The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, God’s infallible written Word, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that it was uniquely, verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, and that it was written without error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks.
We accept those areas of doctrinal teaching on which, historically, there has been general agreement among all true Christians. Because of the specialised calling of our movement, we desire to allow for freedom of conviction on other doctrinal matters, provided that any interpretation is based upon the Bible alone, and that no such interpretation shall become an issue which hinders the ministry to which God has called us.
We explicitly affirm our belief in basic Bible teachings, as follows:
- There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.
- Jesus Christ is God, the living Word, who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. Hence, He is perfect Deity and true humanity united in one person forever.
- He lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins of people by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone.
- He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died.
- He ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and people, continually makes intercession for His own.
- Humanity was originally created in the image of God. People sinned by disobeying God; thus, they were alienated from their Creator. That historic fall brought all humanity under divine condemnation.
- Human nature is corrupted, and we are thus totally unable to please God. Every person is in need of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
- The salvation of humanity is wholly a work of God’s free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight. In this vital union, the believer is declared righteous positionally forgiven of all sins, past present and future and has complete unchangeable access to God.
- It is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Saviour. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written Word.
- The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to humanity. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth and seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believer’s life by faith.
- Every believer is called to live so in the power of the indwelling Spirit that they will not fulfil the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God. Sins do still arise in the experience of a believer that can lead to guilt and estrangement. Individual confession of sin enables the Christian to experience God’s forgiveness and grace.
- Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, which is composed of all people, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith.
- God admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, for edification through the Scriptures and for mutual encouragement.
- At physical death the believer enters into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of their body to everlasting glory and blessing.
- At physical death the unbeliever enters into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of their body to everlasting judgement and condemnation.
- Jesus will come again to the earth – personally, visibly and bodily – to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.
- The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to disciple people of every nation. The fulfilment of that Great Commission requires that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us".
