Doctrinal Statement

Doctrine of God

We believe in God who is eternally existing in three persons: (1) God the Father; (2) God the Son; (3) God the Holy Spirit. These three persons of the Godhead are all equal in all their attributes of deity and one is not above the other. The Father is the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth. His work of revealing Himself to man kind through creation, the Word and His Son, in that he might save man (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5; Mark 12:29-32; I John 5:7).

Doctrine of the Scriptures

We believe that the Hebrew Scripture and New Covenant are verbally and plenary inspired of God. God so superintended the writers of Scripture in guiding them in their choice of words (not dictation) and not denying them of their own personality and style to record His revelation without error (in the original manuscripts) which is infallible as to truth and final as to divine authority. (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21; 3:16; 3:2; Matthew 5:18; John 10:35).

Doctrine of Messiah

We believe that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is the second person of the Godhead for He is eternally pre-existent (Colossians 1:16-17; Revelation 1:8; John 8:58; Isaiah 9:6; 44:6; 48:12-16; 50:1-6; Zechariah 11:4-14; 12:10). He is very God with all the attributes of God the Father (Colossians 2:9). He is omnipresent ( Matthew 28:20; John 1:48), omniscient (John 16:30; 21:17; 6:64; 18:4), omnipotent ( Matthew 9:6; 28:18; Luke 8:25; John 10:18; Colossians 1:16-17) and immutable ( Hebrews 13:8; 1:12b). We believe the Messiah is the focus of the scriptures from Genesis 3:15 through the Law, Prophet and the Writings. That He will come to the earth twice, first to be the “Lamb of God” and to be rejected by Israel as they Messiah, who will die for the sins of the world, fulfilling the incarnation of God in flesh, thus the suffering prophecies of His first coming. The Second Coming, He will come as King and fulfill all the other Messianic Prophecies in the Law, Prophets and the Writings with His literal reign in Jerusalem as King and ruler over the earth. We believe that the Messiah had two natures for He is very God and very man (Isaiah 9:6-7; Micah 5:2). Messiah also was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was virgin born (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-35). In God’s plan to redeem man, Messiah took on Him a body of flesh and lived a sinless and perfect life and through believing in Him, we have life eternal (Hebrews 1:10-14; Acts 16:31). His work is that of being the visible revelation of God, who has made possible the way to salvation. We believe that Messiah died on the tree and after three days was bodily resurrected and seen of over 500 people (I Corinthians 15). The Messiah also ascended bodily (Acts 1:1-11) and is seated at God’s right hand (Hebrews 1:2, 13) and is my high priest and advocate and will in the future come for His Church (I Thessalonians 4).

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is a person and not an influence (Isaiah 48:16; John 15:26; 16:13-14). The Holy Spirit is eternal (Hebrews 9:14). The Holy Spirit is very God and has all the attributes of God the Father and God the Son, for He is omnipresent (Psalms 139:7-10), omniscient (I Corinthians 2:10-11), omnipotent (I Peter 3:18; Genesis 1:2; ) and immutable. The Holy Spirit without a physical body has willingly subordinated Himself to the Father and Son and proceeds from Them (John 15:26). Works that affirm His personality are creation (Genesis 1:2), teaching (John 16:13), guidance (Romans 8:14), comforts (John 14:26), and He commands (Acts 8:29), and makes intercession for us (Romans 8:26). The work of the Holy Spirit to the world is to reprove the world of sin righteousness and judgment (John 16:7-11). The work of the Holy Spirit to the believer is that He regenerates (Romans 8:9), baptizes (I Corinthians 12:13), fills (Ephesians 5:18), seals (Ephesians 1:13), indwells (I Corinthians 2:12; 6:19-20) and is the one who can enable us to walk in Messiah (Galatians 5:16).

Doctrine of Angels

We believe angels are created beings (Ezekiel 28:15; Psalms 148:2-5) and have not existed from eternity past. Angels are incorporeal spirit beings without flesh and blood (Luke 24:39). Angels worship God (Revelation 5:11-12), and they are also ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14). There are two classifications of angels: (1) Un-fallen angels (Jude 6; Mark 8:28; Matthew 25:31) such as Seraphim (Isaiah 6:2, 6), Cherubim (Genesis 3:24; Ezekiel 10:8, 22), Michael the archangel (Jude 9), Gabriel (Daniel 9:21), and elect angels (I Timothy 5:21). (2) Fallen angels (Jude 6; II Peter 2:4), such as Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:11-16), and demons who fell with him (Jude 6). We believe there is a personal devil (Job 1:6-12; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:15-17; Revelation 12:7-9), who is not all-powerful and that his future destiny is the lake of fire (Matthew 8:29). At present he is the god of this world and the enemy of God and his saints (Ephesians 2:1-2).

