STATEMENT OF FAITH

As a Church we believe in the following tenets of the Christian faith:

1. The TRINITY. There are three persons in the Eternal Godhead - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - one God, yet three persons, of one substance, power and eternity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit - all alike fully possess the attributes of Deity; omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. The Godhead is eternal, uncreated and immortal. God is the Creator, Provider and Upholder of all things, is perfectly holy; His wisdom, power, love and mercy are everlasting and fathomless. He is the only Saviour of mankind from his sin and the Judge before whom one day all must stand and give account and who will determine the eternal destiny of every human being.

Scriptural basis: Mt 28:19, Jn 14:9,16, Dt 6:4, Jas 2:19, Heb 1:3, Rom 1:20, Lk 5:20-24, Rev 1:18, Lk 12:5, Isa 9:6, Mic 5:2, Jn 17:5, Heb 9:14, 1 Cor 2:10,11, Isa 40:13, Rom 1:4, Gen 18:14,25, Rev 19:6, Ps 139, 1 Tim 1:17, 6:15,16, Mt 28:20, 18:20, Heb 4:13, Jn 1:1-3, Phil 3:20,21, Job 34:10, Col 2:3, Job 33:4, Ezk 37:9,14, Zec 4:6, Rom 8:11, 1 Pet 1:15,16, 1 Jn 4:9,10, Rom 5:8,9, Jn 3:16, Ps 136, Mic 7:18, Isa 45:21,22, Acts 4:12, Jn 14:6, Hos 13:4, Jon 2:9, Heb 9:27, 12:23, Acts 17:30,31, Mt 25:31-46, Rev 20:11-15.

2. The LORD JESUS CHRIST - His perfect Deity as the only begotten Son of God; His miraculous conception and virgin birth; His real and sinless humanity; His perfect and sinless life; His substitutionary and vicarious death for sinners upon the cross of Calvary - a unique, all sufficient and never-to-be-repeated sacrifice for sin, fully acceptable to God; the efficacious atoning power of His precious blood; His bodily resurrection from the dead; His bodily ascension into heaven, where He is now seated in glory at the right hand of God the Father; His mediatorship and eternal high priesthood; His coming to the air to take His Church to be with Him in the Father's house; His judgement of every believer's works at the "bema" seat of Christ; His subsequent return to rule on earth for a thousand years (the millennium) when He will put all God's enemies beneath His feet; His judgement and eternal condemnation to hell of all the ungodly before the Great White Throne; His creation of a new heaven and a new earth wherein righteousness shall dwell and wherein God, the Triune God, shall be all in all.

Scriptural basis: Heb 1:8, 1 Tim 3:16, Rom 9:5, Lk 1:26-38, Mt 1:18-25, Heb 4:15, Jn 14:30, 1 Jn 3:5, 2 Cor 5:10, 1 Pet 2:22, 1 Cor 15:3, 2 Cor 5:18-21, Col 1:14-19, Heb 10:1-22, 1Pet 1:18,19, 3:18, Acts 17:31, Rom 10:9, 1 Cor 15, Heb 1:3, 1 Tim 2:5, 1 Thess 4:14-18, Jn 14:2,3, Rom 14:10, 1 Cor 3:11-15, 1 Cor 15:25-27, Rev 19:11-21, 20:1-15, 21:1, 2 Pet 3:13, Mt 6:10, 1 Cor 15:28, Isa 45:23. The LORD JESUS CHRIST is the ONLY Saviour of sinners, the ONLY Mediator between God and man and the ONLY High Priest by which man can come into the presence of a Holy God. Scriptural basis: Acts 4:12, 1 Tim 2:5, Heb 9 especially verses 11,12,20,22-28.

3. The HOLY SPIRIT - His personality and Deity; His power, work and witness by which (I) the Bible has been written, (II) sin is restrained in the world, (III) the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed to sinners and (IV) the sinner is illuminated, convicted, regenerated, baptised into the body of Christ, filled, sanctified and sealed unto the day of our redemption from the very presence of sin; His indwelling presence in every believer thereby constituting every believer as "the temple of the Holy Ghost".

Scriptural basis: 2 Pet 1:20,21, 2 Tim 3:16,17, Jn 14:26, 16:12-15, 1 Cor 2:10-14, 12:4,13, Gen 6:3, Jn 16:8-11, Rev 19:10, Jn 3:5,6, Tit 3:5, Eph 4:30, 5:18, 1 Cor 3:16, 6:11.

