Our Doctrinal Statement
Section 1: The Scriptures.
We believe that the Holy Bible as originally written was verbally and plenary inspired and the product of Spirit controlled men, and therefore is truth without any admixture of error for its matter. We believe the Bible to be the centre of true Christian unity and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions shall be tried. We believe they are most accurately available in the English language in the Authorised Version of the Bible.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.)
Section 2: The True God.
We believe there is one and only one living and true God, an infinite, sovereign Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honour, confidence and love; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
(Exodus 20:2-3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11.)
Section 3: The Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world He restrains the evil one until God’s purpose is fulfilled; that He convicts of sin; of righteousness, and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the agent in the New Birth; that He baptises, seals and indwells every believer at the moment of salvation. That He, endues guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer. The gift of tongues and healing were “sign gifts” which fulfilled their purpose in the first century, at which time these gifts ceased.
(John 14:16-17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26 Luke 1:35 Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11 Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5-6; Ephesians 1:13-14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Romans 8:14; Hebrews 2:4; 1 Corinthians 13:8.)
Section 4: The Devil, or Satan.
We believe in the personality of Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, and the ruler of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the Lake of Fire.
(Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10.)
Section 5: Creation.
We believe the Genesis account of creation as being neither allegory or myth, but a literal, historical account of the direct, immediate creative acts of God without any evolutionary process; that man, spirit, soul and body, was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing life forms; and that all men are descended from the historical Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race.
(Genesis 1 & 2; Colossians 1:16-17; John 1:3.)
Section 6: The Fall of Man.
We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker; but by voluntary transgression Adam fell from this sinless and happy state, and all men sinned in him, in consequence of which all men are totally depraved, are partakers of Adam’s fallen nature and are sinners by nature and by conduct; and therefore are under just condemnation without defence or excuse.
(Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 5:12 & 19; Romans 1:18 & 32.)
Section 7: The Virgin Birth.
We believe that Jesus Christ, though eternal and without beginning or end, was begotten in human form of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, as no other man ever born or can ever be born of woman and that He is both the Son of God and God the Son.
(Revelation 1:11, John 1:1-14; Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:8.)
Section 8: The Atonement for Sin.
We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated and wholly of grace through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who, by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Himself our nature, yet without sin, honoured the divine law by His personal obedience and by His death made a full and vicarious atonement for our sins, and not for ours only but for the whole world; that His atonement consisted not in setting us an example by His death as a martyr, but was a voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner’s place, the Just dying for the unjust, Christ, the Lord, bearing our sin in His own body on the tree.
(Jonah 2:9; Ephesians 2:8; Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24; John 3:16; Matthew 18:11; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 2:14; Isaiah 53:4-7; 1 John 2:2, 4:10; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21.)
Section 9: The Resurrection and Priesthood.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, in His ascension into heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father as our Great High Priest.
(Matthew 28:6-7; Luke 24:39; John 20:27; 1 Corinthians 15:14; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:2-6; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 3:21; Hebrews 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1; Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 5:9 & 19.)
Section 10: The New Birth.
We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God.
(John 1:12, 13; 3:3-16; Acts 16:31; Eph2:8-9; Gal 3:26.)
Section 11: Justification.
We believe that justification is the judicial act of God whereby He declares us to be righteous through faith in Christ Jesus; that justification includes pardon from sin and the imputation of God’s righteousness; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done, but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood.
(Acts 13:39; Isaiah 15:11; Zechariah 13:1; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Romans 5:1, 5 & 9; 8:1.)
Section 12: Repentance.
We believe that repentance is a change of mind and purpose away from sin and toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit; that it is characterised by godly sorrow for sin as offensive to God and ruinous to the soul; and that true repentance is inseparably related to true faith.
(Luke 13:1-3; Acts 8:22; Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Acts 20:21.)
Section 13: Faith and the Way of Salvation.
We believe that the clear message of salvation is “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). We believe that salvation is “by grace” plus nothing minus nothing. We believe that men are justified by faith alone and are accounted righteous before God only through the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who suffered for our sins, died and rose again on the third day.
(Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; I Peter 1:18-19).
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that eternal life is the present possession of every believer
(John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4-5; Jude 1, 2). Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:11-12.
Section 14: Sanctification.
