THE BIBLE
The sole basis of my belief is the
Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New
Testaments. I believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with
God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen
people. Scripture thus at one and the same time speaks with the
authority of God, and reflects the backgrounds, styles and
vocabularies of the human authors. I hold the Scriptures as
infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They are the
unique, full and final authority on all matters of faith and
practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
GOD
I believe that there is one true, holy
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. In the beginning God created
out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus
manifesting the glory of His power, wisdom and goodness. By His
sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation.
GOD THE FATHER
I believe that in reference to
the relationship with each other the members of the Godhead are the
same in substance, equal in power and glory. I believe God the
Father gives oversight to the ministries of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the Holy Spirit. He has laid down a plan for the ages and is
working all things together to fulfill that plan.
GOD
THE SON
I believe the Lord Jesus Christ is God the Son.
I believe in His complete Deity and humanity, His virgin
conception, His sinless life, His death on the cross for the sins of
the world, and His bodily resurrection from the dead. He actively
intercedes on behalf of the church and is preparing for His personal
return to earth.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
I
believe that God the Holy Spirit convicts people of sin. He gives
spiritual life, baptizes, indwells, seals and sets apart for holy use
everyone at the moment they become a child of God. He bestows
spiritual gifts upon believers, and empowers them for daily living.
SATAN
I believe Satan is a created spirit
being, the originator of sin, who revolted against God and now works
in opposition to the people and purposes of God.
PEOPLE
I believe the first couple, Adam and Eve, were
divinely created in the image of God. Originally innocent, pure and
in fellowship with God they fell from that position through the sin
of disobedience. Their sin has left all people separated from God,
condemned to physical and spiritual death and helpless to restore
the original state.
SALVATION
The central
purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people into
fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have fellowship with
God, humans defied God, choosing to go their independent way, and
were thus alienated from God and suffered the corruption of their
nature, rendering them unable to please God. The fall took place at
the beginning of human history, and all individuals since have
suffered these consequences and are therefore in need of the saving
grace of God. The salvation of humankind is, then, wholly a work of
God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part of human works
or goodness, and must be personally appropriated by repentance and
faith. When God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person,
He gives assurance in His Word that He will continue performing it
until the day of its full consummation.
THE CHURCH
The corollary of union with Jesus Christ is that all believers
become members of His body, the church. There is one true church
universal, comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as
Saviour and Lord. Therefore, the church is people. Scripture
commands believers to gather together to devote themselves to
worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of baptism and
communion, fellowship, service to the body through the development
and use of talents and gifts, and outreach to the world. Whenever
and wherever God’s people meet in order to fulfill any or all of
these practices, there is the local expression of the church. Under
the supervision of supportive leadership, its members are to work
together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of
glorifying Christ.
THE FUTURE
I believe
in the visible and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth.
Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. Those who are
children of God will receive a resurrected body and live in the full
enjoyment of God’s presence forever. Those who are outside the
family of God will be resurrected to spend eternity in everlasting
punishment.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
I
believe marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman.
Like God’s complimentary creation of man and woman, marriage holds
great significance in revealing aspects of God’s character and His
relationship to humanity. The permanence and monogamy of the marital
bond mirrors God’s faithfulness and singular devotion to His church
and His church’s singular devotion to Him.
Marriage
symbolizes and supports the inherently procreative relationship that
exists only between a man and a woman. It is also the relationship
that forms the foundation of family and community life.
The
family is to provide physical, emotional and spiritual care for its
members as it enables them to serve God, other persons and creation.
Parents have the privilege and unique responsibility of leading
their children to know God and His ways as well as the world around
them.
As a Christian, my understanding of the structure and
nature of marriage is founded on the Biblical account of the
creation of man and woman. Genesis 1 and 2 state that God created
man and woman to fulfill their need of intimate partnership and to
carry out the mandate given by God in Gen. 1:28; "Be fruitful and
increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it". Jesus reiterated
this understanding when he said, “Have you not read that the one who
made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said,
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are
no longer two but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let
no one separate." (Math. 19:4-5, NRSV).
I
believe marriage is rooted in the way we are made. Marriage is
founded upon the biological reality that we humans exist in two
sexes. It expresses the complementarity of the sexes, and therefore
requires both sexes. Marriage was established for the purposes of
companionship and sexual fidelity between husband and wife. Marriage
is the social, cultural and religious context for the conjugal
relationship, which is exclusive to male and female. Properly
understood, marriage is covenantal, not merely contractual. Marriage
has the unique power to promote the exclusive and permanent sexual,
psychological and emotional bonding of a man and a woman. That is
why marriage is called a covenant, not merely a contract that can be
formed and broken with the casualness of a business transaction.