4. The BIBLE as BEING, and not simply containing, the infallible, inspired and inerrant word of God. It is the sole, supreme and all sufficient authority in all matters of faith and practice. It has been provided and preserved by God and is able to make men wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. We accept completely and literally its Divine record and revelation including its affirmation of the real and literal nature of miracles, the predictive nature of its prophecies, the existence and personality of Satan and the existence of Heaven and Hell as being real places, not allegorical in nature or a "state of mind".

Scriptural basis: 2 Tim 2:15, 3:15-17, 2 Pet 1:20,21, Jn 5:39, 16:12-15, 20:31, Mt 4:4,7,10, 24:35, Rom 4:3, 1 Cor 4:6, Acts 17:11, 2:22, Mt 11:5, Lk 1:37, Num 11:23, Isa 42:9, 44:7, 46:9-10, Dt 31:16-30, Jn 14:29, Mt 26:41, 5:22,29,30, 18:9,10, Acts 7:49, 2 Ki 2:11, Mk 4:15, Gen 3:1-5, Rev 12:9, 20:1-3, 7-10, 21:1,2,10.

5. God's CREATION of MAN, as recorded in the book of Genesis, "in the image and likeness of God"; the tri-partite nature of man, i.e. he is "body, soul and spirit"; the eternal and indestructible nature of his being; the purpose of his creation and existence, which is "to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever; his vital need to be born again and receive God's gift of eternal life, without which he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God or live the life that is well pleasing to Him. We totally reject the teachings of evolution, annihilationism and 'conditional immortality' as being contrary to the Biblical revelation concerning the origin and final destiny of man. The FALL of MAN into sin, as recorded in the book of Genesis, occasioned by the rebellion against God of our first parents, Adam and Eve; the consequent guilt and depravity of human nature as a result of the Fall; the NEED of mankind to be SAVED from the eternal judgement of God upon sin and sinners; the INABILITY of man to save himself; the NECESSITY of God's forgiveness of sin and salvation from sin's penalty and power, without which all men will be eternally lost in Hell, and the need of human repentance and faith in God's revelation concerning His son Jesus Christ as the only Saviour from sin and its consequences.

Scriptural basis: Gen 1-3, Mt 19:4-6, Col 1:15-19, Rev 4:11, Gen 1:26, 1 Thess 5:23, 2 Cor 5:1-4, Rev 22:1-5, 21:8, 14:10,11, Rom 5:12-21, Jn 3:16-18, Rom 1:16-18,32, 2:12-16, 10:3-10, Rev 20:10-15, Lk 16:19-31, Mt 25:41,46, Acts 17:30, 20:31, Lk 5:32, 13:5, 24:46,47, 1 Jn 5:9-13, Jn 3:3,5, Rom 8:4,6,8.

6. The CHURCH - the BODY and BRIDE of the Lord Jesus Christ, composed of all who are saved, regardless of culture, social status, language or nationality; the object of God's unmerited love, and chosen (I) to manifest to the world the fullness of God and His way of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and (II) to reign in glory with Christ over the earth. The LOCAL CHURCH is the assembly of true regenerated believers and has absolute right of self-government, free from the interference, control or dictates of any religious hierarchy of individuals or organisations. Christ is the one and only Head and Superintendent of the church. On all matters of membership, of policy and government, of discipline and of benevolence the will of the local church is final.

Scriptural basis: Eph 5:23-29, 1:22,23, Acts 20:28, Gal 3:26-28, Col 3:11,15, Rom 10:11-13, 1 Tim 3:15, 2 Tim 2:11,12, 1 Pet 2 :9,10, 1 Cor 6:2,3, Lk 9:49,50, Mk 9:38-41, Rom 14:1,3, 15:7, 1 Cor 11:2, Col 1:18, 1 Pet 5:4.

7. SALVATION from God's wrath against sin and the GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE can never be earned or appropriated by human effort, deeds or merit or by religious observances. The salvation of sinful man is wholly by God's grace and not by man's work. Jesus Christ came into the world to make full atonement for sinners by His shed blood, His vicarious death on the cross, His bodily resurrection from the grave and His ascension into heaven again to intercede for believers. Man must personally repent of his sins and accept Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour in order to receive the free gift of eternal life and power over sin. Upon his repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ every believer is indwelt immediately by the Holy Spirit of God.