Doctrine of Man

We believe that man was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and God breathed into man the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Man then being without sin was tempted and sinned against God (Genesis 3:4-7). Man, because of sin, must die (Genesis 3:3, 19, 22; Romans 5:12) and man at that time became spiritually dead, eternally separated from God. We believe all man are born with a sinful nature and are totally depraved (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 5:12) and can do nothing to merit God’s favor (Ephesians 2:8-9). So God provided redemption by the shedding of Messiah’s blood (Revelation 5:9-10) because man was in need of a redeemer (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Upon trusting in Jesus, the Messiah, God’s righteousness is imputed to us (II Corinthians 5:21).

Doctrine of Sin

We believe that men are sinners by nature (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 5:12). We believe sin is lawlessness against God and His will. All men are guilty and none are righteous (Romans 3:9-12). So man possesses only one nature and that is the nature which was imputed to him by Adam (Romans 5:12). We believe a Christian has two natures, the old and the new (II Corinthians 5:17 Ephesians 4:22-24). The new nature was received at the moment of salvation. The Christian is tempted in three areas: the world, the flesh and the devil. Christians do sin but they have an advocate, Yeshua ha Mashiah (Jesus Christ), the Righteous (I John 1:9).

Doctrine of Salvation

We believe that Messiah died on the cross for our sins (I Peter 2:24) for this was the Substitutionary sacrifice (Ephesians 5:2). His sacrifice, when we believed on Him, makes us sons of God (Galatians 3:26). On the basis of His blood, which is the sole payment for sin (Hebrews 9:22), We are justified before God (Romans 5:8-9). Salvation is faith in Messiah plus nothing (Ephesians 2:8-9) for it is a free gift of God. We believe all believers are to be living a separated life (Romans 6:12-13; II Corinthians 6:14-18). We ought to identify ourselves with Him rather than the world (Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17). We believe all Christians must walk in the spirit to have a testimony among the world as sons of God. We believe that Christians cannot have effective testimonies if they grieve (Ephesians 4:30) or quench (I Thessalonians 5:19) the Holy Spirit. All Christians in order to have an effective testimony must yield their lives completely over to the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:13; 12:1-2). If Christians are walking in the Spirit their lives will produce the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; I John 2:16). If a Christian is yielded to the Holy Spirit he will love other Christians (John 13:34-35). Every thought will be brought into the obedience of Messiah (II Corinthians 10:5), he will always rejoice, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks (I Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Terms related to salvation briefly defined:

Salvation is almost exclusively used as deliverance from the power and dominion of sin (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 5:9).
Regeneration literal means to be born again, born a second time, the giving of new life, born from above (Titus 3:5; Ephesians 2:1; John 3:7).

Justification means being declared righteous by God, because of Messiah’s finished work on the cross, and our acceptance of the Messiah as our personal saviour (Romans 3:24-28; 5:8-10).
Redemption is the act whereby God redeems us based on Messiah’s finished work on the tree with the price being His blood (I Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9; Romans 3:24).

Faith involves two things, (a) the acknowledgment of the mind to revealed truth, (b) and very important, it is the submission of the whole person to the guidance and control of that revealed truth (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9).
Repentance means a change of mind, literally a turning around, a change of course, a change of direction, a change of attitude (I Thessalonians 1:8-10).

Grace is the means by which God is able to save man (all that is involved in salvation), when man puts his faith and trust in Messiah, and His finished work of redemption (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:24; Titus 2:11-15).
Propitiation is the work of Messiah that satisfies all the claims of divine holiness, righteousness, and justice, so that God is free to act on behalf of sinners (Romans 3:25; I John 2:2; 4:10).

Imputation means to reckon over to one, or to set down to ones account (Romans 5:12, 17-19).
Forgiveness, (a) signifies the removal of the punishment for sin, and deliverance of the sinner from the penalty, which was divinely imposed. (b) It also involves the complete removal of the cause of the offense to God, sin (Romans 5:17; I John 1:9; 2:12).

