About Us

GOD

The Trinity

We believe that God is Triune. By this, we understand that “God’s whole and undivided essence belongs equally, eternally, simultaneously and fully to each of the three distinct Persons of the Godhead” — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Bruce Ware). The three are one in that they have the same nature, attributes, and perfections, and are worthy of the same worship, trust, and obedience (Matt. 28:18–19; Mark 12:29; John 1:14; Acts 5:3–4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:1–3; Rev. 1:4–6).

JESUS CHRIST

The Person

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity. He came to manifest God and become the Redeemer of this world. To this end He was born of a virgin, received a sinless human body and nature (John 1:18; 3:16; Heb. 4:15), and remained a perfect man throughout. Yet, He retained His absolute deity, being at the same time fully God and completely man (John 1:1-2; Phil.2: 5-8). His earth-life sometimes functioned within the sphere of that which was human and sometimes within the sphere of that which was divine (Luke 2:40; John 1:1–2; Phil. 2:5–8).

The First Coming

We believe that Christ first came, in fulfilment of OT prophecies, to Israel as her Messiah-King; and being rejected of that nation, He gave His life as a ransom for all according to the eternal counsels of God (John 1:11; Acts 2:22–24; 1 Tim. 2:6).

The Atonement

We believe that Christ’s death was both penal and substitutionary in the absolute sense. By ‘penal’ we mean that Christ bore the divine penalty against sin which the righteousness of God must impose on all mankind. We understand that Christ died as ‘a substitute’ in that He personally met and bore the punishment which sinners merit; Christ died in the place of sinners —the just for the unjust—and by His death Christ became the Savior of the lost (John 1:29; Rom. 3:25–26; 2 Cor. 5:14; Heb. 10:5–14; 1 Pet. 3:18).

The Resurrection

We believe that Christ physically rose from the dead, in the same body, though glorified. His resurrection body is the pattern of that body which ultimately will be given to all believers (John 20:20; Phil. 3:20–21).

The Ascension

We believe that the resurrected Christ physically ascended to Heaven to the Father. He was accepted by His Father and that His acceptance is a final assurance to us that His redeeming work was perfectly accomplished (Acts 1:10-11; Heb. 1:3).

Present Ministry

We believe that the risen and now glorified Christ became Head over all things and of the Church which is His spiritual body; and in this ministry He continues to intercede and advocate for the saved (Eph. 1:22–23; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1; Col1:15-20).

The Return

We believe that as He went, the Lord Jesus Christ will physically return to earth, in person with power and great glory. (Acts 1:10-11; Rev 19:11-21).

The Holy Spirit

The Person

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. We understand that the Holy Spirit is not a just divine ‘force’ but a distinct person who is fully God just as the Father and the Son. (Acts 5:3-4; 13:2; Eph 4:30; Jn 14:16).

The Ministry

We believe that, in a special sense, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to dwell permanently in every believer, and by His baptism He unites all to Christ into one spiritual body (1 Cor 12:13). As the Indwelling One, He is the source of all power and all acceptable worship and service. He never departs from the church, or from the weakest of the saints, but is forever present to testify of Christ. He seeks to fully control believers and occupy them with Himself. We believe that His current outworking in this special sense will cease when Christ comes to receive His own at the completion of the church (John 14:16–17; 16:7–15; 1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 2:22; 2 Thess. 2:7).
We believe that, in this age of the church, some well-defined ministries are committed to the Holy Spirit, and it is the duty of every Christian to understand and be adjusted to them in his own life and experience. These ministries are the restraining of evil in the world to the measure of the divine will; the convicting of the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; the regenerating of all believers; the indwelling and anointing of all who are saved, thereby sealing them until the day of redemption; the baptizing into the one body of Christ of all who are saved; and the continued filling for the service of those among the saved who are yielded to Him and who are subject to His will (John 3:6; 16:7–11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:30; 5:18; 2 Thess. 2:7; 1 John 2:20–27).