Scriptural basis: Eph 2:8, Rom 11:6, 10:3,4, 3:21-28, Tit 3:4,5, 2 Tim 1:9,10, Heb 9:14, 7:25, Gal 2:16, Jn 1:12,13, 3:16-18, Rom 8:9, 1 Cor 6:19,20.

8. ETERNAL LIFE is a gift of God to all professing believers. All believers that are redeemed are eternally kept by God's power and are thus secured in Christ for ever. We believe "Once saved, always saved".

Scriptural basis: Jn 3:36, 5:24, 10:27-30, 1 Pet 1:5, 1 Jn 2:24,25, 5:13, Jude 24.

9. The future RESTORATION of the nation of ISRAEL to covenant blessings - guaranteed by virtue of their covenant relationship with Jehovah; their conversion and consequent blessing to the nations of the world.

Scriptural basis: Rom 11:1,2,15,23,25,26, Hos 8:2, Mt 23:39, Zec 12:10, 13:8,9, 14:16-21, 8:22,23 Ezk 37, Mic 7:18-20, Heb 6:13-20, Dt 30:1-10, Jer 31:31-37, 32:36-44, 33:14-26, Isa 2:2-4.

10. The MORAL LAW as a rule of life for all believers; the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD - of believers at the coming of Christ for His church and of the wicked dead at the close of Christ's millennial reign; the ETERNAL HAPPINESS of the saved in the presence of Christ and the EVERLASTING PERDITION and misery of the wicked.

Scriptural basis: Jas 2:8, Ps 19:7-14, Jn 5:21,25-29, 1 Cor 15:23,51-58, 1 Thess 4:16, 2 Cor 5:8, Acts 7:59, 2 Tim 1:12, Rev 20:5,7,11-15.

11. SPIRITUAL GIFTS are gifts bestowed by God for the work of the ministry. The gifts of evangelism and pastors are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today. We believe that speaking in tongues (languages) and other sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. The gift of tongues (languages) was a temporary sign for the lost people of Israel and was given to spread the Gospel message in all languages; such sign gifts have ceased since the completion of the word of God. The Bible is the complete revelation of God to man; man does not need, nor does he receive, extra-biblical revelations apart from the word of God.

Scriptural basis: Isa 28:11, Acts 2:1-11, 5:12, 1 Cor 12:4-11, 13:8-10, 14:22, Eph 4:11,12, Heb 2:3,4, Rev 22:18,19

12. The TWO ORDINANCES of the local church are Believer's Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Neither of these ordinances has any saving merit. As Christ gave these ordinances to the local church, the local church alone has the authority to administer them. A. Baptism is for believers only. The mode of baptism practised by this church shall be by immersion - to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried and risen Saviour, through whom we have died to sin and risen to a new life. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper. Scriptural basis: Mt 3:16, 28:19,20, Jn 3:23, Acts 2:41, 10:47,48, 16:33, 18:8, Rom 6:4, Col 2:12. B. The Lord's Supper is a memorial service commemorating the death of our Lord Jesus on Calvary. The use of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine are symbols of Christ's broken body and shed blood. Partaking of the Lord's Supper is only for truly regenerated, baptised believers.

Scriptural basis: Mt 26:26-29, 1 Cor 11:23-32.

13. HEAVEN and HELL are literal, eternal places prepared by God. Every person has a soul of eternal duration. Heaven is a place of eternal joy and happiness for those who are saved by the grace of God - this is a place of God's preparation for His people. Those who refuse God's grace and remain in their lost condition shall abide in Hell forever, eternally separated from God. Hell is a place of physical torment and literal fire. #

Scriptural basis: Lk 16:19-31, Jn 14:1-3, 2 Cor 5:8, 1 Pet 1:4, Rev 20:10-15.

14. We believe the RAPTURE of the CHURCH to be imminent, personal, pre-tribulational and pre-millennial. At the moment when Christ returns in His pre-tribulational and pre-millennial visible body to gather His Church, all the dead in Christ shall be raised in glorified bodies, then the living "shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump" and "shall be caught up together... in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord". The tribulation which follows the rapture of the Church will be culminated by the revelation of Christ, with His Saints, in power and great glory to sit upon the Throne of David and thus to establish His millennial reign.

Scriptural basis: 1 Thess 4:14-18, 1 Cor 15:51-54, Rev 20:1-4,6, Isa 9:6,7, 11:1-9, Mt 24:29-31.