God's Dwelling Place
The Bible is the inspired and only infallible and authoritative written Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). It written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46;John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17
There is only one true God. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Isaiah 45:21, 22; Jeremiah 10:10; john 1:1-13. Acts 5:3,4; 11 Corinthian 13:14)
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:13; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.;7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13
Jesus Christ is God incarnate, the eternal Son of God, the Living Word (John 1:1-14), virgin born through the miraculous conception of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31, 35). He lived a sinless life on earth (Hebrews 7:26, I Peter 2:22), and performed many undeniable miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:22; 10:38). He voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice, reconciling men back unto God, and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone (Romans 5:8-11; I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians 5:21). He rose from the dead on the third day, in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; I Corinthians 15:4). He was exalted and ascended bodily into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, where He, and He alone, is the only mediator between God and man, continually making intercession for those who believe in Him (Acts 1:9, 11; 2:33; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:3). Jesus Christ will come again to the earth, personally, visibly, and bodily to establish His Kingdom. At this time, the dead in Christ shall be resurrected, the believer to eternal joy with the Lord, and the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal suffering (Acts 1:11; I Corinthians 15:51; Hebrews 9:28; I Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 19:20; 20:11-15; 22:6-16; Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48).
The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Jesus Christ and to apply the saving work Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life unto them, seals them until the day of redemption, leads and aides them in a life of holiness unto God not fulfilling the lust of the flesh, and equips them for service and work in God’s Kingdom bearing spiritual fruit unto the glory of God. Every believer is called to live under the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; I Corinthians 12:1-31). With the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39; Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His works (Acts 2:42), a manifestation of the fruit and gifts of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 12:3-9; I Corinthians 12:1-31). He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14
Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image and likeness. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation.
Man was originally created good and upright in the image of God. However, man by voluntary transgression, sinned by disobeying God. Thus he fell from his original innocence, alienated himself from God and experienced not only physical death but also spiritual death whereby his posterity inherits a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. That historic fall brought all men under divine condemnation. Therefore, all men are born into a sin filled world with a sinful nature, totally unable to please God without regeneration, redemption, and renewal (Genesis 1:26, 27; 2:17; 3:6; Romans 3:23; 5:12-19). Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.
Man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God. It is wholly the work of God’s free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works, goodness or religious ceremony (Ephesians 2:4-10). Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ by the regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ according to the hope of eternal life (Luke 24:47; John 3:1-21; Romans 10:13-15; Titus 2:11; 3:5-7).
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. It is the glorious display of God’s sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable.
It is the privilege of all who are born again by the Holy Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment they trust in and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This assurance is not based upon human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the assurance of their salvation according to the testimony of God’s Word (Romans 8:35-39). The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16) and the outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness, true holiness unto God and service. (Ephesians 4:24; Romans 6:1-18; 8:1-9).
Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:6869; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11;16:30-31; 17:30-31; 20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3ff.
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79; 2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication to God (Romans 12:1, 2; I Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12). The Scriptures teach that the goal of believers is to pursue a life of “holiness without which no one can see God” (Hebrews 12:14). Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to be obedient to God’s command: “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (I Peter 1:15, 16). Sanctification is the process whereby we are saved from the power of sin in our lives through a commitment to the spiritual disciplines of prayer, daily devotions and worship, the study of God’s Word, and the fellowship of believers (Romans 6:1-13; Romans 8:1, 2, 13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12; I Peter 1:5).
Angels
We believe the scriptures teach that there is a vast celestial kingdom of spirit beings called Angels, in ages past created holy, glorious, and higher than man; a vast company of various ranks worshiping God, ministering to His glorious Person and to His children.
Psalm 148:2,5; Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6; Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 103:20; 104:4; Daniel 9:21-22; Luke 9:26; Mark 8:38; Daniel 10:13; 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7; Psalm 80:1; 99:1,11; Revelation 4:6-8; Ezekiel 1:4-28; Isaiah 6:1-3; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Psalm 34:7; Acts 12:7-11; II Kings 6:17.
