Doctrinal Statement

OUR CORE BELIEFS

From the time of the Apostles all the way up until today, Christians have laid out doctrine (beliefs) in brief, definitive statements. As those who know God, we believe it necessary to set forth in a concise fashion the cornerstone truths of our church as guided by Scripture. Our Statement of Faith summarizes essential Christian beliefs, shows unity in Christ, and guards the church from error.

THE SCRIPTURES

We believe the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments to be the full record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. Different men, while writing according to their own styles and personalities, were supernaturally moved along by the Holy Spirit to record God’s very words, inerrant in the original writings. Therefore, those applying themselves to study its literal, historical- grammatical context can accurately understand God’s Word. Scripture is fully trustworthy as our final and sufficient authority for all of life (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

THE TRIUNE GOD

We believe in the one true and living God, eternally existing in perfect unity as three equally and fully divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each member of the Godhead, while executing distinct but complementary roles in redemptive history, has precisely the same nature, attributes, and being, and is equally worthy of the same glory and honour and obedience (John 17:3; Matthew 28:19-20; John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4).

GOD THE FATHER

We believe God the Father created all things for His own glory according to His own will, through His Son, Jesus Christ. He upholds all things by the Word of His power and grace, exercising sovereign headship over all creation, providence, and redemption (Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:1-3).

GOD THE SON

We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, 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. He, being fully God and fully man, 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 arose visibly and bodily from the dead three days later and ascended into heaven, where, at the Father’s right hand, He is now Head of His Body the Church, the only Saviour and Mediator between God and man, and the Supreme Judge who will return to earth in power and glory to consummate His redemptive mission (John 1:1, 14, 18; John 14:8-9; 1 Timothy 3:16; Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25-26; 1 John 2:1).

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ during this age. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He draws the unredeemed to repentance and faith, and at salvation imparts new spiritual life to the believer, bringing that person into union with Christ and the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies, seals, fills, guides, instructs, comforts, equips, empowers, permanently indwells at salvation, and bestows spiritual gifts to the believer for Christ-like living and service (John 16:8; 13:15; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:22; 4:11-12; Romans 8:9-17; 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4-5, 11-13; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 2:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).

MANKIND

We believe that God created mankind—male and female—in His own image and likeness, free of sin, to glorify Himself and enjoy His fellowship. Tempted by Satan but in the sovereign plan of God, man freely chose to disobey God, bringing sin, death and condemnation to all mankind. All human beings therefore, are totally depraved sinners by nature and by choice. Alienated from God without defense or excuse and subject to God’s righteous wrath, all of mankind is in desperate need of the Saviour (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 3:10-19; Romans 1:18, 32).

SALVATION

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as the substitutionary atonement in our place, and that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ. Before creation, God chose those who would be saved and granted this unearned grace solely based on His sovereign good pleasure, though this sovereign choice does not in any way negate man’s responsibility to respond to the Gospel. For each person that turns from sin in repentance and places his or her faith in Christ alone by grace alone, Christ’s death on the cross is the sole and complete payment for their sins, fully satisfying God’s righteous wrath. At salvation each person is made a new creation by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous before God, and secured as an adopted child of God forever. Genuine faith continues in obedience and love for Jesus Christ with a life eager to glorify God and persevere to the end (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; 1 John 2:4-6; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

THE CHURCH

We believe that upon placing one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, the believer is made part of the Body of Christ, the one universal Church, of which Jesus Christ is the Head. The Scriptures command believers to gather locally in order to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, fellowship, the ordinances of baptism and communion, service to the local body through the development and use of talents and spiritual gifts, and outreach to the world to make disciples. Wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the Church under the watchful care of a plurality of elders. A church’s members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Acts 2:42-46; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 4:16).

BAPTISM AND COMMUNION

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe in Christian baptism administered in water into the name of the Triune God. We believe in the Lord’s Supper as instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

MISSIONS

We believe it is the aim, duty, and privilege of every believer and local church fellowship to glorify God by responding as active participants in the Great Commission call of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples of all nations. We believe the primary focus and priority of this call is centered on efforts that establish, strengthen, and reproduce biblically-based churches, which will then plant churches that plant churches for future generations and God’s glory (Matthew 28:18-20).

THE INTERMEDIATE STATE

At death the soul separates from the body. Believers’ souls pass into the conscious blissful presence of God until the resurrection when they will be reunited with their bodies to inherit their eternal reward. Unbelievers’ souls pass into a state of conscious punishment until they are reunited with their bodies to face the final judgment (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Luke 23:43; Luke 16: 24-26).

THINGS TO COME

We believe in and expectantly await the glorious, visible and personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed hope of His return has vital bearing on the personal life, service, and mission of the believer. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The lost will be raised to judgment and consciously experience eternal wrath in the lake of fire. The saved will be raised to eternal joy in the new heaven and new earth in the manifested presence of God (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25-26; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21).