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DOCTRINAL
AND THEOLOGICAL SUMMARY
The doctrinal and theological statement of this church :-
4.1 GOD:
4.1.1 There is only one
true and living God, co-equal in three persons:- God the Father - God
the Son - God the Holy Spirit, who is Almighty, All knowing, Creator, Eternal,
Everywhere present, Holy, Just, Love, Provider, Redeemer and Sovereign.
4.1.2 In the true and proper Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin
Birth, His real and perfect Manhood, the authority of His teaching and the
infallibility of His Word. His work of atonement for sinful
humanity by His vicarious suffering and death. His
bodily resurrection, His Ascension into heaven and His present priestly
intercession for the redeemed at the right hand of God the Father.
4.1.3 The Holy Spirit is sent
by God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son into the world to
guide and comfort The Church in faith and works and
to convict the World of sin.
4.2 MAN:
4.2.1 Man was
created by God. Made in the image of God, he was created free of
sin.
Adam was the first man. God formed woman from man. Eve was the first woman.
4.2.2 Adam had a freewill. He was tempted to set his will against God and chose to disobey God. This disobedience produced sin in Adam and Man became a sinner before God.
4.2.3 Because of unrighteousness, fallen Man is at enmity with his righteous Creator. Sin has broken Man's unique communion and fellowship with God.
4.2.4 Man cannot restore communion and fellowship with God by self effort or by any perceived self worth. He is entirely dependent upon the grace and work of God in Christ Jesus, to redeem him from his lost state.
4.3 SIN:
4.3.1 Sin is the breaking of God's righteous Law. The consequence and penalty of sin is death therefore death came into the world only after Man had sinned. Sinfulness - is the absence of holiness.
4.3.2 By its very nature, sin blinds Man to the depth of his own wickedness. The whole of creation has been defiled by sin. No one can attain the righteous standard of God.
4.3.3 Sin is revealed in and to Man by the Law of God.
4.4 SALVATION:
4.4.1 Salvation is the
planned 'free gift' from God providing for the release of Man from the bondage
of spiritual death, thereby enabling him by grace to receive eternal life.
4.4.2 Salvation is received as a result of the redemptive work of Christ and is
not a right by natural birth, citizenship or any association, religious or
otherwise. It is obtained for the believer by virtue of the shed Blood and
imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. Salvation cannot be earned but must be
received by each one as a free gift, following true repentance.
4.4.3 Salvation is sealed for the believer at the time of conversion and is assured for believers in Christ by receipt of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Salvation has set believers in Christ Jesus free from the guilt, power and penalty of sin.
4.5 ATONEMENT:
4.5.1 Atonement for sin
is only by the shedding of blood. Jesus Christ shed His Blood on
4.5.2 Atonement is 'unlimited' on the part of God as Christ died for all
the sins of the World. The personal benefit of the atoning 'work' of God in
Christ is limited only by individual human unbelief,
therefore it is attributed to all who personally believe in the
finished work of God in Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
4.6 WORD OF GOD:
4.6.1 The original manuscripts of Scripture were completely and verbally 'inspired' by God, thereby granting them authority, sufficiency, and inerrancy as not only containing but being the very 'Word' of God.
4.6.2 The Word of God; the canon of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, has been providentially preserved as the 'Holy Bible' and translated into many languages.
4.6.3 The New Testament bears witness to the integrity and authority of the Old Testament.
4.6.4 The Holy Bible is the authority for Christian faith, doctrine, worship, fellowship, and conduct. The written Word leads to the living Word; the Lord Jesus Christ.
4.6.5 The Church is dependent upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the interpretation and application of the Word of God.
4.6.6 The Church is commissioned to proclaim the Word of God and the Testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
4.7 CREATION:
4.7.1 The Word of God records and testifies that God is the Creator and that all things were created by and for Him, out of nothing, through direct creation.
4.7.2 God gave all living things power to procreate or reproduce their own kind.
4.7.3 God formed Man from the dust of the Earth and breathed into Man the breath of life and he became a living soul.
4.7.4 The whole creation [cosmos] is totally dependent upon the mercy of God for its continued existence and eventual release from the ruin and bondage of sin.
4.8 THE CHURCH:
4.8.1 Believers in every
generation, whether born before or after the first advent of Christ, compose
the
4.8.2 The Church is 'triumphant' in Heaven and 'militant' on Earth. The Church
is not of the World but is active in it through all Christian believers and
various Assemblies.
