, and the everlasting kindness and watchcare of God. The unsaved are guaranteed, by the same Holy Scriptures, everlasting conscious suffering and separation from God. (Eph. 1:3-8; II Cor. 5:1-9; Rev. 20:5-15; Matt. 25:34-41).

Paragraph X - Of the Return of Christ
We believe in the bodily, personal, pretribulational, and the premillennial return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (I Thess. 5:9-11; I Thess. 1:10; II Thess. 2:1-8; Rev. 3:10; Lk. 21:36; Titus 2:13; Rev. 4:4).

Paragraph XI - Of the Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead; that believers who sleep in Jesus will be raised at the coming of Christ for His church and caught up with transformed living saints to meet the Lord in the air; and, that the wicked dead will be raised at the close of the Millennial Kingdom and stand in their bodies at the Great White Throne Judgment to receive their final doom (Jn. 5:21-30; I Thess. 4:16; Rev. 7:9-17; 20:11-15).

We understand that the above paragraphs do not by any means exhaust the content of our creed which is the whole Word of God, and they are not intended to set a limit beyond which faith cannot go within this Word. But we do believe that in so far as these paragraphs extend, they are a true presentation of the sound doctrine taught in the Scriptures, and therefore binding upon us as Christian believers.