Our Faith - What We Believe
THE BIBLE:
We believe that the Bible is the revealed Word of God, fully and verbally inspired, written under the direction of the Holy Spirit. We believe it is without error in the original manuscripts and is true and trustworthy in all that it asserts. It has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21.
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THE TRINITY:
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
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1. GOD THE FATHER – We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He Saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
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2. GOD THE SON – We believe in Jesus Christ, existing eternally as God’s Son. In His incarnation He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, led a sinless life, performed miracles and taught with authority. We believe in his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal visible return to earth.
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3. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT – We believe in the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and regenerates, sanctifies and empowers all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, comforter, and guide.
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ANGELS:
We believe that angels are a distinct order of created spiritual beings; that they can appear in human form; that good angels minister to human beings and serve God as special messengers; that Satan, a fallen angel, and his evil angels whom he leads, exercise great but limited evil power in the world, and will be cast in the lake of fire for ever and ever.
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HUMANITY:
We believe that Adam and Eve were created by God and in His own image, and they experienced perfect relationship with their Creator and were appointed stewards of God's originally good creation. We believe they sinned by choosing to disobey God and thereby brought death to the human race.
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REGENERATION:
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel and repent. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust Jesus Christ as Saviour are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is by grace and not of works, a gift of God to all who believe.
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THE CHURCH:
We believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a community of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized after their profession of faith. We believe that the mission of the church is to bring the good news of Jesus Christ into our lost world.
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CHRISTIAN LIVING:
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God, and in a manner worthy of their calling and should conduct themselves blameless before the world. Christians should be faithful stewards and use their gifts for the glory of God and edification of other believers. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
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FUTURE THINGS:
We believe in the personal, visible, and glorious bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth to establish His Millennial kingdom. We believe in the bodily resurrection of believers and unbelievers; in the eternal joy of the believer in the presence of God, and in the judgment and endless suffering of the unbeliever in Hell.
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ORDINANCES:
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
A) Baptism, is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism identifies the believer with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
B) The Lord’s Supper, which is done in remembrance of Christ’s death; the believer partakes of the two elements, the bread and wine. The two elements symbolize the Lord’s body (the bread) and His blood shed on our behalf (the wine), proclaiming his death until He comes.
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CHURCH AND STATE:
We believe in the separation of church and state.
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THE LORD'S DAY:
We believe that the first day of the week is the Lord' day and that, in a special sense, it is the divinely appointed day for worship and spiritual exercise.