The Nature and Unity of the Godhead
There is one God, who is an eternal, personal Spirit. God is infinite in power, wisdom, holiness and love. He is Triune in His essential being, revealing Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Deity and Humanity of Christ
Jesus Christ, as part of the Godhead, is eternally one with the Father, of whose person and glory He is the accurate expression. To become a man, he was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary, so that the two whole and perfect natures, (the nature of God and the nature of man), were united in one person; truly God and truly man.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Godhead, is eternally one with the Father and the Son. Yet He is sent by them to achieve the divine purpose in the church and in the world.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is necessary for people to accept God’s provision of salvation. The Holy Spirit convinces men of their sinfulness, draws them to personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and to fellowship in Christ. Residing and working within the lives of believers, the Holy Spirit makes real the presence of Christ, witnesses to their relationship with God, leads into all that is truth, bestows gifts for effective service and produces grace and power for daily living.
The Divine Inspiration and Authority of the Scriptures
The Scriptures, comprising the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired and infallible word of God. They were written by holy men of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit; they not only contain, but are in themselves the whole word of God, and therefore have supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice.
The Sinfulness of Mankind
Mankind was created in the image of God and to enjoy fellowship with Him. By deliberate disobedience of God’s commands we fell from fellowship with God and our nature was corrupted. All mankind, as a result, is spiritually dead, under Satan’s control and dominion, and subject to God’s wrath and condemnation. Therefore, apart from God’s grace, mankind is helpless and hopeless, destitute and doomed.
Christ’s Atonement for the Sin of Mankind
In order to redeem mankind from the guilt, power and the penalty of sin, the Lord Jesus Christ became man and died as our substitute. By His resurrection, God’s acceptance of His atoning death was demonstrated. This atonement is sufficient for the sin of the whole world but effective only in those who receive it, acknowledging Him as Lord. The sinner is justified before God and reconciled to God, not by any personal merit; but solely on the grounds of the precious shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and of God’s gracious gift of salvation in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, received through faith.
The Nature and Role of the Church
The Church is the body of people whom God has separated from the world through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. All spiritually reborn persons are members of the body of Christ which takes local form wherever groups of believers unite for worship, fellowship and service in accordance with scriptural principles.
All believers are called to a priestly ministry in the offering of spiritual sacrifices and sent into the world to be witnesses. God calls individuals to positions of oversight and leadership or to special ministries. The Church recognises such by setting apart pastors, and elders, sending out missionaries, electing deacons and other officers, in accordance with New Testament practice.
The Baptism of Believers
Baptism is an Ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a public declaration of a person’s faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. In accordance with the New Testament, it shall be administered by total immersion. It symbolises the believer’s identification with Christ in death, burial and resurrection and the believer’s dedication of himself to God to live and walk in newness of life.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is an Ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ, instituted by Him to be celebrated with the elements of bread and wine, by believers in Christ, until his return. It clearly and simply commemorates and declares our Saviour’s death as our substitute.
“The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me”. In the same way, after supper, He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11: 23b-26
The Imminent and Personal Return of the Lord Jesus Christ
“For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17
The Final Judgment and the Future State
God has appointed a day of final judgment for the world, when the Lord Jesus Christ will judge every man, and each will receive rewards or punishments according to their deeds. Those counted righteous through their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will dwell forever in heaven with their Lord. The unrighteous will be consigned to hell, forever separated from the Lord.