The Gifts

We believe that the Holy Spirit gave spiritual gifts of two kinds to the early church for its ministry: revelatory gifts and non-revelatory gifts.
The revelatory gifts were miraculous in nature, given temporarily during the apostolic era for the purpose of making known and confirming the apostles’ message (Heb 2:3-4; 2 Cor 12:12). These are the gifts of apostleship, prophecy, speaking in tongues and miraculous healings (1Cor 12:28; Eph 3:5; 4:11a). We understand that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or the filling of the Holy Spirit; and that no one possesses the spiritual gift of healing today. However, God does continue to miraculously heal today in accordance with His sovereign and perfect will (Lk. 18:1-6; 2 Cor 12:6-10; Jam 5:13-16). The complete deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection (Rom. 8:23; Phil 3:20).
The non-revelatory gifts were not miraculous by nature and were given to equip the saints for edifying one another. They may also be called ministering gifts. (Rom 12:6-8; Eph 4: 11b,12). They include teaching, pastoring, evangelism, giving, serving, exhorting, leadership, etc. This does not mean that the revelatory gifts did not edify nor equip the church but what distinguished them from the non-revelatory gifts was their supernatural nature. With the completion of the Bible and the apostles’ deaths, the revelatory gifts were no longer necessary (1 Cor 13:8-12; Heb 2:3-4). Hence, we believe that the non-revelatory equipping gifts are the only ones in operation today for the building up of the church.

Angels

The Fallen Angels

We believe that God created an innumerable number of sinless, spiritual beings, known as angels. But one, Lucifer— “the shining one”—sinned through pride, thereby becoming Satan. A great company of the angels followed him in his moral fall; some of them became demons, who are his active agents in pursuing his unholy purposes; others who fell are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness until God’s final judgment on the great day” (Isa. 14:12–17; Ezek. 28:11–19; 1 Tim. 3:6; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6).
We believe that Satan is the originator of sin, and that, he deceived our first parents, Adam and Eve into transgression, thereby instigating their moral fall and subjecting them and their descendants to his power. He is the enemy of God and the people of God, and He opposes the program of God. In his warfare, he appears as an angel of light, even counterfeiting the works of God by fostering false religious movements and doctrines. These systems are characterized by a denial of the efficacy of Christ death and of salvation by grace alone (Gen. 3:1–19; Rom. 5:12–14; 2 Cor. 4:3–4; 11:13–15; Eph. 6:10–12; 2 Thess. 2:4; 1 Tim. 4:1–3). We believe that Satan was defeated at the Cross, but not judged then and that he now rules as the “god of this world.” At the second coming of Christ, Satan will be bound and cast into the abyss for a thousand years, and after the thousand years he will be released for a little while before finally being “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.” There he “shall be tormented day and night forever (Col. 2:15; Rev. 20:1–3, 10).

The Holy Angels

We also believe that a great company of angels did not fall but kept their holy estate and are before the throne of God. From here they are sent to minister to those who are heirs of salvation (Luke 15:10; Eph. 1:21; Heb. 1:14; Rev. 7:11-12).
We believe that man was made lower than the angels; and that, in Christ’s incarnation, he took this lower place for a little time so that He might redeem believers and bring them to glory (Heb. 2:6–10).

Man

We believe that God created both man and woman in His image, the image of God (Gen 1:26-27); and that He created them both of equal worth before Him (Gal 2:28). We also believe that by divine design the order of authority is of male over female. We understand that man was made first and then the woman for the man, as a pattern laid down before the fall regarding their respective roles. Based upon the order of creation and the relationship within the Godhead (1 Cor 11:3-10) the woman is to be functionally subject to the man within the family and the church. Hence, we understand that the woman was created to help and complement the man in together fulfilling the divine mandate of being God’s image in the world.

