Who We Are
We are a group of believers seeking out the old paths of religion and to worship the Lord Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth (Jeremiah 6:16; John 4:24; Ephesians 5:19-21).
Objective points
- We will continue to worship God in lifestyle, biblical music and prayer.
- We will uphold the importance of walking in Christ in our daily lives and cultivate the desire for holy living (Romans 8:1; 1 Peter 1:16).
- We will evangelize the lost, edify the saved, and look for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15; 1 Timothy 4).
- We will continue to educate God’s people in the Scriptures.
Our Beliefs
Bible Believers – Baptist – Church
Bible Believers
- We believe in the final authority and sufficiency of the Holy Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament, as found preserved in the KJV 1611 AV; that it was verbally and plenarily inspired and is the product of Spirit-controlled men, and therefore is infallible and inerrant of which it speaks.
- We believe the Bible to be the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
- We believe the Bible to have only ONE interpretation which may be revealed to any believer by the Holy Spirit. In “rightly dividing the word of truth”, we adhere to a dispensationalist view (2 Timothy 2:15).
Baptist
- Founded upon the bedrock of the Holy Bible
- Not by creed, catechism, or confession, which are all man-made.
- We believe in a full immersion believer’s baptism (see Baptism section).
- We believe in the priesthood of the saints.
- Each individual has full access to our holy precious and righteous God (Romans 5:1,2; Hebrews 10:19-22).
- ONLY Jesus Christ continually intercedes on our behalf. No other man, or woman, can replace Him in His ministry of intercession (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1).
- We believe in the autonomy of the local church
- We hold that the local church has the absolute right of self-government, free from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only Superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Church
- We believe in the unity of all true believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ (a universal church of born-again believers), that He began to build after the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary (Acts 2:47, 8:1,3; Galatians 1:13 Hebrews 9:15-17).
- We believe that a local church is an organized congregation of immersed believers, fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws.
- We believe the true mission of the church is threefold:
- to glorify the savior
- to edify the saint
- to evangelize the sinner
- We believe in the unity of all New Testament believers in the Church which is the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12,13; Ephesians 1:22,23; 3:1-6:5:23; Colossians 1:18; Acts 15:13-18).
- We reject the heresy of Landmarkism (Baptist Brider). In short, “briders” believe:
- The church, which is the Body of Christ, is fulfilled as a local assembly only.
- One must be baptized into this particular local church to be part of the Body of Christ.
- John the baptist started the church and that church has been perpetuated by Jesus Christs during His earthly ministry and continues today through specific local Baptist churches.
Other beliefs:
- Godhead
- Father, Son, Holy Ghost (1 John 5:7; John 1:14; Colossians 2:9; Revelation 19:13)
- God the Father
- We believe there is only one true God of the universe; that He exists out of time and is eternal; that He created the heaven and the earth; that He has a sincere interest in His creation and desires a relationship with His people; that through His perfect love and judgment He has set up systems of reconciliation and salvation to award faithful people a relationship on earth then eternity in heaven. In times past this was lived out by people through methods such as the Mosaic Law. Today, in the Church Dispensation, we enjoy salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 19; Isaiah 45:5,6; Matthew 23:37; Ephesians 2:8,9b Hebrews 9:16-28.
- God the Son
- We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God-incarnate; that His birth, life, and death has been prophesied thousands of years in advance (Genesis 3:15; Psalm 22; Isaiah 7:14, 53; Zechariah 11:13; Hebrews 1:1-3 etc. ).
- Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven (John 14:6; Hebrews 10).
- Jesus was not a man who obtained “god-status” through living a good moral life ( John 8:58, 10:30-38)
- Jesus is not a created angel.
- Jesus is not the brother of the Devil.
- Jesus was not a prophet of Allah.
