Article 1 – The Scriptures

We believe the divine authority and the verbal, plenary (complete) inspiration of the whole canonical Scriptures. We believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, by which we understand that the whole of the book called the Bible is inspired in the sense that the Holy Ghost gave the identical words of the sacred writings to the holy men of old, chosen by Him to be the channel of His revelation to man. This divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of these writings as appeared in the original manuscripts. Validity for use of any particular version from the pulpit or for teaching shall be determined by the Pastor and Board of Deacons applying the benchmark of a literal translation that stays as close as possible to the original Greek and Hebrew text. For example: English Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, and New King James Version. The choice of version shall not be a reason for discipline of any member nor cause for dispute or disagreement in the Church.

Article 2 – The Godhead

We believe the Godhead externally exists in three persons – the Father, son and the Holy Spirit, and that these three are one God, having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections and worthy of the same homage, confidence and obedience.

Article 3 – The Fall

We believe that man was originally created in the image and likeness of God, and that he fell through the sin of disobedience, and as a consequence lost his spiritual life, becoming dead in trespasses and in sins and subject to the power of the Devil. We also believe that this spiritual death, or total depravity of human nature has been transmitted to the entire human race.

Article 4 – Regeneration

Regeneration by the Holy Spirit. We believe that, owing to this universal depravity and death in sin, no one can see or enter the kingdom of God unless born of the Spirit, whereby he becomes a new creature.

Article 5 – The Atonement

The atonement is by the shed blood of Christ. We believe that our redemption has been accomplished by the shed blood of our Lord, who knew no sin but was made to be sin for us, dying in our room and stead, a sacrifice acceptable to God, and effectual for every sinner who receives Him as Lord and Saviour.

Article 6 – Salvation

We believe that the new birth comes only through faith in Christ and that repentance is a vital part of that believing and is in no way in itself a separate and independent condition of salvation. Sinners are saved by grace through faith alone and that not of themselves. We believe that every saved person is justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Article 7 – Security

We believe that all true believers everywhere shall be kept forever. We believe, however, that God is a holy and righteous Father and that since He cannot overlook sin He will chasten His children and correct them in infinite love: but having undertaken to save them and keep them forever apart from all human merit. He who cannot fail will in the end present them faultless before the presence of His glory, conformed to the image of His Son.

Article 8 – The Deity and Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ

We believe in the essential deity and Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that all scriptures centre about Him, His person, His work, His sacrificial death on the cross and His coming again. No portion of the Word of God is properly understood until it leads to Him. We believe that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that He was born of a Virgin, conceived by the Holy Ghost, having no human father.

Article 9 – The Church

The Church which is His body: We believe in the spiritual unity of all true believers in Christ. That all who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God are members of the church which is His body, the bride of Christ. “For as the body is one, and has many members, and all members of that one body being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one spirit…….I Cor. 12:12-13”. The Local Church. We believe that the local church of the New Testament is an organized body of baptized believers, congregationally governed, united together in sacred covenant to worship the Lord, to edify the believers and to proclaim the gospel to all people. The ordinances of the church are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, its officers are pastors and deacons.

Article 10 – The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

We believe that when the Holy Spirit came upon the whole body of believers on the day of Pentecost, it was the fulfilment of the announcement made by John the Baptist, and the promise of Christ to individually endue them with power to witness, and collectively baptize into one body, which was the formation of the church, which is His body.

We further believe that since the time the gospel went forth to the Gentiles, we receive the Holy Spirit without delay, tarrying, praying, laying on of hands, or any other condition save faith. All who believe in Christ are born of the Spirit, sealed by Him, and by the Spirit baptized into the body of Christ.

We also believe that the New Testament distinguishes between being indwelt by the spirit and being filled with the spirit. There is one baptism of the spirit, but many fillings.

Article 11 – The Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, the third person of the Godhead who is now, throughout this age of grace, here present in the true church, having been sent for the express purpose of revealing Christ to the members of the church, and sent into the world that sinners might be convicted of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

Article 12 – Sanctification

We believe that sanctification, which is setting apart unto God is threefold:

(1) It is already complete for every saved person because his position toward God is the same as Christ’s position.

(2) While the standing or position of the Christian is perfect in Christ, his present state is as imperfect as his experience in daily life. There is, therefore, a progressive sanctification by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God whereby the Christian is to grow in grace and to be changed by the unhindered power of the Holy Ghost.

(3) We believe also that the child of God will yet be fully sanctified in his state as he is now fully sanctified in his position in Christ when he shall see his Lord and become like Him.

Article 13 – The Resurrection

We believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, according to the scriptures, in bodily form and thus became the firstfruits of them that slept; and that upon His return He will raise out from among the dead those who have died in Christ, this being the first resurrection; and that after the millennium He will raise them that have died in unbelief from their graves to appear before Him at the judgment of the great white throne.

Article 14 – The Second Coming

We believe that the second coming of the Lord is in two phases, these two phases are divided by the Great Tribulation.

(a) The Rapture: We believe that the next great event in the fulfilment of prophecy will be the coming of Christ for His own. The dead in Christ shall be raised first, then those who are alive and remaining shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This event is the blessed hope set forth in the Scriptures. This coming of Jesus for His church will end this present age of grace.

(b) The Revelation: We believe that the world will not be converted previous to the second coming of Christ, but is day by day ripening for judgment. The ages of grace will end with a fearful apostasy in the professing church, and that, following the period of the Great Tribulation in the earth, the Lord will return in person to introduce the millennial age to reign over the entire earth to bring the whole world to the knowledge of God, and to lift the curse that now rests upon the whole of creation, to restore Israel to her own land, to give her the realization of God’s covenant promises; to bind Satan and to place him in the abyss.

Article 15 – The Eternal State

We believe that, at death, the spirits of those who have trusted in the Lord for salvation pass immediately into His presence and remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection, at which time we shall receive glorified bodies. We also believe that the spirits of the unbelieving remain after death conscious of condemnation and in misery until the final judgement of the great white throne at the close of the millennium, when soul and body will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire, not annihilated, but punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, being tormented forever and ever.

Article 16 – Satan

We believe that Satan is a being, the father of all evil. He will be cast into the bottomless pit for 1000 years and finally committed to the lake of fire with all his angels to be tormented forever and ever.

Article 17 – Divine Healing

We believe that divine healing of the body is not in the atonement. During the present age the Lord heals the body in answer to believing prayer, but only according to His own sovereign will, and for His glory.

Ordinances of the Church

(1) BAPTISM
We believe to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is the divinely appointed duty of every born again believer, and is appropriate for believers only. We believe that baptism is the immersion of the body in water, and is a necessary requirement for church membership.

(2) THE LORD’S SUPPER

The Lord’s supper is to be regularly observed in the church in remembrance of His dying love and in obedience to His Word until He come.

We protest against the ordinance of God being supplanted by the traditions or doctrines of men, and seek to promote purity of communion by distinguishing between the church and the world. We therefore urge solemn self-examination before the Lord. I Cor. 11:28 “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”