Sin

We believe that though the man was created in the image of God he fell through sin. The consequence of this is that he lost his relationship with God. We understand that sin in its essence is the lack of faith in God (Rom 14:23); it is unbelief in God’s goodness and His promises. Conversely, sin is, believing in something or someone other than God, namely self, the result of which is disobedience of God’s commandments and laws. Unbelief (with its resulting self-exaltation or pride) is the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, which caused them to disobey God’s command in the garden (Gen 3:6). Hence, we understand sin as an internal heart issue and not merely an external act (Mark 7:20-23).
We believe that Adam’s sinful human nature has been transmitted to the entire human race, the only exception being the Man Christ Jesus; hence every child of Adam born into the world is with a nature which is essentially and unchangeably sinful apart from divine grace (Gen. 1:26; 2:17; Rom. 3:10-29; Eph. 2:1-3). We believe that man in his sinful state is totally depraved in his ability to please God and merit salvation in any way. Hence, we believe that all are sinners and unable to save themselves. No degree of reformation, attainment in morality or culture, or taking baptism or other ordinance, can help the sinner enter heaven. Because of sin, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless born again. (Gen. 1:26; 2:17; 6:5; Pss. 14:1–3; 51:5; Jer. 17:9; John 3:6; 5:40; 6:35; Rom. 3:10–19; 8:6–7; Eph. 2:1–3; 1 Tim. 5:6; 1 John 3:8).

Salvation

The Source

We believe that our salvation has been fully accomplished solely by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for our sins in our place. Christ’s life and death is fully sufficient to save a believing sinner. Nothing in any way can add any value to Christ’s finished work for us, be it repentance, good feelings, good decisions, sincere efforts, service or even submission to the rules and regulations of any church (Lev. 17:11; Isa. 64:6; Matt. 26:28; John 3:7–18; Rom. 5:6–9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 6:15; Eph. 1:7; Phil. 3:4–9; Titus 3:5; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:18–19, 23).

The Means

We believe that the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in Christ and that repentance is a vital aspect of believing. Repentance is in no way, in itself, a separate and independent condition of salvation; nor are any other acts, such as confession, baptism, prayer, or faithful service is to be added to believing as a condition for eternal salvation (John 1:12; 3:16, 18, 36; 5:24; 6:29; Acts 13:39; 16:31; Rom. 1:16–17; 3:22, 26; 4:5; 10:4; Gal. 3:22).

The Time

We believe that when an unregenerate person exercises that faith in Christ, he passes immediately into eternal life out of spiritual death. He is fully justified before God. As soon as he is saved, that person is in possession of every spiritual blessing and absolutely complete in Christ. He is therefore in no way required by God to seek a so-called “second blessing,” or a “second work of grace” (John 5:24; 17:23; Acts 13:39; Rom. 5:1; 1 Cor. 3:21–23; Eph. 1:3; Col. 2:10; 1 John 4:17; 5:11–12).

The Process

We believe that salvation is threefold: it is already complete for every saved person because his position before God is in Christ (justified). We believe, however, that the believer retains his sin nature, which cannot be eradicated in this life. Therefore, while the standing of the Christian in Christ is perfect, his present state is no more perfect than his experience in daily life. There is, therefore, a progressive aspect of salvation wherein the Christian is to “grow in grace” and to “be changed” by the unhindered power of the Spirit (sanctification). We believe also that the child of God will yet be fully sanctified (glorification) when he shall be resurrected to see his Lord and shall be “like Him” (John 17:17; 2 Cor. 3:18; 7:1; Eph. 4:24; 5:25–27; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 10:10, 14; 12:10).

The Security

We believe that all true believers once saved shall be kept saved forever. This is because: (1) of the very nature of the divine gift of eternal life, (2) of the present and unending intercession of Christ in heaven, (3) of the unchangeable character and promises of God, (4) and the regenerating, abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all who are saved.
We believe, however, that God being a holy and righteous Father, cannot overlook the sins of His children; He will chasten them and correct them in love; but having undertaken to save forever, apart from all human merit, He will, in the end, present every one of them faultless before the presence of His glory and conformed to the image of His Son (John 5:24; 10:28; 13:1; 14:16–17; 17:11; Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 6:19; Heb. 7:25; 1 John 2:1–2; 5:13; Jude 24).

