The Bible; We believe that the Bible, containing all 66 books, and the words there in, is “God-breathed” and recorded, by human authors, without error, in the original manuscripts. We believe that the Bible is the authoritative revelation of God given to humankind and is thus useful for teaching, correction, encouragement and training in righteousness. We believe that the Bible must be interpreted as language is normally used to communicate and in light of dispensational distinctions.
God; We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons, each of whom possess equally all the attributes of deity and characteristics of personality, distinct in function but same in nature – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that God is a personal being who is both the Creator and Sustainer of the creation.
Jesus Christ; We believe that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is eternally God the Son, who, through miraculous conception and virgin birth, became flesh. We believe that Jesus is therefore perfect and complete deity and perfect humanity – these two being untied without mixture in the one person forever. We believe that Jesus lived a sinless life and voluntarily and vicariously paid for the sins of all humankind by dying on the cross, thus removing the sin barrier between God and man. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus’ crucified body, in His ascension to heaven, in His present High Priestly ministry and in His future literal return to the earth.
The Holy Spirit; We believe that the Holy Spirit is eternally God and that He has come to reveal and glorify Jesus. We believe that He has come to convict sinners of sin, righteousness and judgement. We believe that He has also come to regenerate, indwell, seal, and baptise all believers into the body of Christ, to impart spiritual gifts to believers, and to enable believers, through the fullness of God’s power, to live holy lives.
Humanity; We believe that humanity was created in the image of God – to bear out God’s image in the created order. We believe that humanity was created to ruler over God’s created order but, through Adam, has fallen into sinfulness and separation from God – this state being known as death – and plunged all of creation into a fallen state. We believe that mankind is therefore born dead, that is separated from the life of God, and in need of eternal life – the life of God. We believe that this new birth, being made alive, is a gift given by God’s grace, based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and through His resurrection, received by an individual by means of that individual’s faith.
Salvation; We believe that everyone is born dead in sin and in need of God’s life – eternal life. This eternal life is an unearned gift of God’s grace, apart from works (past, present or future) and is received by an individual’s faith in the person and work of Christ. We believe the initial faith of an individual, that results in justification, regeneration and eternal life, is not a gift from God and that all people in their fallen state, under the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit and the drawing ministry of the Father, possesses the capacity to believe in Christ. We believe that faith is the conviction that something is true, and that eternal life is received when an individual is convinced that Jesus Christ is both able to offer and willing to grant eternal life to any individual who will believe in Him for it. We believe that individuals should have complete assurance of their eternal life based on the work of Christ alone, the promises made in the Bible and the fact that this state can never be reversed. This assurance is not based on works past, present or future, as this gift is received apart from works.
We believe that, while the act of receiving eternal life can be referred to as salvation (initial salvation), this is not the only use of this term in scripture. It can also refer to daily deliverance from sin, temptation and trials as well as an individual’s future glorification and rewardability – eternal inheritance.
The Christian walk; We believe that, while not a requirement for the gift of eternal life, growth in Christlikeness and holiness is God’s desire for each individual. We believe that, while sinless perfection is not possible in this life, that all believers are called to live holy lives through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We believe that a purpose of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of a believer is to produce spiritual maturity that reflects Christlikeness. This is a process that is not guaranteed in all believers, as it can be hindered by an individual’s sin. We believe that an appropriate motivation for holy living is gratitude to God for His love and saving us by His grace. We also believe that an individual should be motivated by the promises of blessings for obedience and discipline for disobedience, in this life, as well as the fact that all believers must stand before the judgement seat of Christ. We believe this judgement is not to determine an individual’s eternal destination but to assess the quality of an individual’s life to determine their inheritance in the Kingdom to come.
We believe that there is a distinction made in the Bible between discipleship and eternal life. All believers have eternal life but not all will live the life of, or meet the requirements of, a disciple. We believe that, to conflate the two, cause confusion over the requirements for initial salvation and undermines an individual’s assurance.
The Church; We believe that the church, also referred to as the body of Christ and the new man, is a universal-trans time entity composed of all who put their faith in Christ, throughout the dispensation in which we live. We believe that the church, while comprising believing Israelites, is distinguished from and does not replace the nation of Israel and God’s program for them. We believe that the church manifests itself in visible form within communities as local independent assemblies – the local church. We believe that it is a requirement of the Christian walk for believers to regularly assemble together in local churches for the purpose public profession of faith, mutual encouragement, discipline, study of God’s word, prayer, worship, the observance of the Lord’s Supper and water baptism, equipping individuals to carry out God’s purposes and work in the world, all with the design to stir individuals up to love and good deeds.
The Future; We believe there are two distinct judgements for individuals. All believers will be judged at the Judgement Seat of Christ, not over their eternal destiny, but over their eternal inheritance based on the quality of their Christian walk. All unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne judgement. Because none will be found in the book of life, because they have not believed in Christ for the gift of life, they will spend eternity separated from God and the life that He offered. We believe in the personal imminent return of Jesus Christ to rapture, and deliver, His church prior to the period known as the Tribulation. At the conclusion of the Tribulation Christ will return in triumph and establish His millennial reign on this earth. We believe that, at the conclusion of His millennial reign in this created order, a new heaven and earth will be created on which His reign will continue forever. Our Christian walk and its quality determines what part we play and inheritance we have in His coming kingdom.