- God the Holy Ghost
- We believe that the Holy Ghost is a divine person, equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that He convicts of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; that He bears witness to the truth of the gospel in preaching and testimony; that He is the Agent in the new birth; that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies and helps the believer (John 14:16,17; Matthew 28:19; Hebrews 9:14; John 14:26; Luke 1:35; Genesis 1:1-3; John 16:8-11,13; Acts 5:30-32; John 3:5,6; Ephesians 1:13,14; Mark 1:8; John 1:33; Acts 11:16; Luke 24:49; Romans 8:14, 16, 26, 27).
Salvation
- We believe that the salvation of a soul requires a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance toward Christ which involves genuine sorrow for sin; and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that this salvation is thereafter permanent and eternal to the believer; even those considered ‘backslidden’’. (Hebrews 11:6; Acts 16:31, 20:21; 2 Corinthians 7:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 4:30).
The Security of the Saints
- We believe that all who are truly born again are sealed unto the day of redemption and can do nothing to lose their salvation. (Philippians 1:6; John 10:28,29; Romans 8:35-39; Ephesians 4:30; Jude1).
- We believe the born again individual is a Saint in God’s eyes, however still retains sin in their flesh. The believer is not sinless, though sin should be an exception in one’s life.
- The believer has two natures
- Spiritual (new man) – the Holy Ghost indwells the believer, guiding and comforting him.
- Carnal (old man) – the sinful flesh still lingers and is contrary to anything of God.
- The believer has two positions in life,
- Standing – eternally in Christ. will not change (eternal security)
- State – one’s progress in walking with the Lord – will change (backslide or walking in the Spirit)
Church Ordinance
There are only two ordinances in the New Testament church: the Lord’s supper and believer’s baptism.
- The Lord’s supper is a symbol of the death of Jesus Christ and is to be conducted in remembrance of Him until His return (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
- Being a symbol, communion therefore awards the individual no special effects i.e. removal of sin
- Being a symbol, the parts of communion are actual bread and fruit of the vine i.e. grape juice.
- Believer’s baptism, full immersion, is reserved only for those who have confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Baptism
- We believe baptism follows biblical salvation and is conducted by full immersion only; that baptism is an act of obedience and a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:36-39; 1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:4).
- Water baptism does nothing to the person other than giving a public profession of one’s faith.
- Therefore baptism does not:
- Provide salvation
- Cleanse of original sin
- Award a person with special powers
Separation
- We believe in obedience to the Biblical commands to separate ourselves unto God from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 1 Thessalonians 6:3-5; Romans 16:17; 2 John 9-11).
Pre-tribulation rapture
We currently live in what is referred to as the “church dispensation”. This dispensation will come to completion at the pre-tribulation rapture when the true born again people will be taken up into heaven. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-56; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).
Government and Politics
- We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored, and obeyed, except in those things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience, and the coming King of kings (Romans 13:1-7; 2 Samuel 23:3; Exodus 18:21, 22; Acts 23:5; Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; 4:19,20; Daniel 3:17,18).
- We believe Christians do not entangle themselves with the affairs of this world. Nowhere in the Bible are we roused into action/protest for civil liberties and social reform. If there is to be a change in the world, it will be through the proper preaching of repentance and the gospel, and teaching of the word of God, for the sake of reconciliation of the sinner to Christ, not the perfecting of the world.
- During Roman rule, Jesus (and Paul) did not tell the Jews (and Christians) to rise up in revolution in order to overthrow the government.
- Furthermore
- We do not associate ourselves with the divisiveness of politics. The sheer hatred and sinful acts of politicians is appalling and abhorrent.
- We do not subscribe to movements such as “Christian Reconstructionism”. This, and similar religious/political beliefs have an unbalanced view of Bible prophecy. In their error, they believe the believer is to “christianize the world” thus ushering in the Millennium themselves, before Jesus Christ will make His return. Whereas the Bible patently shows that each dispensation ends in apostasy, not reform. Our current dispensation will conclude in the seven year judgment called the Tribulation, which precedes Jesus Christ’s return to set up His earthly kingdom.