The Devil, or Satan:
We believe that Satan is the instigator of evil and a real spirit being, not simply the personification of evil. He is a fallen angel who, under the sovereign permission of God, has been given temporary rulership of the world; the enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religions, the chief power back of the present apostasy; the lord of the Antichrist. He was utterly defeated at the cross, but the execution of his judgment has been postponed by God until after the Millennial Kingdom when he will be cast into the eternal lake of fire, a place prepared for him and his angels. In the meantime, he deceives the world and seeks to establish his counterfeit kingdom on earth to discredit and blaspheme God and to tempt, accuse, attack and destroy believers. He can be resisted by the believer through faith and reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit (Gen. 3:1-5; Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:11-19; Job 1-2; 1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 11:14; 1 Tim. 3:6; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; James 4:7; Rev. 12:9, Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 7-10). Other references: Jude 6; Ephesians 2:2; II Peter 2:4; John 14:30; I Thessalonians 3:5; Matthew 4:1-3; I Peter 5:8; I John 3:8; Matthew 13:25,37,39; Luke 22:3-4; Revelation 12:10; II Corinthians 11:13-15; Mark 13:21-22; I John 4:3; II John 7; I John 2:22; Revelation 13:13-14; 12:7-9; 19:11,16,20; 20:1-3,10; II Thessalonians 2:8-11; Matthew 25:41.
We believe the scriptures teach that sin is any transgression of or want of conformity to, the revealed will of God; that it has permeated the entire universe, including every realm and affecting every race and species amongst creation; that every man is born with a sin nature, an inherent inclination toward evil which results in acts of wrong-doing; that the wages of sin is death, being separation from God in this life and throughout eternity.
I John 3:4; Numbers 32:23; Isaiah 53:13; Matthew 7:23; 23:28; Romans 6:19; Judges 20:16; Romans 3:23; I Samuel 15:23; Jeremiah 2:25; Luke 19:14; Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 3:14,18; Romans 8:22; 1:18-32; Psalm 51:5; 58:3; John 3:19; James 4:17; Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27; Romans 5:12,14; Ephesians 2:1; 4:8; Matthew 10:23; Revelation 20:15.
The Christian Life
We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself and should, by the power of the indwelling Spirit, allow Christ to manifest His life through him to God’s glory. By ever increasing obedience to the Word of God, each believer should mature and progressively become more like Jesus. In the power of the Spirit, each believer should live a holy life; not fulfill the lusts of the flesh; exercise his spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ; witness for Christ; be personally involved in making disciples to fulfill the great commission; perform good works and bear fruit to the glory of God (Gal. 2:20; 1 Pet. 1:15-16, 1 Pet. 2:11; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 6:11-13; Eph. 2:10, Eph. 4:11-12, Eph. 4:22-24; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20; Col. 1:10; John 15:8,16).
The Church is the body of people whom God has called out from the world through faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. The church is the habitation of God through the Holy Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of her mission to win the world for Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of the church, which is composed of all men, Jews and Gentiles, living and dead, from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation who have been joined to Him through saving faith (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1:22, 23; 2:22; Hebrews 12:23). All regenerate persons are members of the universal Church of God which takes local form wherever groups of believers unite for worship, fellowship and service in accordance with scriptural principles. A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, and are associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel, observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.
According to the Scriptures the church exists to magnify and exalt God in worship, to train and instruct believers in their discipleship, to minister to the needs of its members and the world, to encourage and develop the Christian fellowship of its members, and to equip its members to evangelize the world and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:41-47; Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:130; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22;3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18
God calls individuals to positions of oversight and leadership or to special ministries. There are a divinely called fivefold ministries provided by our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16) for equipping the saints, and the building of the body of saints being perfected in the image of His son. The Church recognises such by ordaining, commissioning, appointing deacons and other leaders, following New Testament practice.
Baptism. The ordinance of baptism by immersion is commanded in the Scriptures. All who repent and believe on Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized as they are physically able and have opportunity. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 8:26-38).
Baptism is an outward sign of an inward spiritual renewal and rebirth. Thus they who are baptized declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they also have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life (Acts 10:47, 48; Romans 6:4).
The Lord's Supper or Holy Communion, consisting of broken bread, the body of Jesus Christ, and the fruit of the vine, the shed blood of our Lord and Savior, is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (II Peter 1:4); a memorial of His suffering and death (I Corinthians 11:26); our fellowship and communion with all believers (Ephesians 4:4-6); and our prophetic expectation of His second coming (I Corinthians 11:26).
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:2329;Colossians 2:12.
We believe the scriptures teach that giving is one of the fundamentals of the faith and a Bible principle; that God is the Source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; that we are under obligation to serve God with our time, talents, and material possessions; and are commanded to cheerfully, regularly, and liberally bring our tithes and offerings into the storehouse of God’s house. Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:8; Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 8:18; Genesis 14:18-20; 28:20-22; Leviticus 27:30; Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 23:23; I Corinthians 9:13-14; 16:1-2; Hebrews 7:2,4; Acts 4:35-37; Proverbs 3:9; II Corinthians 8:3,12; 9:7-8; Luke 6:38.
