CONFESSION OF FAITH
We accept the Bible as the inspired, infallible Word of God and recognize it is the guide for faith and practice of the church and our lives.
Part 1 | ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES:
• We believe that the 66 books of the Holy Bible are the inspired Word of God that it was written by holy men of old, controlled by the Holy Spirit. We believe in verbal-plenary inspiration of the Bible. (II Tim. 3:15-17, II Peter 1:21, Acts 1:16-3:21, II Sam. 23:2, John 10:35, Luke 16:29-31, Psalm 3 to Psalm 111, Rom. 3:1,2)
• It has God, for its author, salvation for its end. (I Pet. 1:10-12, Acts 11:14, Rom. 1:16, Mark 16:16, John 5:38, 39)
• It is truth without any mixture of error for its matter. (Prov. 30:5,6, John 17:17, Rev. 22:18, 19, Rom. 3:4)
• It reveals the principles by which God will Judge us. (Rom. 2:12, John 12:47,48, I Cor. 4:3,4, Luke 10:10-16)
• It is therefore and shall remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian faith and practice and union. (Phil. 3:16, Eph. 4:3-9, Phil. 2:1,2, I Cor. 1:10, I Pet. 4:11)
• It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions must be judged. (I John 4:1,6, Isa. 8:20, I Thess. 5:21, Acts 17:11, II Cor. 13:5, Jude 3, Eph. 6:17, Psalm 119:59, 60, Phil. 1:9-11)
• The literal, grammatical, historical approach is the only way to interpret the Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit is its true Revelator. (Prov. 30:5,6, John 17:17, John 14:13,14, II Tim. 2:15-18, II Pet. 1:21)
Part 2 | ABOUT THE ONLY TRUE GOD:
• We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, whose name is JEHOVAH, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, unchangeable in His essence, nature and being. (Ex. 20:23, Gen. 17:1, I Cor. 8:6, Eph. 4:6, John 4:24k Psalm 147:5, Jer. 10:10, Ex. 15:11, Rev. 4:11. I Tim. 1:17)
• In the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons, the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT; equal in every divine perfection and executing equally distinct and harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Matt. 28:10, John 15:26, I Cor.12:4-6, I John 5:7, Eph. 2:18, II Cor. 13:14)
• The Fatherhood of God is revealed only in the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and in relationship to sinners who by faith in the Lord Jesus become the children of God. (John 17:5-8, Col. 1:15-17, John 1:1,2, Gal. 3:26, John 14:6)
• Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, that He is God, virgin born, the sinless man who died on the cross for the sins of mankind and that he rose from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, soon to come in the air for His Church, then 7 years later to come to earth and reign for 1000 years. (John 3:16, Isa. 9:6, John 1:1, Titus 2:13, Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:18-25, II Cor. 5:21, I Pet. 2:24, I Cor. 15:1-8, Act 1:8-11, I Thess. 4:13-18, Rev. 1:5,6, Rev. 20:5,6)
• The Holy Spirit is God. Today He convicts the sinner of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. He regenerates the believing sinner. He indwells, seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, fills and helps the believer and restrains sin. (John 14:16,17, John 16:7-11, John 3:6, Eph. 1:13, Eph. 5:18, John 16:13,14, Col. 3:12-17, Gal. 5:22,23 tells us that the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance – is the evidence of His indwelling rather than the speaking in tongues, and other spectacular demonstrations.
