Our Beliefs
The Bible
We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the only standard against which all things – books, prophecies, and sermons etc. – must be compared. (2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
God
There is only one true God, who has revealed himself as the eternally, self-existent “I Am”, the creator of heaven and earth and the redeemer of mankind. God is revealed as a ‘Godhead’, which is eternally co-equal and co-existent in three persons, not three Gods but one, not one person but three. They are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:26; Mark 12:29; Matthew 28:19)
The Deity of Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We uphold His absolute deity as well as His complete humanity. That is, in one person Jesus was fully God and fully man. (Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1; Hebrews 2:9-16 and 1:5-12; Philippians 2:5-8)
The Resurrection
• We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected bodily from the dead and then ascended into heaven where he is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. He holds the position of absolute power and authority. (Romans 8:34; Mark 12:36; 14:62; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 20; Luke 22:69; Hebrews 8:1)
• We believe in the bodily resurrection of the human dead. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19, 35-49; Revelation 20:11-15)
The Lordship of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the lord of everything and has been appointed as the head of the Church. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:15-16; Colossians 1:18, 24)
The Second Advent of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will re-appear on earth in physical form in all his glory, majesty and power. This will be the Second Coming of Christ and is the “blessed hope” of the Church. (Matthew 24:30; Luke 21:27; 1 Corinthians 15:15-53; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 22:7; 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
The Fall of Man
Every living individual has sinned and is guilty before God. Mankind, by nature, is depraved and incapable of saving his soul through efforts of his own. (Romans 3:10; Ephesians 2:8-10)
Redemption
Through Jesus Christ mankind receives forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
• It must be noted that salvation is only found in Jesus. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)
• Salvation is obtained because God loved us so much that He gave His only Son to die for us. (John 3:16)
• Christ’s death on the Cross has achieved the following:
Reconciliation to God (Romans 5:10)
Redemption through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 1:7)
Justification i.e. ‘being declared innocent’ (Romans 3:24)
Salvation is received by us:
• Repentance which means turning from sin to God, a change of heart, attitude, thinking and lifestyle (Acts 2:38; 17:30)
• The exercise of faith, which is trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. Without faith it is impossible to please God! (Hebrews 11:6; John 5:24; Romans 5:1)
• Accepting it as a free gift from God – Salvation is never deserved or earned. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7)
The New Birth
We cannot enter God’s kingdom or receive eternal life without the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who “creates us anew” and “baptizes” or places us into the Body of Christ. (John 3:5-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Peter 1:22-25)
The Church
We believe that the true Church consists of the whole community of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who by faith have had their sins forgiven and have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We recognize that the true Church is not confined to any one local church or denomination. (Hebrews 12:22-24; 1 John 1:7; Ephesians 3:3-10; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:32)
Baptism by Immersion We believe in the baptism by full immersion of all believers. We do not baptize infants but only people old enough to understand repentance and the implications of making Jesus Saviour and Lord. Baptism follows repentance and new birth. (Matthew 28:19; 3:13-17; Acts 2:38-41; 10:47; Hebrews 10:22; 1 Peter 3:21)
The Breaking of Bread – Holy Communion
We believe in the regular Breaking of Bread as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ and as practiced by the early church. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-32; Acts 20:7)
Justification and Sanctification
• Justification is a gracious act of God whereby He declares that a person is no longer guilty of sin, and thus condemned, but instead is righteous before Him. It is entirely an act of God and takes place at the time of repentance/regeneration. Based not on our actions, but on our new standing with God, He declares every new Christian to be righteous in His sight (Romans 3: 21-26).
• Sanctification – To “sanctify” means to “make holy or sacred”. It refers to the believer’s progressive separation from sin and dedication to God and a holy lifestyle. Every Christian experiences the on-going process of becoming Christ-like, which begins at the new birth and continues until death. (Hebrews 12:14; Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:16; Philippians 3:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
Baptism with the Holy Spirit
We believe that Jesus Christ baptizes Christians with the Holy Spirit, and that this baptism, which is a distinct experience from the new birth, is promised to every believer. (Matthew 3:11; Acts 10:44-46; 8:14-17; 11:14-16; 2:32-33; 15:7-9)
Spiritual Gifts
We believe that God never removed the gifts of the Spirit, referred to in 1 Corinthians chapters 12 to 14, and that whenever the Holy Spirit moves upon the Church in power, He gives spiritual gifts to everyone as He chooses. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Romans 12:4-12)
Divine Healing and Miracles
We believe that today God still performs miracles of the nature that is recorded in the Scriptures. He heals the sick just as He did in the days of the early church and Christians are still given the gift of healing and the gift of working miracles in order to impact the lives of people and bring glory to God. (John 14:12; Mark 16:16-18; Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Corinthians 12:9-10; James 5:14-15)
Priesthood of All Believers
Each individual believer has full and equal access to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, as a believer-priest and can freely communicate with God as he pleases without having to go through the medium of another person. (1 Peter 2:1-9; Revelation 5:9-10; 1:6)
The Ministries
The ascended Christ has given various ministries to the church, and each of these exists for the strengthening of and building up of the body of believers. These ministry gifts are described in Ephesians 4:1 and 1 Corinthians 12:28.
Judgement
We believe that God will judge both the living and the dead. The believers will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, not for condemnation but for the testing of their works and the receiving of rewards. The unbelievers and those who professed Christianity but rebelled against the will of God shall appear before the final “White Throne” judgment and thereafter will be consigned to the Lake of Fire forever. (Matthew 7:21-23; John 5:24, 28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:11-15).
Israel
• We do not hold to a “replacement theology” which argues that the church has replaced the nation of Israel in God’s plan for mankind.
• God has not rejected the Jewish people despite the fact that they rejected Jesus as their Messiah and were punished for this decision. God will not go back on the promises He made to the patriarchs of old to restore the nation of Israel in great glory.
• There is still a small remnant of Jewish people who serve Jesus as their Messiah and Scripture promises that God will dramatically save the nation of Israel.
• God forbids the gentile church to be arrogant towards the Jews and encourages all gentile Christians to pray for Israel and believe that this nation will turn to Jesus and accept him as their Saviour and Lord. (Romans 11:1-32; Isaiah 59:20-21; Ezekiel 36:24-32)
Apart from these core doctrinal essentials, there are, however, many areas of faith and practice on which intelligent and godly believers hold different views (various end-times scenarios, predestination and free-will debates to name just a few.) With these issues, members of our Church are free to hold their own opinions and engage in respectful dialogue as long as they are not disruptive to the body.
The following attitudes or behaviors, however, would signal a larger problem:
o Attempts to win over others/ “crusading” for their viewpoint
o Divisiveness/disruptive behavior
o Holding to a position with such intensity that they will simply be unable to submit to the policies, decisions and leadership of the church