Sanctification is literally at the point of salvation that we are set apart unto God for holy use. This involves my position in Messiah as well as my daily walk (I Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 4:1).

Spirit Baptism is being placed into the body of Messiah at the point of Salvation (I Corinthians 12:12-13).
Eternal Security means when a person accepts Messiah as Saviour he is saved for eternity. He can not lose his salvation (Ephesians 4:30).
Glorification means that we will be like Messiah when we see him face to face, we will have a body as His, and our redemption is completed (Philippians 3:21; I Corinthians 15:42-57).

Doctrine of the Church

“The Church, which is His Body” is composed of all believers from Pentecost to the Rapture. The Church is a group of people who have been called out (ecclesia) of the world and placed into Messiah (I Corinthians 12:12-13). A local New Testament church is a body of believers, immersed upon confession of faith in Jesus, the Messiah, having two officers, sovereign in policy. Gathered together for work, worship, and the observance of the ordinances and the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel. The two offices of the church are pastors-elders (I Timothy 3:2-7), and secondly deacons (I Timothy 3:8-13). The two ordinances of the church are the Lord’s table (I Corinthians 11:23-24), and baptism (Acts 2:41; 8:36-37). The local church is sovereign, it is responsible to Messiah and not to any other body or head. The purpose of the church is three fold; (1) to glorify God (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14), (2) to witness (Acts 1:8), (3) to edify itself (Ephesians 4:11-16). God has chosen the local church as the means by which to reach the world for Messiah. We believe firmly in the Baptist distinctives which are as follows: (1) the accuracy and the authority of the Bible, (2) the Sovereignty of God, (3) in Individual Soul Liberty, (4) Regenerated, baptized church members, (5) in sovereign, independent local churches, (6) in two offices, (7) in two ordinances, (8) the priesthood of all believers.

Doctrines of Future Things

We believe in the pre-millennial return of Messiah. In the imminent return of Messiah for His Church before the tribulation (I Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 3:10). We believe in the literal millennial reign of Messiah (Revelation 19). We believe there will be a judgment time for all believers where they will be rewarded (II Corinthians 5:10; I Corinthians 3:12-15), and so shall we ever be with the Lord (John 14:1-5). We believe that all unbelievers will also be judged and they will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).

Dispensations:

We believe that dispensations are stewardships or economies by which God administers His purpose on earth through man by varying responsibilities through which God will ultimately be glorified. They are chronologically successive and they are not different ways of salvation but the means of salvation was always by grace through faith, and the object of faith was always God. But the content of faith changed in different dispensations based upon the progression of revelation.
The view of Scripture is based upon the literal interpretation with a distinction between Israel and the Church. Literal interpretation is best described by D.L. Cooper:
“When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the context indicate clearly otherwise”

Doctrine of Israel

We believe that God called a people to Himself who are the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 19:6; Deuteronomy 4:37; 7:6-8; 9:4-5; 10:15-16; 14:2; II Kings 13:22-23; Romans 11:29; Hebrews 6:13), that Israel is the Wife of Jehovah, unfaithful in the past, divorced in the present, and to be reunited in the future. God has four unconditional covenants (1. Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-17; 15:1-21; 17:1-21; 22:15-18; 2. Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20; 3. I Chronicles 17:10-15; 4. Jeremiah 31:31-34) with Israel that have remained largely unfulfilled and that God intends to fulfill all His promises to Israel in a literal way just as His warning and judgments were fulfilled in a literal way. In Israel’s history of unbelief, there has always been a believing remnant according to the election of grace (Romans 11:1-5). In the future fulfillment there will be a national regeneration of Israel (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hosea 6:1-3; Romans 11:26) at which time all the pro-visions of the unconditional covenants will be fulfilled, including the land, seed and blessing aspects.

We believe in a literal one thousand-year reign of Messiah on earth (Revelation 20:6-7) over Israel and the Gentiles during which time the Church will co-reign with Messiah (I Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 20:4), the unconditional covenants with Israel will be fulfilled. Israel will be restored along with the resurrection of the Old Testament saints. Satan will be bound in the abyss (Revelation 20:2), the curse will be lifted (Isaiah 11:5-9; Romans 8:19-22), and the knowledge of God will permeate the world (Isaiah 11:9). Peace will be maintained by the iron-rod rule of Messiah (Revelation 19:15).