PART 3 | ABOUT THE ANGELS:
• We believe that all Angels were created by God to be ministering spirits and to be defenders of His Holiness. (Col. 1:16, Ezek. 28:11-19, Isa. 6:2-7, Heb. 1:14)
• Satan was once holy, and enjoyed heavenly honors; but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, fell and drew after him a host of angels; that he is now the malignant prince of power in the air, and the unholy God of this world. We hold him to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of God and His Christ, the accuser of the saints, the author of all false religious, the chief power back of the present apostasy; the Lord of the Anti-Christ, and the author of all powers of darkness. He is destined to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son, and to the judgment of eternal justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his angels. (Isa. 14:12-15, Ezek. 28:14-17, Rev. 12:9, Jude 6, II Pet. 2:4, Eph. 2:2, John 14:30, I Pet. 5:8, I Thess. 3:5, Matt. 4:1-3, Matt. 13:25, 37-39, Zech. 1:3, I John 3:8, Luke 22:3,4, Rev. 12:10, II Cor. 11:13-15, Mark 13:21,22, I John 4:3, II John 7, I John 2:22, Rev. 13:13,14, II Thess. 2:8-11, Rev. 19:11, 16, 20, Rev. 12:7-9, Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 20:10, Matt. 25:41)
PART 4 | ABOUT CREATION:
• We believe that the Genesis account of Creation whereby God in a free and voluntary act brought into being, in the beginning, for His own Gory without the use of pre-existent materials or secondary causes, and whole visible and invisible universe. (Gen. 1:1, Neh. 9:6, Col. 1:16,17, Acts 4:24, Heb. 11:3, Jer. 10:12)
PART 5 | ABOUT MAN:
• We believe that man was created innocent by God and His image after His likeness, but not by any evolutionary process. (Gen. 1:26-28, Gen. 2:7-24, Gen. 3:1-6, I Cor. 11:7)
• By personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man fell into sin and is totally depraved under the commendation of sin and needs to be saved. (Gen. 3:6-24, Rom. 3:10-19, Rom. 5:23,29, Eph. 2:1-3, John 3:3-5)
PART 6 | ABOUT SALVATION:
• We believe that God has provided reconciliation Himself through Salvation from sin through Grace on His part and through Faith on man’s part. (Rom. 5:19, John 5:24, John 1:12, Titus 3:5,6, Eph. 2:8,9)
• Sinners in order to be saved must be “BORN AGAIN”. (John 3:3-7)
• The Salvation of sinners in wholly by the grace of God apart from all human works. (Eph. 2:8,9, Titus 3:5,6)
• Faith in and acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as one’s own personal Savior is the only condition of Salvation. (John 1:12, Gal. 3:26, Acts 16:31, Gal. 2:16)
• Salvation for the believer takes care of the past, provides for present and secures the future. Justification does away with the Penalty of sin; Sanctification secures relief from the Power of sin; Glorification will one day remove us from the very Presence of sin. (Rom. 5:1, Rom. 8:28,29, I Peter 1:5, Gal. 2:20)
• Salvation involves a new creation, with old things passing away and all things becoming new. This is accomplished by yielding to the Holy Spirit’s control in one’s life. (John 6:47, John 14:17, Gal. 5:16, Rom. 8:11, Rom. 12:1,2)
PART 7 | ABOUT THE SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER:
• We believe all who are truly born again are eternally secure, kept by God the Father for Jesus Christ. (John 10:27-29, Phil. 1:6, I Peter 1:5, John 5:24, John 6:37-40, Rom. 5:8,9, John 17)
• Nothing can separate true believers from the love of God. They are kept by the power of God unto salvation soon to be fully revealed at the Rapture of the Church. (Col. 1:21-23, Rom. 8:35-39, I John 2:19, II Cor. 3:18, II Peter 1:3)
PART 8 | ABOUT THE SEPARATION OF THE BELIEVER:
• We believe that since our citizenship is in Heaven as believers, we ought to walk in separation from this present world, having no fellowship with its evil ways, abstaining from all worldly amusements and unclean habits while defile the body and mind. (II Cor. 6:14-18, Rom. 12:2, Eph. 5:11, I Thess. 5:22, I Tim. 5:6, I Pet, 2:11, Eph. 5:3,5,18, I Cor. 6:28,30, I Cor. 9:26,27, II Cor. 7:1)
• Believers are commanded not to divorce one another. (Matt. 5:32, I Cor. 7:10-16, I Cor. 7:27,29)
• Believers are not to belong to secret societies where are sworn to secrecy. (James 5:12)
• Believers are commanded against entangling alliance with unbelievers especially in marriage. (II Cor. 6:14-18)
• Believers are to refrain from swearing an oath of any kind, also from taking believers to court and from taking personal vengeance in any dispute. (James 5:12, I Cor. 6:1-8, Rom. 12: 18-20, Matt. 18:15-19)
