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The Word of God

We believe that the Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, were written by holy men inspired by the Holy Spirit and are God's revealed word to man. They are the sufficient, infallible rule and guide to salvation and all Christian worship and service (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). The Bible is the inspired Word of God, equally in all parts and in the whole; it is totally inerrant in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme revelation from God and of God, superior to conscience and reason, though not contrary to them; and it is therefore our infallible rule in all matters. All the Scriptures centre on the Lord Jesus Christ, and so no portion is properly read or understood until it leads to Him.

One God

We believe that Scripture teaches there is one and only one true and living God, who is self-existent, the eternal "I AM", the creator of heaven and earth, and the redeemer of mankind. We believe that He has chosen to reveal Himself as Father, Son and Holy Ghost, the same in essence, though distinct in personality (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10-11; Matthew 28:18-19; Luke 3:22). These three are one God, having the same nature, attributes and perfection, and are worthy of the same homage and obedience (Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Revelation 1:4-6). The mode of His existence, however, is a subject far above the understanding of man. He is the fountain of all perfection and happiness. He is glorified by the whole of creation and is worthy to be loved and served by all intelligence. He, therefore, is the only proper object of worship (Jeremiah 10:10; Exodus 3:14; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19-20; Job 11:7; Psalm 19:1-2; Psalm 145:10; Psalm 150:6; Exodus 34:14).

Man and his fall

Our first parents, in their original state, were upright. They naturally preferred and desired to obey their creator, and had no preference or desire to transgress His will until they were influenced and inclined by Satan to disobey God's commands. Before this, the only tendency of their nature was to do righteousness. In consequence of their first transgression, the state in which the descendants of Adam came into the world is so different from that of Adam that they do not have the righteousness and purity which Adam had before the fall; they are not willing to obey God but are inclined to do evil. Hence none, by virtue of any natural goodness and mere work of their own, can become the children of God (Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 3:1-7; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Psalm 51:5; John 6:44; Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 2:14).

The salvation of man

Man's only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life. The inward evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit, and the outward evidence to all men is a life of righteousness and true holiness (Luke 24:47; John 3:3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7; Romans 8:16; Ephesians 4:24; Titus 2:12).

Salvation is an inclusive word, which gathers into itself all the redemptive acts and processes: justification, redemption, deliverance, imputation, sanctification, glorification. The Hebrew and Greek words for salvation carry the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and soundness. Salvation is by grace through faith, is a free gift, and is wholly without human works (Romans 3:27-28; Romans 4:1-8; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8).

• The condition of salvation: the grace of God, which brings salvation, has appeared to all men, through the preaching of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ; man is saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, and, being justified by grace through faith, he becomes an heir of God according to the hope of eternal life (Romans 10:13-15; Luke 24:47; Titus 2:11; Titus 3:5-7; Ephesians 2:8-9).
• The evidence of salvation: the inward evidence to the believer of his salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16). The outward evidence to all men is a life of unconditional love, righteousness and true holiness, shown by the fruit of the Spirit (John 13:35; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:24).
• The final result of salvation: the spirit of the believer who dies in Christ immediately goes to be with the Lord (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Luke 23:42-43; 2 Corinthians 5:8).

The ordinances of the Gospel

Baptism in water. We believe water baptism is commanded of every believer, and is necessary for going on to spiritual maturity. When done in faith, it is the means whereby those who have been justified by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ receive a circumcision of the heart, are made participants in the death and resurrection of Christ, and so are delivered from the dominion and rule of sin. The ordinance of baptism is a burial with Christ, to be observed, whenever physically possible, as commanded in the Scriptures, by all who have repented and truly believed in their heart on Christ as Saviour and Lord. Baptism is by immersion. Those baptised declare to the world that they have died with Jesus and have also been raised with Him to walk in newness of life. It is the circumcision of the heart by faith, through the working of the Spirit of God. Water baptism is the taking on of a great responsibility, because in it a person makes an everlasting commitment to God (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 10:47-48; Colossians 2:11-12).

The Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements of bread and the fruit of the vine, is the symbol expressing our sharing in the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, a memorial of His suffering and death, and a prophecy of His second coming. It is enjoined on all believers "until He comes" (John 6:48, 51, 53-57; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Sanctification

Sanctification is the process by which, according to the will of God, we become partakers of His holiness. It is begun at regeneration, and it is carried on in the hearts of believers by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the continual use of the appointed means, especially the Word of God, self-examination, self-denial, watchfulness and prayer (1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 John 2:29; Romans 8:5; Philippians 2:12-13). Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and a dedication to God (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12). The Scriptures teach a life of "holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). By the power of the Holy Ghost we are able to obey the command: "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:15-16). Sanctification is realised in the believer by recognising his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, by faith reckoning daily on the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-11, 13; Romans 8:1-2, 13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 1:15).

Spirituality

The ministry of the Holy Spirit emphasises function in our lives. One needs the Holy Spirit to live correctly. A believer is either spiritual or carnal. Personal sin takes one out of spirituality and into carnality. Confession of sin changes one from living by the flesh to living by the Holy Spirit, and we go on living by the Holy Spirit by faith. Spirituality is attained through a believer's walk with the Spirit, by not grieving the Spirit, and by not quenching the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30; Galatians 5:16 to 6:1; 1 John 1).

Fellowship with God

Fellowship with God emphasises the friendship relationship with God the Father and the Son. Sin breaks the fellowship; confession of sin restores it. When in fellowship with God, believers partner with God in service and enjoy a close friendship. The central passages are 1 John 1 and John 13. Since one is no longer walking in darkness (sin), the Holy Spirit also leads and controls the believer, as Galatians 5 teaches. John 15:1-9 uses the word "abide", which also refers to fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Help of the poor

We believe that it is the intent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to feed the hungry (Matthew 25:34-40; Isaiah 58:7-8), to care for the poor (Matthew 19:21; Psalm 112:9; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9), and to care for widows and orphans (James 1:27). We further believe that such ministry should be done in His name, to saints and unbelievers alike (Hebrews 6:10).

The blessed hope

The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ, and their translation together with those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51).

Marriage

God created marriage (Genesis 2:22). It is a covenant made between a man and a woman that makes them one (Genesis 2:24). The marriage covenant requires the married parties to be faithful, loving and helpful to each other as long as they both shall live (Mark 10:3-10). Christians are not to marry unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Those whom God has directed to be joined together shall, after counselling with the pastor about what God requires of them, be joined in Christian marriage (Malachi 2:13-16; Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:5-6, 9; Romans 7:2-3; 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, 15; Ephesians 5:22-23).

This church observes the wedding ceremony as holy and unto God. It is a religious ceremony and cannot be conducted in this church without pastoral consideration. Any couple wishing to hold their wedding ceremony in this church must first go through pastoral counselling approved by the church, and must live a lifestyle consistent with the church's doctrinal views.

The world to come

We believe that the end of this age is rapidly approaching (1 Peter 4:7). We believe in "that blessed hope": the personal, imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost without Christ (Acts 24:15; Matthew 24:31-46; Revelation 22:11).

Final judgment and the eternal state

We believe that at death the spirits and souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ pass immediately into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the glorified body, when Jesus Christ comes for His own. Then soul and body reunited shall be with Him for ever in glory. But the spirits and souls of the unbelieving remain after death conscious of condemnation and in misery until the final judgment of the Great White Throne, when soul and body reunited shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated but to be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (Luke 16:19-26; Luke 23:42; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15).

There will be a final judgment in which the wicked dead will be raised and judged according to their works. Whoever is not found written in the Book of Life, together with the devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:8).