In continuity with our immediate forefathers and the larger fellowship of Baptists throughout history, we seek to practice and live life in alignment with, by God’s grace, the following beliefs:
1. We Believe the Bible is God’s Word. It is given by divine inspiration, the record of God’s revelation of Himself to humanity (2 Timothy 3:16). It is trustworthy, sufficient, without error – the supreme authority and guide for all doctrine and conduct (1 Peter 1:23-25; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is the truth by which God brings people into a saving relationship with Himself and leads them to Christian maturity (John 20:31; 1 John 5:9-12; Matthew 4:4; 1 Peter 2:2).
2. We Believe in the One Living and True God. He is perfect in wisdom, sovereignty, holiness, justice, mercy, and love (1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 86:15; Deuteronomy 32:3-4). He exists eternally in three co-equal persons who act together in creation, providence and redemption (Genesis 1:26; 1 Peter 1:2; Hebrews 1:1-3).
a. God the Father. He reigns with providential care over all life and history in the created
universe; He hears and answers our prayer (1 Chronicles 29:11-13; Matthew 7:11). He initiated
salvation by sending His Son, and He is Father to those who put their trust in His Son as Lord
and Saviour (1 John 4:9-10; John 3:16; John 1:12; Acts 16:31).
b. God the Son. Fully God and fully man, Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and
born of the virgin Mary (John 1:14; Matthew 1:18). He revealed God through His holy and
sinless life, miracles and teaching (John 14:9; Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 4:23-24). He provided
salvation through His atoning death in our place and by His bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:23-25). He ascended into heaven where He rules over all creation
(Philippians 2:5-11). He intercedes for all believers and dwells in them as their ever present Lord
(Romans 8:34; John 14:23).
c. God the Holy Spirit. He inspired people to write the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21). Through this
Word, He convicts individuals of their sinfulness and of the righteousness of Christ, draws
them to the Saviour, and bears witness to their new birth (James 1:18; John 16:7-11;
1 Thessalonians 1:5-6; Romans 8:16). At regeneration and conversion, the believer is baptised
in the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 2:1-4). The Spirit indwells, seals, and gives
spiritual gifts to all believers for ministry in the church and society (Romans 8:9-11;
Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 12:5-8; 1 Peter 4:10). He empowers, guides, teaches, fills, sanctifies, and
produces the fruit of Christ-likeness in all who yield to Him (Acts 4:31; Romans 8:14;
1 Corinthians 2:10-13; Ephesians 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Galatians 5:16, Galatians 22-23).
3. We Believe that God Created and Sustains All Things by His Sovereign Will. He did this through His powerful Word, creating everything out of nothing, and it was good. (Hebrews 1:3)
a. We Believe God Created an Order of Spiritual Beings Called Angels. They serve Him
and do His will (Psalm 148:1-5; Colossians 1:16). The holy angels are obedient spirits
ministering to the heirs of salvation and glorifying God (Hebrews 1:6-7, 13-14). Certain
angels, called demons, Satan being their chief, through deliberate choice, revolted and fell from
their position (Revelation 12:7-9). They now tempt individuals to rebel against God
(1 Timothy 4:1; 1 Peter 5:8). Their destiny in hell has been sealed by Christ’s victory over sin and
death (Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20:10).
b. We Believe God Created All Human Beings in His Own Image. He created them male
and female, (Genesis 1:26-27, 5:2) to have fellowship with Himself, each other and be stewards
over His creation (Genesis 1:28). As a result, each person is unique, possesses dignity and is
worthy of respect (Psalm 139:13-17). Therefore, we believe that human life is sacred from
conception to its natural end.
4. We Believe God Designed Marriage and the Family. The Bible teaches that marriage refers to the covenant relationship between one man and one woman equally yoked, as instituted by God in the beginning, to the exclusion of all others (Genesis 2:20b-24; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). It is God’s intent that sexual intimacy should only be expressed within the context of marriage (Hebrews 13:4). Through this covenant relationship, we affirm the family as the basic unit of society and seek to preserve its integrity and stability (Genesis 2:21-25; Matthew 19:3-9; Ephesians 6:1-4).
