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We believe in God eternally existing as three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, having precisely the same
nature, attributes, and perfections, and worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence, and obedience (Mark 12:29; John 1:1-4; Matthew 29:19-20; Acts 4:3-4).Jesus Christ: We believe in the total deity of the
Lord Jesus Christ, that He is God of God, light of light, very God of very God, of the same substance as the Father. We believe He is God in human flesh. We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary. We believe Him to be true God and true man (John 1:1, 14, 18; John 14:8, 9; 1 Timothy 3:16). We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, His
ascension into heaven, and His present life as High Priest and Advocate for us. (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25, 26). Holy Spirit: We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit who is also fully God. We believe
that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ during this age. He convicts of sin and regenerates the sinner, upon repentance and grateful surrender to God, giving the gift of
faith in Christ, baptizing the believer into one body of which Christ is the head. He indwells, guides, instructs, fills, comforts, and empowers the believer for godly living and service through individually
bestowed spiritual gifts. (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, 19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 4:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12). Man:
We believe that mankind was created by God in His image, designed to have a personal relationship with God through faith, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and blesssed state in consequence of
which all mankind are now sinners; not only by their fallen nature, but by active transgression and therefore under just condemnation without defense or excuse. We believe that without exception every person is
totally lost and without hope and needs the Saviour (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 1:18, 32; 3:10-19). Salvation: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as a representative
and substitutionary sacrifice. We believe that all who by faith receive Him as their personal Savior are justified on the basis of His blood shed on the cross. We believe that personal faith in Jesus
Christ is the means by which God's wrath against the sinner is averted and sin is forgiven on the basis of Christ's substitutionary atonement at the cross. Through faith each believer is
born anew of the Holy Spirit and thereby becomes eternally secure as a child of God . We believe the Holy Spirit baptizes a person who believes into the body of Christ at the moment of conversion. Those who are in
Christ have been saved (justified), are being saved (sanctified) and will be saved (glorified) upon His return. (Romans 8:37-39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13). Those saved by faith in Christ will, by
virtue of their new nature, dispaly the fruits of the Spirit (Galatian 5:22-24) and be daily transformed into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18) even as they struggle with their inner propensity to sin. (Romans 6-7)
Return of Christ: We believe in "that blessed hope", the personal and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our perishible bodies to be like his glorious body, causing us to finally be
glorified and to be free forever of sin. His return has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer who is called to watch and always be ready for His coming(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
The Church: Upon faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, all believers become part of His body, the church. There is one church universal, composed of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord and are united by faith to Him. The Scriptures command believers to gather together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of baptism and the Lord's table,
fellowship, service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world in fulfillment of the command of Christ to make disciples of all believers (Ephesians 5:23; Romans 12:1;
Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18-20; Hebrews 10:25). We belive that all those who belong to Christ are called to fellowship within and to identify with a local Bible believing church and are
together members of the universal (Catholic) Church. Wherever God's people meet regularly in obedience to this command there is the local expression of the church under the watch-care of elders and other supportive
leadership. Its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16). Concerning the ordinances (sacraments), we believe that baptism is a
public declaration of and identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection . The Lord's Supper is the commemoration by believers of Christ's atoning death until He comes and should be preceded by
a careful self-examination and discernment of the effectual presence of Jesus Christ amoung His people. (Acts 4:13; Romans 6:3-6; 1 Corinthians 11:20-29) . |