The Assurance

We believe it is the privilege of all true believers to be assured of their salvation from the day they take Him as their Savior. We also believe that this assurance is wholly based upon the surety of God’s written Word, and not upon any self-worthiness. This should bring love, gratitude, and obedience in God’s children (Luke 10:20; 22:32; 2 Cor. 5:1, 6–8; 2 Tim. 1:12; Heb. 10:22; 1 John 5:13).

The Christian Walk

We believe that true believers are called by God to live not in the flesh but in the Spirit. We mean by this that the Christian life is not to be lived out in the strength of the self but in dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit to honour God and not fulfil the desires of the self. The flesh, therefore, needs to be kept by the Spirit constantly in subjection to Christ, or else it will surely manifest itself in our lives to the dishonour of our Lord. This struggle between the self and the Spirit is ongoing because the flesh is never eradicated but is with us till the end of our earthly life. (Rom. 6:11–13; 8:2, 4, 12–13; Gal. 5:16–23; Eph. 4:22–24; Col. 2:1–10; 1 Pet. 1:14–16; 1 John 1:4–7; 3:5–9).

The Church

Nature

We believe that the Church is God’s program for today. We believe that all who put their trust in Christ alone as their Savior are immediately placed (baptized) by the Holy Spirit into one spiritual body, known as the church (1 Cor12:12-13), of which Christ is the Head (Eph 4:15; Col 1:18). The church is a unique spiritual entity, made up of all born-again believers in this present age (Eph 2:11-3:6). The formation of the church began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21, 38-47) and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture (1 Cor.15:51-52; 1 Thess 4:13-18). Hence, the church is distinct from Israel of the OT (1 Cor 10:32), is a mystery not revealed by God in the OT (Eph 3:1-6; 5:32). The church comprises both universal and local aspects.

The Universal

All who are united to the risen and ascended Son of God are members of the universal church, which is also termed as the body and the bride of Christ. Having become members of the same Body, we are under solemn duty to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, rising above all sectarian differences, and loving one another with a pure heart fervently (Matt. 16:16–18; Acts 2:42–47; Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12–27; Eph. 1:20–23; 4:3–10; Col. 3:14–15).

The Local

We believe that the members of the one Spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies (1 Cor 11:18-20; Heb10:25). We believe that the establishment and continuity of local churches are clearly taught in the New Testament (Acts 14:23, 27; 20:17, 28; Gal1:2; Phil 1:1; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1).

The Purpose

We believe that the purpose of a local church is to glorify God (Eph 3:21) by building itself up in the faith (Eph 4:13-16), by instruction of the Word (2 Tim 2:2, 15; 3:16-17), by fellowship and prayer (Acts 2:47; 1 John 1:3), by keeping the ordinances (Luke 22:19; Acts 2:38-42) and by advancing the gospel to the entire world (Matt 28:19; Acts 1:8).

The Ordinances

We believe that ‘water baptism’ (immersion) for believers and the Lord’s Supper (memorial view) are the only two ordinances for the church to practice in this age (Matt.28: 19; Lk 22: 19, 20; Acts 10:47,48; 16:32, 33; 18:7-8; I Cor.11: 26).

The Authority

We believe that Christ himself is the Lord and supreme authority of a local church (1 Cor 11:3; Eph 1:22; Col 1:18) and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over an assembly are the elders (or bishops: Acts 20:28) and the deacons (1 Tim3:1-13; Tit 1:5-9; 1 Pet 5:1-5). These leaders rule as servants of Christ (1 Tim 5:17-22) and have His authority in directing the church, based on the Scriptures. The congregation is to submit to their leadership (Heb13:7, 17).
We believe in the biblical autonomy of a local church (Tit 1:5). By this, we mean that a local church is ultimately ruled from within and not by an office or body outside of itself. This does not mean that a local church is absolutely independent in the fullest sense of the word. There is a need for healthy interdependence between likeminded churches. Thus, we understand that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for maintaining sound doctrines and propagation of the faith. The measure and method of cooperation with other local churches are to be decided by the responsible leaders of a church through careful study, discussion and application of Scripture (Acts 15:19-31; 20:28; 1 Cor 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet 5:1-4).

