Statement of Faith

• We believe that the Bible is God’s unique revelation and that every word was supernaturally inspired by the Holy Spirit as it was being written down by various human authors. The Bible is our final authority for all matters of belief and behaviour (2 Tim 3:16).
• We believe that there is only one God, creator of heaven and earth, who exists eternally as three distinguishable persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, each fully God yet each personallydistinct from the other (Matt 28:18-20; 2 Cor 13:14).
• We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Saviour of the world. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords (Matt 1:22-23; John 1:1-5; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor 15:1-7; 1 Thess 4:13-18).
• We believe in the Holy Spirit who is equal to the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every believer from the moment of salvation. He gives believers power for living, understanding of spiritual truth and guidance for doing what is right. He also empowers believers with spiritual gifts with which to serve the church and a lost and needy world (John 16:7-13; 14:16-17, Acts 1:8, 1 Cor 12-14; Rom 12:3-13; Eph 4:11-13).
• We believe that all people are created in the image of God and matter deeply to Him. Although human beings have tremendous potential for good, they are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called ‘sin’. Our sin separates us from God and there is nothing we can do to attain right standing with God (Rom 5:12, 18).
• We believe that human beings were created to exist forever. Each individual will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is eternal death (Hell). To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life (Heaven). Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence (Matt 25:31-46; John 3:16; 5:24; 2 Thess 1:9; Rev 20:10-15).
• We believe that salvation is a gift of God received through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do to make up for our sin through self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in God’s offer of forgiveness through Christ can people be saved from sin’s penalty (Eph 2:8, 9; Heb 9:12, 22; Rom 5:1, 11; 6:23). Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Saviour (John 17:3).
• We believe in water baptism by immersion in the name of the Godhead in order to fulfil the command of the Lord Jesus Christ(Matt 28:18-20; Acts 2:36-38; 19:1-6). Although we do not believe that water baptism is a requisite for salvation, it is nonetheless an important public declaration by a person oftheir faith in Jesus Christ and is inextricably linked as a next step to betaken following salvation (Acts 8:8; 16:32; 18:8).
• We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an important experience available to every believer. Although important, this baptism is not necessary for salvation. Baptism of the Holy Spirit may occur at the time of salvation or at some time afterwards. We believe that the normal Biblical evidence of being baptised with the Spirit is the ability to speak in other languages or ‘tongues’ (Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-46).
  This ability is given for the purpose of personal prayer, worship and edification (1 Cor 14:1-4, 15. Jude 20). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is available for all believers to be used for their spiritual benefit, not as a mark of spiritual maturity.
• We believe that there is one true universal church made up of genuine believers and comprising many churches in various localities each exercising autonomous government under the headship of Jesus Christ (Acts 15:22; Matt 16:18; 18:15-20).
• We believe in the Lord’s Table, commonly called “communion” or “the Lord's Supper”, for believers (1 Cor 11:28-32; Matt 26:26-28).
• We believe in the healing of the body by God’s power as practised in the early church (Acts 4:30; Rom 8:11; 1 Cor 12:9; Jam 5:14).
• We believe in the reality and personality of the devil and eternal judgement in the lake of fire for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41; Rev 20:14, 15).