4.8.3 The Word of God is the authority of The Church.
4.9 THE SACRAMENTS:
4.9.1 A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.
4.9.2 The sacraments of The Church of Jesus Christ are Baptism and Holy Communion.
4.9.3 Baptism:- Spiritual baptism occurs at the same time as conversion, wherein the believer, now in Christ, has entered into His suffering, death and resurrection to eternal life. The sacrament of water baptism for the believer, therefore, bears testimony to the spiritual baptism already realized. Being symbolic, it does not produce any merit for salvation but is entered into as a visible testimony and witness of the new life received in Christ.
4.9.4 Holy Communion:- The
Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ Jesus to enable His
followers to regularly call to remembrance His sacrifice as the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the World. The believer communes at the Lord's Supper in
obedience to Christ and in so doing testifies of the expectation of the Lord's
return to receive His Bride, The Church. The celebration of the Lord's Supper
is a means of grace but does not merit salvation.
There is no change to the substance or nature of the bread and wine which are symbols of the body and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
4.10 MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH:
4.10.1 Christ Jesus is the High Priest of those who have been spiritually born again.
4.10.2 The priesthood in The Church is vested in all believers in Christ. Each is called to minister according to their spiritual abilities, gifts and measure of faith.
4.10.3 Ordination of pastors and elders is reserved for male believers who are called of God. Other ministries are applicable to believers of either gender.
4.11 WORSHIP:
4.11.1 Christian worship is the conscious act of honouring the Lord God in thought, word and deed. Believers should assemble together for worship, in obedience to the Word of God.
4.11.2 Believers must worship only the LORD God. The worship of any other being or object is idolatry and it is sin.
4.12 HOLINESS - SANCTIFICATION:
4.12.1 Holiness is the personal dimension of 'separation' unto God from unrighteousness.
4.12.2 Man, although created
sinless, is now sinful because of rebellion against God and is therefore
unholy. In this fallen state of sinfulness, Man is incapable of becoming holy
by self-effort or any personal merit.
4.12.3 Sanctification is attributed to Man by being born of God through faith
in Christ Jesus. The believer is sanctified; is being sanctified and will be
sanctified. Personal sanctification is progressive, and is acquired by growing
from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity under the guidance, instruction
and conviction of the Holy Spirit.
4.12.4 The Church is sanctified, being washed in the Blood of the Lamb and is to evidence holiness in belief, manner, and association as it is manifested in the World.
4.13 INFANT DEDICATION:
4.13.1 Children are a gift from the LORD. Parents who love the LORD particularly realize this truth. In thankfulness they dedicate the life of their child to God, fully acknowledging their dependence upon Him for the wisdom and knowledge required in training their children in the nurture and admonition of the LORD.
4.13.2 The dedication of infants to the LORD in the company of saints acknowledges the important place children occupy in the 'mind' of God and in the Body of Christ.
4.14 BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT:
4.14.1 All believers in Christ Jesus are baptized in the 'Spirit' at the moment of conversion and are therefore indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
4.14.2 The 'Fruit of
the Spirit' bears testimony to 'Baptism of the Spirit' in the believer's
life.
4.15 GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT:
4.15.1 Spiritual gifts are of two types; abiding and special. The abiding gifts of faith, hope and love are essential for the Christian life. The special gifts are used to edify the Church and to minister The Gospel to the World. Spiritual gifts are given and received to be used for the good of 'all' to the glory of .God
4.15.2 The abiding spiritual gifts are given to all believers. The special spiritual gifts are not uniformly distributed within the Body of Christ nor should they be uniformly sought by believers. God distributes the gifts of the Spirit as He wills. The Scriptures warn of the danger to the body of Christ of misusing or feigning spiritual gifts and emphasizes that all spiritual gifts do not equally edify The Church.
4.16 ESCHATOLOGY: (Doctrine of last things)
4.16.1 Christ will return as
the triumphant Lord of Lords and King of Kings, to receive His Bride - The
Church - at the culmination of this present age of Pentecost. He has gone to
prepare a place for us in the eternal
4.16.2 The return of Christ will bring the World to an immediate end. The living and the dead shall appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Jesus will judge all the earth.
4.16.3 Sinners who have repented during their life on earth shall be ushered into the eternal presence of God in their resurrection bodies and will dwell with Him forever. The unrepentant sinner will be banished from the presence of God and eternally punished in the lake of fire.