The Ministry

We believe that the calling of all saints is to do the work of the ministry of building up the church (Eph 4:12; 1 Cor 15:58; Rev 22:12). The need of the church is to work with God as He accomplishes His purpose in the world. To that end, God gives the church spiritual gifts. He has given special spiritual abilities to each member of the Body of Christ (Rom12:5-8; 1 Cor 12:4-31; 1 Pet 4:10-11) and also chosen those for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:7-12).

The Rewards

We believe that rewards are promised according to the faithfulness of each believer in his service to His Lord in the building up of the church, and that these rewards will be bestowed at the judgment seat of Christ after He comes to receive His own to Himself (1 Cor. 3:9–15; 9:18–27; 2 Cor. 5:10). These rewards are apart from the salvation blessings which are given equally to all who believe,

Last Things

The Rapture

We believe that the next great event in the fulfilment of prophecy will be the rapture of the church. We understand this event to be the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air to receive to Himself those who have trusted Him for their salvation in this age. These include those believers who are alive and remain until Christ’s coming, and also all who have died with saving faith in Jesus alone (John 14:1-3; 1Thess.4:13-18). This event is the blessed hope before us in the Scripture, and for this, we should be constantly and eagerly waiting (1 Cor. 15:51–52; Phil. 3:20; Titus 2:11–14).

The Tribulation

We believe that the rapture of the church will be followed by the fulfilment of the prophet Daniel’s ‘seventieth week’ for Israel (Dan. 9: 27; Rev.6: 1-19:21). During this time the church will be in heaven. This 7-year period will be a time of divine purification and judgment for the people of Israel in particular and the whole earth in general. The intensity of the suffering and persecution during this time will progressively increase in such a way that the latter half of this period will be the great tribulation (Matt. 24: 15-21).

The Second Coming

We believe that the 7-year tribulation on the earth will be climaxed by the second coming of Christ. By this, we mean that the Lord Jesus Christ will physically return to the earth with power and great glory along with the saints to judge the rebellious and inaugurate His earthly reign for a thousand years. At that time, He will put the Antichrist and his false prophet in the lake of fire, while Satan will be bound and put in the abyss. The Lord will also lift the curse which now rests upon the creation, restore Israel, and fulfil God’s covenant promises to her. (Deut. 30:1–10; Isa. 11:9; Ezek. 37:21–28; Matt. 24:15–25:46; Acts 15:16–17; Rom. 8:19–23; 11:25–27; 1 Tim. 4:1–3; 2 Tim. 3:1–5; Rev. 20:1–3).

The Eternal State

We believe in the bodily resurrection of believers who shall be associated with Christ forever in glory. We understand that at death those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation immediately pass into His presence and remain there in conscious bliss until the resurrection of their glorified bodies when Christ comes for His church. But the souls of the unbelieving will remain after death conscious of condemnation and in misery until their final judgment at ‘the great white throne’ after the close of the millennium. Then the soul and body of the unbelieving will be reunited and cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to be punished with everlasting torment away from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power (Luke 16:19–26; 23:42; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 2 Thess. 1:7–9; Jude 6–7; Rev. 20:11–15).
We believe that God will bring in the eternal state after the millennium. Following Christ’s 1000 year reign, Satan will be released from the abyss to rise up one last revolt against God, before he is finally defeated and thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:7-10). At the time, Christ, at the ‘white throne judgment,’ will also raise up and condemn forever all unbelievers to the same lake of hellfire as Satan (Rev 20: 11-15). After this final judgment, Christ will usher in the eternal state of a new heaven and earth with the glorified saints and the holy angels dwelling in God’s presence forever (Rev 21-22).