Statement of Faith

The Bible

I believe the Bible to be the revealed Word of God, fully and verbally inspired by God.  The Scriptures are the inerrant, infallible Word of God, as found within the 66 books from Genesis to Revelation. God not only inspired every word, but has preserved them through the ages. The Bible is preserved Word of God for all people. I believe in the literal interpretation of the Scriptures in their grammatical and historical context. (Psalm 12:6-7; II Timothy 3:15-17; I Peter 1:23-25; II Peter 1:19-21).

 

God

I believe in one God, who is eternal, self-existent, infinite, and immutable. I believe He has one nature, one essence, and one substance, yet manifests Himself to man in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; I Timothy 1:17; James 1:17; I John 4:4).

 

The Son

I believe Jesus Christ to be the one and only Saviour of mankind. I believe Jesus Christ to be eternally God and to possess all the attributes of Deity.  The Lord Jesus Christ was virgin born, that He was God incarnate, and that the purposes of the incarnation were to reveal God, to redeem men, and to rule over God's kingdom. I believe Jesus Christ never relinquished any attributes of His Deity, but merely veiled them. Christ  lived a perfect, sinless life, at the end of which He was offered for all mankind as a substitutionary sacrifice for man's sin. This sacrifice was a just payment to God for the forgiveness of sin. It was activated by His death through the shedding of His blood on the Cross and was accepted by God upon His resurrection. Christ ascended into Heaven after His resurrection to be seated at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the time of receiving His church at the Rapture, and returning seven years later to earth to rule and reign as King for 1,000 years (Psalm 2:7-9; Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, 43:11; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:25; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 1:3, 14, 18, 29; Romans 3:19-25; Romans 5:6-15; Philippians 2:5-11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Timothy 2:5; I Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:10-15; Hebrews 7:26, 9:24-28; I Peter 1:19, 2:2; I John 1:3; Revelation 20:1-6).

 

The Holy Spirit

I believe the Holy Spirit of God is a person who has personality and all the attributes of Deity. The Holy Spirit has always been involved in the affairs of mankind. However, He has a special ministry which began at Pentecost and will continue until the Rapture. This ministry includes convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit was also sent to regenerate, sanctify, seal, and fill all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:5-6; John 14:16; Acts 1:5; Acts 11:15; I Corinthians 3:16; I Corinthians 6:19-20; I Corinthians 12:13).

 

Sin and Salvation

I believe all men are born with an inherited sin nature received from our common ancestor, Adam. I believe that because of his nature, man is a sinner by choice, and he is totally incapable of reforming himself or ceasing from his sin by his own power. The only hope of deliverance for man is a total change of mind concerning his sinful condition and inability to change it, and a turning to Jesus Christ as the only Saviour. I believe that only through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the Cross can a man be delivered from his sin. All those who reject Jesus Christ as their Saviour are already condemned to an eternity in the Lake of Fire (Genesis 5:1-5; Acts 4:19; Acts 16:31; Romans 3:10-23; Romans 5:6-12; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6; Revelation 20:11-14).

 

The New Testament Church

I believe the local church is God's only institution to carry out His work today. The local church is composed of members who have been saved and baptized according to the command of Christ, and have voluntarily united together for the purposes of worship, fellowship, service, and the Lord's Table. I believe all true believers will be taken up at the Rapture, prior to the Tribulation (Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 1:15; Acts 2:41-43; Acts 11:15; Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 15: 51-58; Ephesians 1:12-14; Ephesians 5:25-30; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Timothy 3:4-15).

 

The Last Days

I believe in the pre-tribulational Rapture of the church saints, followed by the seven-year Tribulation. I believe in the pre-millennial return of Christ to the earth and His literal rule of one thousand years. Following these one thousand years is the Great White Throne judgment and then the new Heaven and new earth (I Corinthians 15:51-58; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Thessalonians 5:1-9; Revelation 19-22).