What we Believe
The Scriptures
We believe that the Holy Bible is the perfect revelation of God to man. It is composed of the 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. It is the only divinely inspired book and the only source, rule, and final authority of our faith and works. It is the only infallible book of God, without error in every word, the perfect, sufficient, safe, and right guide for every aspect of our spiritual faith, life, difficulty, and question.
(Matt. 5:18,19; Acts 1:16, 4:25; I Cor. 2:13; II Tim. 3:16,17; I Pet. 1:10,11; II Pet. 1:19-21; Rev. 22:18,19)
The Triune God
We believe in the one living and true God who is self-existing, without beginning, eternal, unchangeable, sovereign, perfect in his holiness, in his glory, in his power, infinite in his wisdom, his righteousness, goodness, and truthfulness. We believe and worship one God, the Creator of all things. We believe in the unity of the divinity and in the mystery of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, being of one substance and equal in glory.
(Matt. 28:19,20; John 14:1, 23, 17:3; II Cor. 13:13; Eph. 1:3-14; Col. 1:12-17; I Thess. 3:11; II Thess. 1:2, 2:16,17)
God the Father
We believe that God the Father created all things in six days through his Son, Jesus Christ, according to his will and for his glory. He upholds all things by the word of his power and grace, exercising divine providence and sovereign headship over all creation. He demonstrated his deep love for the world by sending his only Son to offer salvation to humanity.
John 3:16-17; 6:27; 10:29-30; 17:3; Romans 1:7; 5:8; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 4:11
God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, moved by love in accordance with the will of the Father, took on human flesh. Conceived through the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit, he was born of the virgin Mary. Being fully God and fully man, he lived a sinless life and sacrificially shed his blood and died on the cross in our place, accomplishing redemption for all who place their faith in him. He rose visibly and bodily from the dead on the third day and, after being seen by many witnesses, ascended into heaven. He now sits at the Father’s right hand, head of his body the Church, the only Saviour and Mediator between God and humanity, and will one day return to earth in power and glory to consummate his redemptive mission.
John 1:1-4, 18; John 14:8-11; Colossians 1:15-20; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:17-18; Revelation 19:11-16
God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all he does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ during this age. He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He draws the unredeemed to repentance and faith, and at salvation imparts new life to the believer, bringing the convert into union with Christ and his body, his Church. The Holy Spirit baptizes and permanently indwells at salvation, seals, sanctifies, fills, guides, instructs, comforts, equips, empowers, produces fruit as evidence of
genuine faith, and confers spiritual gifts for service in the life of the believer.
John 16:8, 13-15; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4; Romans 8:9-17; 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 3:16; 6:19-20; 12:4-13; Galatians 5:16-25; Titus 3:5
Humanity
We believe that God created humanity—male and female—in his own image and likeness, free of sin, to glorify himself and to enjoy an intimate, personal, and unhindered relationship with him. Tempted by Satan, yet within the sovereign plan of God, the first man and woman freely chose to disobey God, bringing upon all people the curse of sin and death. All human beings, therefore, are sinful by nature, rebellious by choice, and under the influence of a sin-marred world and the evil one himself. Every person is alienated from God without defense or excuse, subject to his righteous wrath, and in desperate need of the Saviour to reverse the curse and restore their relationship with the Father.
Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-6; Psalm 139:13-16; Romans 1:18-20; 3:10-19, 23; 5:12, 18-19; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 2:10; 1 John 2:15-17
Salvation
We believe that man is by nature sinful and separated from God so that he cannot inherit the kingdom of God by his own works, but only through regeneration which comes through the actions of the Holy Spirit and the atoning death of Jesus Christ. We believe also that man can be reconciled with God only by faith accepting the sacrificial work which Christ has performed on the cross through which man’s sins are cleansed with the blood of Christ, man becomes a son of God and partaker of the Sacred nature.
(Jer. 17:9; Mark 7:20-24; John 1:12; Rom 3:9-28, 5:1-9,12; II Cor. 5:18-20; Eph. 2:3,8-9; Heb. 9:12,16,22; I Pet. 2:18-19, 3:8; I John 1:7; Rev. 1:5)
The Church
We believe that upon placing faith in the Lord Jesus, the believer is made part of the body of Christ, the one universal Church, of which Christ is the head. Additionally, believers are to assemble together for worship, prayer, teaching, fellowship, to practice the ordinances of believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Table, to serve one another through the use of spiritual gifts, and to carry out the mission to make disciples. The local church is to be led and protected by a plurality of elders who shepherd and oversee members working together in humility, love, and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 11:17-29; 12:7; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-16; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 10:24-25; 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-5
Things to Come
We believe in and expectantly await the glorious, visible, imminent, and victorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed hope of his second coming and the culmination of God’s redemptive plan for creation and humanity have vital bearing on the believer, producing an inward assurance of salvation and an outward zeal for service and mission. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The lost will be raised to judgment and experience eternal wrath in hell. The saved will be raised to eternal joy in the new heaven and new earth in the presence of God forever.
Daniel 7:9-14; 12:1-4; Matthew 10:28; 25:31-46; Luke 12:35-40; 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Revelation 19:11-16; 21:1-8; 22:1-7