The Godhead: God is one Spirit Who eternally
manifests Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father
is the Source of all things; the Son is the Creator and Redeemer;
the Holy Spirit is the agent of all life both in the creation
of the world and in the regeneration of the sinner (Matt. 3:16
17; John 4:24; Eph. 4:4 6; 1 Cor. 15; Col. 1).
The Scriptures: The Scriptures in their entirety
are the very words of God. They are Divine; they are infallible
and inerrant in the original manuscripts (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess.
2:13; 2 Peter 1:21).
Man's Fall and Redemption: Man is a created
being, made in the image of God, but through Adam's transgression
and fall, sin entered the world (Rom. 5:14; Rom. 3:10; Rom.
3:23; 1 John 3:8). Consequently, all men are sinners by nature
and by choice and are guilty before God (Eph. 2:3; Rom. 5:12;
Is. 53:6; John 3:36; Rom 3:10, 23; Gal. 3:10). Jesus was sent
to redeem man from God's punishment for sin, from the power
of sin and from the curse of the law. In redemption, through
Jesus' death on the cross, man is restored to right relationship
with God. Those who are “in Christ” are born of
God (John 1:13), are called “sons of God” (1 John
3:1), receive eternal life (John 3:16), and are joint heirs
with Christ (Rom 8:17; Gal. 4:7). They are washed, sanctified
and justified (1 Cor. 6:11). They have peace with God (Rom.
5:1) and are reconciled to God (Rom. 5:10). They are the temples
of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19; Acts 2). They receive forgiveness
of sins (Col. 1:14), are dead to sin (Rom. 6:11), and are redeemed
from the presence and power of iniquity (Tit. 2:14).
Hell and Eternal Punishment: Those who reject
Christ are already dead spiritually, and have only to look forward
to physical death, as well as the second death (the lake of
fire). The abode of the wicked after death is a place of everlasting
fire and punishment. In that place the wicked are tormented
“for ever and ever” as punishment (Matt. 3:12; 25:30,
41, 46; 2 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 19:20).
Repentance: Repentance is a gift from God.
Repentance is dependant upon the convicting work of the Holy
Spirit in the lives of men. The conviction of the Holy Spirit,
which often accompanies the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, will result in the revelation of the sinfulness of self
which should lead to godly sorrow. Repentance is a total change
of heart, mind, attitude, emotions, will, action and lifestyle
flowing from the Holy Spirit's conviction of sin. True repentance
will lead to a changed life (2 Cor. 7:10; Psalm 51; Acts 11:18;
2 Tim. 2:25; Gen. 6:3; Rom. 1:18 32; Matt. 9:12 13).
Sanctification and Christian Maturity: The
Christian has been set apart to God, and by His grace should
live in a manner that is distinctly different from the world.
The believer is set free from sin (Rom 6:18), he is a new creation
(2 Cor. 5:17), and he is dead to sin (Rom. 6:2; 1 Pet. 2:24).
Sanctified is what the
believer is; mature is what he is to become (Eph. 4:13).
The Church: The church is a living organism
with each of its members in vital relationship to the others,
all partaking of a common life (1 Cor. 12). Within the universal
church, each local body has Christ as its head, and consists
of born again believers, gathered together by the Holy Spirit
for the purpose of fellowship, worship, observance of the ordinances,
propagation of the gospel, and the teaching of the Word of God,
all in accordance with the biblical revelation.
Ordinances: We believe in several New Testament
ordinances: water baptism by immersion, the communion of the
bread and cup, and the “love feast” (Matt. 28:19;
1 Cor. 11:20-34).
Church Discipline: We believe in church discipline
administered within the local church in a spirit of meekness
and confidentiality. The purpose of such discipline is to maintain
the wellbeing of the church which is a living organism, with
its members in vital relationship to one another; to preserve
the purity of the church's testimony, doctrine and practice;
and to lead the sinning member to repentance and restoration
to fellowship in the body. There are four degrees of discipline.
The first is private admonition. The second is public reprimand.
The third is withdrawal of fellowship. The last is excommunication
of the member (Matt. 18:15 17; Gal. 6:1; Rom. 16:17; 2 John
9 11; 1 Cor. 5; 2 Cor. 2:1 11, 7:8 13; 1 Tim. 5:20; 2 Thess.
3:6 15; 1 Tim. 1:19 20; 2 Tim. 2:17 18; Tit. 3:10 11; 2 John;
3 John).
The 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 and is received subsequent to
the new birth (Matt. 3:11; John 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38,
39; Acts 19:1 7; Acts 2:4).
The Return of the Lord: The Lord Jesus Christ
will literally, personally, visibly and bodily return to the
earth. No one knows the time of His return. (Matt. 24:36).
