THE BIBLE

The Bible is the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God. Divine inspiration extends equally and fully to every part of the Bible, and the whole Bible, in the original writings, is without error. All Scripture centres on the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and work, including His first and second coming. Therefore, no portion is properly read or understood unless it leads to Him. All Scripture was designed for our practical instruction and is sufficient in revealing His will for mankind and final in its authority over all we believe and do. (Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 17:2-3; 18:28; 26:22-23; 28:23; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 2:13; 10:11; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:21).

THE TRINITY

God is one God who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Scripture declares the deity and personality of each person of the Godhead. (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 9:6; John 1:1-4; 14:26; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 1:3-14).

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ, as the Scriptures affirm, is the Son of God (Mark 1:1) and the Son of Man (Luke 9:22). He was born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:20-25), was without sin and did not sin (2 Cor. 5:21), and is Himself God, the Creator of all things, and Head of the Church (John 1:1-4; Col. 1:16-18).

SIN

We believe that God created human beings without sin, male and female, in His own image (Gen. 1-2). Tempted by Satan, mankind fell into sin and distorted that image for himself and all his descendants by sinning against God (Gen. 3). As a result, all people are lost, alienated from God, spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3), and justly condemned by Him. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

SALVATION

Salvation is accomplished completely through Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross as the propitiation for God’s righteous anger and judgment against sinners. Therefore, the only ground for reconciliation with God is what Christ accomplished on the cross, which we receive by faith: our sin imputed to Him and His righteousness imputed to us.

Salvation, then, is not achieved or merited by any works or deeds of our own, but only by grace, as a free gift of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins according to the Scriptures and rose from the dead on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Those who receive Christ by faith have their sins forgiven (Eph. 1:7), their hearts cleansed (Acts 15:9), are born of the Spirit (John 3:8), become children of God (John 1:12-13), and are made new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

RESURRECTION

Our Lord Jesus rose from the dead in the same body that was laid to rest in the tomb (John 20:25-27). The bodies of all believers who die will be raised from the dead, and they will receive incorruptible bodies like His glorious body (1 Cor. 15:53; Phil. 3:21). All others will be raised to the “resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29).

CHRISTIAN LIVING

Christians, having been born of the Spirit, are to live the new life in the power of the Spirit: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16-25; Col. 2:6). The Christian’s responsibility and normal attitude of life is to yield to God (Rom. 6:13) and allow Christ to live His life through him or her (Gal. 2:20).

CHRISTIAN SERVICE

Christian living includes Christian service: the winning of souls around us and the preaching of the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. This work requires the enabling of the Holy Spirit, which is granted to believers as they yield and trust (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 3:20; Acts 5:32). In all service, prayer is to have the central place (John 14:12-14).

RETURN OF CHRIST

Jesus Christ will come again to earth a second time (Heb. 9:28), personally (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:16), bodily (Acts 1:1; Col. 2:9), and visibly (Matt. 26:64; Rev. 1:7). His coming will precede the establishment of His physical kingdom on earth, as foretold by Scripture (Matt. 24:29-30, 42; 2 Thess. 2:7-8; Rev. 20:1-6).