What We Believe
ABOUT GOD
We believe in one God, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy
6:4; II Corinthians 13:14; John 1:1)
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was the only-begotten son
of the Father, and is truly God and truly man. He was born of
the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died a vicarious and atoning
death for the sins of the world, resurrected bodily for our justification,
and now reigns in Glory until all things be put under His feet. (I
Timothy 3:16)
ABOUT SCRIPTURE
We believe in the absolute inspiration of the Holy Scriptures in
their original autographs, given by the Holy Spirit without error
as He moved upon holy men of old. Furthermore, we believe that
the church has no authority to establish doctrine or practice contrary
to these same scriptures which were subsequently accepted as Canon
by the early Christian Church. (II Timothy 3:16)
ABOUT MAN
We believe that man was made in the image of God and is the crown
of creation. He is now, by reason of "the fall", spiritually
alienated from his Creator. Apart from God's grace he has no
ability to attain to this high calling. (Psalm 8; Ephesians
2:8-9) We believe that justification is by grace through faith in
our Lord's sacrifice on Calvary. (Romans 3:21-24)
We believe that all people are to repent and be buried with our
Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of baptism. (Matthew 28:19;
Acts 2:38; Romans 6:4; II Peter 3:9)
We believe that the baptism in the Holy Sprit is an endowment of
power given by God to anoint the believer for sanctification and
evangelism. It is our understanding that the supernatural gifts
of the Holy Spirit are active within the body of Christ until the
coming of the Lord. Furthermore, we believe that the development
of these gifts ought to be encouraged under the guidance of local
church authority. (Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:1-2; I Corinthians 12:4-7)
We believe that those who are called by the name of Christ should
depart from iniquity, understanding that salvation from the penalty
of sin only begins the process of redemption. We acknowledge
that one work of the Holy Spirit is to create in us the character
of Christ. (II Timothy 2:19)
ABOUT THE CHURCH
We believe in the Priesthood of the believer. That is to say
all people born of God have equal status before God and direct access
to their Lord. (I Peter 2:5) We believe the identity of the
body of Christ on the earth is primarily perceived through the local
church. While encouraging the voluntary association of local
churches, and recognizing the need of consensus on matters of fundamental
doctrine and conduct, we strongly confess the local church to be
sovereign and autonomous. (Revelation 2, 3)
We believe that the callings of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor
and Teacher are functional within the body of Christ until the Lord's
return. Furthermore, these ministries are gifts to the church
for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry,
that the body of Christ may be edified. (Ephesians 4:11-16)
ABOUT THE KINGDOM
We believe in the literal second coming of our Lord, the literal
rule of Christ upon the earth, the resurrection of the regenerate
to eternal life and the unregenerate to eternal damnation, and the
ultimate victory of the eternal kingdom of God. (Acts 1:9-11;
Daniel 12:2; Revelation 22:1-7) |