5. We Believe Everyone is Born with a Sinful Nature and Needs to be Reconciled to God.
Through the temptation of Satan, Adam and Eve chose to disobey God (Genesis 3), bringing sin and death to the entire human race and suffering to all creation (Romans 3:9-23; Romans 5:12-21; Romans 6:23). Sin has alienated us from our Creator (Isaiah 59:2), marred His image in us (Ephesians 4:19-24; Colossians 3:9-11) and rendered us unable to please God apart from faith (Romans 8:7-8; Hebrews 11:6). But through repentance and confession of our sin, every person has the right to call upon the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Mediator, and through forgiveness be made a new creation (Romans 10:8-13; Romans 14:12; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 1:9-10, 1 John 2:1; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
6. We Believe in Salvation of the Whole Person from Sin and Death, only through Faith in Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 1:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:23) Through His death and resurrection Christ redeemed a people for Himself through the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:14; Titus 2:14) This is offered as a free gift of God to all and must be received personally through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ- (John 1:12; 1 Timothy 2:4; Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 20:21). An individual is united to Christ by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27; Titus 3:4-6). As a child of God the believer is then acquitted of all guilt, having had their sins borne by Christ on the cross, and having had His righteousness imputed to them (1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Forgiven of their sin and sealedwith the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), the believer is brought into a new relationship with God,
adopted into His family (Romans 5:1; Romans 8:14-17).
7. We Believe in the Transforming Power of the Holy Spirit. He initiates this transformation in the life of every believer – making them new (1 Thess 5:23; Eph 5:26; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 13:20-21). Sanctification is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16,25; Rom 8:4,9) and His aim is to transform us into the likeness of Christ (Rom 8:29). While a work of God, the believer is not passive in the process. (Phil 2:12-13; Romans 12:1-2,9; Romans 16-17; Romans 8:13). As we keep in step with the Holy Spirit, confessing our sins individually and corporately, we grow in holiness until our transformation is complete when we see Christ face to face (1 John 1:8-9; Romans 7:18-19; Luke 11:2-4; Prov 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Jas 3:2).
8. We Believe the Church is the Body of Christ. He is the head and all who believe in Him are members (Ephesians 1:22-23; Romans 12:4-5). To express unity in Christ, local churches form associations and a conference for mutual counsel, fellowship, and a more effective fulfillment of Christ’s commission (Acts 15; 1 Corinthians 6:1-3). Christians are commanded to be baptised upon profession of faith and to unite with a local church for mutual encouragement and growth in discipleship through worship, nurture, service and the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. (Acts 2:41-42, 47; Luke 24:45-48). The ordinances of the Church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
a. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Saviour Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-5).
b. The Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the bread and of the cup by believers together as a continuing memorial of the broken body and shed blood of Christ. It is an act of thankful dedication to Him and serves to unite His people until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
9. We Believe in Religious Liberty. It is the inalienable right of all individuals to freedom of conscience with ultimate accountability to God (Genesis 1:27; John 8:32; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Romans 8:21; Acts 5:29). Church and state exist by the will of God. Each has distinctive concerns and responsibilities, free from control by the other (Matthew 22:21). Christians should pray for civic and religious leaders, and obey and support them in matters not contrary to Scripture (1 Timothy 2:1-4; Romans 13:1-7; Hebrews 13:7, Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-16).
10. We Believe the Kingdom of God has Come. Christians, individually and collectively, are salt and light in society (Matthew 5:13-16). In a humble Christ-like spirit, they oppose greed, selfishness and vice; they promote truth, justice and peace; they aid the needy and marginalized, thus preserving the dignity of people of all races and conditions (Hebrews 13:5; Luke 9:23; Titus 2:12; Philippians 4:8-9; 1 John 3:16-17; James 2:1-4). We seek to live according to the Great Commandment Jesus gave (Matthew 22:37-39).
11. We Believe in the Second Coming of Christ. God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring all things to their appropriate end and establish the new heaven and the new earth (Ephesians 1:9-10; Revelation 21:1). The certain hope of the Christian is that Jesus Christ will return to the earth suddenly, personally and visibly in glory according to His promise (Titus 2:13; Revelation 1:7, 3:11; John 14:1-3). The dead will be raised, and Christ will judge all people in righteousness (John 5:28-29). The unrighteous will be consigned to the everlasting punishment prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41-46; Revelation 20:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10) and the righteous will be raised in glorified bodies together (1 Corinthians 15:35-58; Philippians 3:21) enjoying God in His presence for all eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
