Statement of Belief
WHAT WE BELIEVE
1. The Scriptures
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. The new Covenant, as recorded in the New Testament, we accept as our infallible guide in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).
2. The Godhead
Our God is One but manifested in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, neither being created but infinite and eternal, each being co-equal (Philippians 2:6). God the Father is greater than all, the Source of the Word and the Begetter (John 14:28; 16:28, 1:14). The Son is the word flesh-covered, the One begotten and has existed with the Father from the beginning (John 1:1; 1:18; 1:14). The Holy Spirit proceeds forth from both the Father and the Son (John 15:26).
3. Man, His Fall and Redemption
Man is a created being made in the likeness and image of God. But through Adam’s transgression and fall, sin came into the world. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 5:14; 3:23). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the work of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God (1 John 3:8). Salvation is the gift of God to man, separate from works and the law, and is made operative by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and the confession of Him as Saviour and Lord producing works acceptable to God (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:8-10).
4. Ministry to the Family
The Biblically-modelled family is God’s foundational, social and governmental unit and is to be nourished, served, and preserved as such. Fundamental to this value is the sanctity of marriage, biblical mores, and human life.
5. Forgiveness
If any believer sins, he has an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and therefore, if he confesses his sin, He is faithful and just to forgive him his sin and to cleanse him from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9-2:1).
6. Divine Healing
Healing is for the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by the power of God through the prayer of faith and by the laying on of hands. It is provided for in the atonement of Christ and is the privilege of every member of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ today (Mark 16:18; James 5:14-15; 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53:4-5)
7. Eternal Life and the New Birth
Man’s first step towards salvation is godly sorrow that works repentance. The New Birth is necessary to all men and when fulfilled produces eternal life (2 Corinthians 7:10; 1 John 5:12, John 3:3-5).
8. Water Baptism
Baptism in water is by immersion, is a direct commandment of our Lord and is for believers only. The ordinance is a symbol of the Christian’s identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection (Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12, Acts 8:36-38). The following recommendation regarding the water baptismal formula is adopted, to wit: “On the confession of your faith in Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and by His authority, I baptise you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
9. Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers in this dispensation and is received subsequent to the New Birth. The experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit Himself gives utterance (Matthew 3:11, John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 2:4, 38-39; 19:1-7).
10. Sanctification
The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in the doctrine of sanctification as a definite yet progressive work of grace commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation (Hebrews 12:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Corinthians 3:18, Philippians 3:12-14; 1 Corinthians 1:30).
11. The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ
“He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that His soul was not left in hell neither His flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up …” Christ did truly rise again from the dead and ascended into Heaven and is seated at the Father’s right hand where “he ever liveth to make intercession” for all believers (Acts 2:31-32; Ephesians 1:20; Hebrews 7:25).
12. The Resurrection of the Just and the Return of Our Lord
The angels said, “This same Jesus shall so come in like manner”. His coming is Imminent. When he comes, “the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air …” (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Following the Great Tribulation, He will return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords and together with His saints, who shall be kings and priests, He shall reign a thousand years (Revelation 20:6).
13. Hell and Eternal Retribution
The one who physically dies in his sin without Christ is hopelessly and eternally lost in the Lake of Fire and, therefore, has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or repenting. The Lake of Fire is literal. The terms “eternal” and “everlasting” used in describing the duration of the punishment of the damned in the Lake of Fire carry the same thought and meaning of endless existence as used in denoting the duration of joy and ecstasy of saints in the presence of God (Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15).