We believe that sanctification is the divine setting apart of the believer unto God accomplished in a three fold manner; first, an eternal act of God, based upon redemption in Christ, establishing the believer in a position of holiness at the moment he trusts the Saviour; second, a continuing process in the saint as the Holy Spirit applies the Word of God to the life; third, the final accomplishment of the Lord’s return when the saint is glorified and perfected forever.
(Hebrews 10:10-14; 3:1; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; 5:23-24; 1 John 3:2; Jude 24-25; Revelation 22:11.)
Section 15: Adoption.
We believe that adoption is the gracious act whereby the Father, for the sake of Christ, places new believers into the honoured position of mature sons, in contrast with regeneration whereby the believer receives the nature of God and becomes a child of God. The full benefit of the position accorded by adoption as the sons of God awaits the glorification of the believer at the coming of the Lord.
(Ephesians 1:5 & 13-14; Galatians 4:1-7; 1 John 3:1-2.)
Section 16: The Security of the Saints.
We believe that all who are truly born again are kept by the Father for Jesus Christ. That one who has been truly saved can never be lost.
(Philippians 1:6; John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39; Jude)
Section 17: The Church.
We believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the body of Christ, which was established on the Day of Pentecost and will be taken up at the Rapture. Both Jews and Gentiles are added to this Church by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that this Church is manifested through the local Church which is a congregation of immersed believers associated by covenant of faith and fellowship in the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word; and that its Scriptural officers are Pastors and Deacons, whose qualification, claims and duties are clearly defined in Scripture. We believe the mission of the Church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity.
We hold that the local Church has the absolute right to self government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organisations; that the one and only superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is Scriptural for true churches to co-operate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel; that each local Church is sole judge of the measure and method of its co-operation and that on all matters of policy, government, discipline, and benevolence, the will of the local Church is final. In matters relating to civil government please see Section 20. (Ephesians 1: 22-23; 3:1-6; 4:1; 5:23-24; 1 Corinthians 11:2; 12:12-13; Acts 2:41-42; 15:13-18; 20:17-28; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3:1-7.)
Section 18: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, under the authority of the local Church, to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Saviour, through Whom we have died to sin and risen to new life; that baptism is not required for salvation but is a prerequisite to the privileges of Church membership.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should be preceded always by solemn self examination. We believe that the Biblical order of the ordinances is baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and that participants should be immersed believers.
(Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-39; John 3:23; Romans 6:3-5; Matthew 3:16; 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28.)
Section 19: Separation.
We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate entirely from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy unto God.
(2 Corinthians 6:14; 7:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; Romans 16:17; 1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 John 9-11.)
Section 20: Civil Government.
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and the coming King of kings.
(Romans 13:1-7; 2 Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; 4:19-20; Daniel 3:17- 18.)
Section 21: Israel.
We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal, covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ and that she will be regathered in the Holy Land and after the completion of the Church, will be saved as a nation at the second advent of Christ.
Genesis 13:14-17; Romans 11:1-32; Ezekiel 37.
Section 22: Eschatology.
We believe in the imminent, personal, pretribulational and premillennial return of Christ for His Church. At that moment the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies and the living in Christ shall be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air before the “seventieth week” of Daniel.
(1 Corinthians 15:42-44; 51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 3:10.)
We believe that the Great Tribulation, which follows the Rapture of the Church, will be culminated by the revelation of Christ in power and great glory to establish His literal, earthly, millennial reign and to sit upon the throne of David in Jerusalem. During this time Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. We believe the Millennial reign will end with a final rebellion by Satan when he gathers followers from around the world. This rebellion will be put down instantly and completely by Christ.
We believe the Millennial Kingdom will be followed by the present Heavens and Earth being destroyed with a fervent heat and the creation by God of a New Heavens and New Earth. This signals the end of time as the saints of all ages continue into eternal fellowship with God.
(Daniel 9:25-27; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 1:30-33; Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1-9; Acts 2:29-30; Revelation 20; 2 Peter 3:10-12; Revelation 21-22)
Section 23: The Righteous and the Wicked.
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only those who are justified by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of God are truly righteous in His esteem; while all such as continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked and under the curse; and this distinction holds among men both in life and after death. We believe in the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost in the Lake of Fire.
(Malachi 3:18; Genesis 18:23; Romans 6:17-18; 7:6; Proverbs 14:32; 1 John 5:19; Luke 16:25; Matthew 25:34-41; John 8:21; Revelation 20:14-15.)