All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose the practice of racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth. Exodus 20:3-17; Leviticus 6:2-5; Deuteronomy 10:12; 27:17; Psalm 101:5; Micah 6:8; Zechariah 8:16; Matthew 5:13-16,43-48; 22:36-40; 25:35; Mark 1:29-34; 2:3ff.; 10:21; Luke 4:18-21;10:27-37; 20:25; John 15:12; 17:15; Romans 12–14; 1Corinthians 5:9-10; 6:1-7.
We believe the scriptures teach that it is necessary to maintain a total and complete separation from all forms of doctrinal error and ecclesiastical apostasy. We believe the scripture admonishes us to try or examine false teachers and false teachings by measuring them by the Word of God, to mark them, to rebuke them, to have no Christian or church fellowship with them, to withdraw ourselves, to receive them not, to have no company with them, to reject them, and to separate ourselves from them. Romans 16:17; II Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 5:11; II Thessalonians 3:6,14; Titus 1:13; 3:10; I John 4:1; II John 10-11.
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
We believe and accept Marriage as created and ordained by God, and is the uniting of one man and one woman in a sacred covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is defined by God in the Scriptures, remaining as a holy symbol of Christ and His enduring covenant with the church. It is a framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. As such, cannot be redefined by man or any civil government but remains as a covenant between one male and one female. As followers of Jesus Christ this is what we mean when we use the word “marriage”. This differentiation from other types of unions is not one of condemnation or judgement but one of devotion to Jesus, the Scriptures, and the community of the Holy Spirit. GENESIS 2:24; MATTHEW 19:5; MARK 10:7; EPHESIANS 5:22-23
Human Sexuality
Since God created mankind into genders distinctly male and female, we believe that the only legitimate marriage is that between a man and a woman. He has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God rejects any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 1:1, 11, 24, 26-27; 2:21-23; Exodus 20:11; Nehemiah 9:6; Jeremiah 10:12; John 1:3; Acts 4:24; 17:23 26; Romans 1:20; Colossians 1:16 17; Hebrews 11:3)
Husband and Wife
The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God’s image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She, being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.
Children
Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents. Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4;13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31.
We believe the scriptures teach that civil government is of divine appointment, for the interest and good of human society; that all those in authority are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the revealed will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming Prince of the rulers of the earth.
Romans 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-14,17; Matthew 22:21; Titus 3:1; I Timothy 2:1-8; Acts 5:29; Matthew 10:28; Daniel 3:15-18; 6:7,10; Acts 4:18-20; Matthew 23:10; Romans 14:4; Revelation 19:14; Psalm 72:11; II Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21-22; Acts 23:5; Philippians 2:10-11.
We believe in the bodily resurrection from the dead (our blessed hope); of the believer to everlasting joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting separation from God. (1 Corinthians 15.35-58, 2 Corinthians 5.1-10, 2 Thessalonians 1.5-10, Revelation 20-21).
We believe that the Kingdom of God has come in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, that it continues to come in the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the Church, and that it will be consummated in the glorious, visible and triumphant appearing of Christ when He shall return to earth bodily, personally, and visibly; first to raise the righteous dead and catch up all living believers in the twinkling of an eye, then to return with the saints to set up His glorious kingdom of a millennium of peace and righteousness. (Zachariah 14:5; Matt 24:27, 30; Rev 1:7; 19:11-14; 20:1-6). This Millennial reign will bring about the salvation of the nation of Israel (Ezekiel 37:21, 22; Zephaniah 3:19-20; Rom 11:26, 27) and the establishment of a universal peace (Isaiah 11:6-9; Psalms 72:3-8; Micah 4:3, 4).
There will be a final judgement in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. “Who ever is not found written in the book of life”, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death (Matt 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Rev 19:20; 20:11-15; 21:8). We according to His promise, look for new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness (II Peter 3:13; Rev 21:22). Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10. Matthew 4.23, Matthew 12.28, Mark 13.26, Acts 1.1-8, Acts 2.14-39, Romans 14.17-18, 1 Thessalonians 4.15-17, Revelation 19.11-16, Revelation 20.10, Revelation 21.1-5).