PART 9 | ABOUT THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS:
• We believe that Jesus Christ is our great High Priest and as believers we are priests in our own right. Through the Lord Jesus we have access to God without the aid of human priest. (Heb. 5:5-10, I John 2:1, Heb. 8:1-6, Heb. 7:11-22, Heb. 3:1)
• The believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Scriptures guided and aided by the Holy Spirit. ((I Pet. 2:5-9, II Tim. 2:15, Eph. 1:17,18, Eph. 3:1-21)
PART 10 | ABOUT THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST:
• We believe the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church which is his body. (I Cor. 12:12, 29, Eph. 4:4-6)
• All believers are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion into His body, and are to live and by means of the Holy Spirit. (I Cor. 12:13, Eph. 5:28)
• The Lord Jesus is to be the LORD AND MASTER as well as SAVIOUR of the believer. (Eph. 5:8-10, Phil. 1:19-21, Phil. 2L10,11, Col. 1:24-28)
PART 11 | ABOUT THE CHURCH:
• We believe the True Church is Universal and Invisible made up of born again believers from Pentecost to the Rapture and are only known to God. (I Cor. 12:25-27, Eph. 3:3-6, Eph. 5:25-32, Col. 1:18, Rom. 12:5, Acts 2:41, I Pet. 2:5, Gal. 1:2, I Cor. 1:2)
• The Local Church is God’s method of carrying out the Divine Commission and it is to be a lighthouse and a witness in the local community. (Matt. 28:19,20, Acts 1:8)
• The officers of the local church are PASTORS and DEACONS. Its members are to be baptized believers, who also constitute its governing body, whose will is final. (Acts 14:23, Acts 6:5,6, I Tim. 3:17, I Cor. 5:4, I Cor. 6:1-4)
• The Local Church has the absolute right of self-government, free from hierarchy of any kind. The Church Body is the sole judge of all matters of membership, government, discipline, and benevolence in accord with the Word of God. (Eph. 1:15-23, Col. 1:18, Jude 25, Acts 15:13-23)
• The Local Church is to assemble together to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. The Undershepherd is to feed the flock with the whole counsel of God. The Church is to administer the ordinances of Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. (Acts 20:27,28, I Pet. 5:1-4, I Cor. 11:23-32, John 4:23, II Tim. 4:2, Rom. 6:4, Col. 2:22)
• The Church and State have distinct spheres of responsibility. We believe in the Separation of Church and State. The Church has no power over the State and the State is to have no power over the Church. (Rom. 13:1-7, Acts 5:28, 29)
PART 12 | ABOUT THE LAST DAYS:
We believe the following order of events will occur in the prescribed sequence:
• The RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH will trigger God’s prophetic time clock. The dead in Christ shall be raised and the living saints will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air to be with Him and like Him forever. Since His coming is imminent, He could come at any moment. (I Thess. 4:13-18, I Cor. 15:51,52)
• Each saint must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive or lose reward for the things done in the body whether good or bad. (II Cor. 5:10, I Cor. 3:12-14, Rom. 14:1-12)
• After the Rapture of the Saints, the TRIBULATION begins immediately. It is the time of Jacob’s Trouble when Israel and the Nations will be judged. (II Thess. 2:2-10, Matt. 24 and 25, Dan. 9:27, Dan. 11:36-45, I Thess. 5:1-11, Zeph. 1:14-18, Joel 3:1-21)
• At the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus to planet earth, the 7 years Tribulation will end. Then the 1,000 year reign of Christ or the MILLENNIUM will begin. Christ will reign over earth’s peoples from Jerusalem with rod of iron, a righteous rule. The Devil will be changed at the beginning and will be loosed at the end of the 1,000 years to deceive the Nations once more. Then he will be cast into hell, the lake of fire, forever. (Isa. 2:1-5, Isa. 9:6,7, Isa. 11:4,5,9, Zec. 8:23, Rev. 20:6-9, Isa. 66)
• The Great White Throne Judgment follows the Millennium at which time the loss of all ages will be judged according to their works and consigned to Hell. (Rev. 20:5, Rev. 11:15, Rom. 2:16)
• After the Great White Throne Judgment, the wicked will be in eternal torment. The righteous will find eternal rest in the New Heavens and the New Earth. Then GOD shall be all and in all. (Rev. 14:10, Rev. 21:8, I Pet. 3:2-13, John 14:1-3, I Cor. 15:28)