Doctrinal Basics of Members (referred to as “we” in this article 3.0).

The Scriptures. We believe in the full inspiration and authority of the Bible alone. This means we believe God inspired the production of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament so that the Bible is His only authoritative written revelation to mankind. We understand by this that the authority of God extends equally to each such book, and that the very words and wording chosen were as He wanted them to be, with the result that the original documents were without error as to fact and were incapable of teaching falsehood. The Bible is, therefore, our sole authority for establishing faith and practice in all dimensions of individual, family and church life. (1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

The Godhead. We believe in the Trinity. This mean we believe in one God, eternally existing as three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three Persons of the one Godhead are eternal in being and identical in power and glory, and possess precisely the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

Man’s Creation and Fall. We believe in the dignity and depravity of mankind. This means we believe God created mankind in His image and likeness, and hence mankind possesses an innate dignity. This dignity has been tarnished because, through Adam’s sin, he and his offspring acquired a sin nature, became alienated from the Creator and came under the judicial sentence of death. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and that these two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God. In addition we believe that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman, and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union. (Genesis 1:25-27; 2:18-25; Romans 1:18-32; 3:22-23; 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12)

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ. We believe in the complete atoning work of Jesus Christ as God incarnate. This means we believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, by having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order to reveal God and redeem sinful mankind. We further believe the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a substitute for mankind, fully satisfying the holy wrath of God against sin. We further believe our redemption has been made sure by His resurrection from the dead in the same, though glorified, body in which He was crucified. (John 1:1-2; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 1:3-5)

We believe in the present ministry of Christ. This means we believe the Lord Jesus Christ is now in Heaven and exalted to the right hand of God where, as High Priest for His people, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor and Advocate. (Hebrews 9:24, 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

We are premillennialists. This means we believe in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to establish His Kingdom here on earth. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 20:6)

The Holy Spirit. We believe in the present work of the Holy Spirit. This means that, in the present age, the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, indwells all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, baptizes them into the Body of Christ and seals them to the day of redemption. We further believe all believers are expected to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to exhibit the fruit of His presence, and that all believers are recipients of specialized spiritual gifts for the good of the Body of Christ. (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Galatians 5:22-24; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18-20)

Salvation. We believe in salvation solely on the basis of grace through faith. This means we believe salvation is the gift of God offered to mankind by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that this faith is manifested by works pleasing to God. We further believe all who are believers will be kept saved forever by the power of God. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; Romans 8:1. 38, 39; John 10:27-30; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Philippians 1:6; 2 Timothy 1:12)

The Church. We believe the Church, or Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all redeemed persons, without regard to their affiliation with Christian organizations. (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14)

The Final State. We believe the salvation and blessedness of the saved, and the condition and retribution of the lost, are conscious and everlasting. (Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:15, 22:3-5, 11)