INDEPENDENT BAPTIST

THE SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16); that it is truth without any admixture of error; and therefore is, and shall remain preserved as the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; the true centre and only basis for Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
By "The Holy Bible" we mean that collection of sixty-six (66) books, from Genesis to Revelation, which as does not only contain and convey the Word of God but is the very Word of God. 
By "inspiration" we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired word-for-word and free from error. We exclude all other writings past or future to claim divine inspiration. 
By "preserved" we mean that the words of God have been preserved in the English language in the form of the Authorised Version; the King James Bible. The Authorised Version is, therefore, the Word of God without error and the only source of authority for preaching and ministry. 

THE TRUE GOD
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and that God is a sovereign, living Being, infinite in power, knowledge and wisdom, with a plan for man and the universe which He is actively engaged in carrying out to completion (Deut 6:4-5; I Cor 8:6; I John 5:7; Matt 28:19; Isa 45:18, 46:9,10; Rom 8:28,29).

THE BIRTH AND DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit and of Mary, a virgin, and is true God and true Man (Matt 1:18-20; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1,2,14,18; 14:7-11; 20:28; Gal 4:4-5).

THE CREATION, MAN AND SIN
We believe in the literal Genesis account of creation, and that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and in the case of those who reach the age of moral responsibility are sinners in thought, word and deed (Gen 1:26-26; 3:1-24; Rom 3:23).

SALVATION
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace; through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God, who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon Him our humanity, yet without sin, honoured the divine law by His personal obedience, and by His death and shed blood made a full and vicarious atonement for the sins of all mankind; that His atonement consisted not in merely setting us and example by His death as a martyr, but was the voluntary substitution of Himself in the sinner's place. He is every way qualified to be a suitable, compassionate and all-sufficient Saviour.

We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that it is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above our comprehension, not by culture, not by character, nor by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth and the power of the gospel.

We believe that the blessings of salvation are made free to all without obligation for payment; that salvation is not earned or merited in part or in whole by works, rites or rituals; that it is the immediate duty of all to accept salvation by a repentance of any trust in self or works to merit God's forgiveness and to trust wholly and solely in the blood of Jesus Christ as the payment and full provision for the forgiveness of sin; that in faith one needs to call upon the name of the Lord for salvation and are consequently promised to be saved; and that it is impossible for one born into the family of God ever to be lost (Rom 3:23; I Cor 15:1-4; Heb 10:9-12; Rom 3:24; 10:13, John 1:12-13; 10:27-29). 

THE RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST
 We believe in the literal and physical resurrection of the crucified body of the Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into Heaven and His present life as our High Priest & advocate (I Cor 15:20; John 20:24-29; Acts 1:10,11; Heb 1:13; 4:14-16; 7:25; I Jn 2:1).

SOUL LIBERTY
 We believe that every individual man must obey God rather than men, for everyone must give answer to God individually, therefore, no man nor church has the right to act as a person’s conscience. Each one has the right to interpret the Scriptures and the responsibility to God as how he does so (Acts 5:29; I John 2:27; Rom 14:5; 2 Tim 2:15; I Cor 2:9-14).

THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS
We believe that all believers have immediate access into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, that we need no human agency to intercede before the throne of grace for us, and that Jesus Christ is our mediator before God (Heb 10:19; I Pet 2:1-10; I Tim 2:5).

THE LOCAL CHURCH
 We believe that a legitimate New Testament church is a congregation of baptised believers united in organisation to practice New Testament ordinances. The purposes of the church being to meet together for preaching, teaching, exhortation, and fellowship; to be actively involved in winning men, women and children to Christ. We believe in following the apostolic example of meeting on the first day (Sunday) and that the church is not under the law in relation to Sabbath observance.

We believe in the independence and autonomy of the local church; that each New Testament church is free to govern itself on the principles laid down in the Holy Writ without interference from outside organisations or other churches. We believe in the separation of the church and state, with each having definite and distinct spheres of responsibility. 

ISRAEL
We believe in the literal fulfilment of the prophecies and promises of the Scripture which foretell and assure the future restoration and regeneration of Israel as a nation (Ezek 37:11-14; 21-48; Rom 11:26-27).

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS
We believe that a Christian permanently becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit the moment he is saved; We believe that God the Holy Spirit is sovereign in the bestowing of His gifts and that He has given evangelists, pastors and teachers as sufficient for the edifying of the church today; that the sign gifts such as miracles, tongues and healings (as in miraculous healers) were for a purpose past in the establishment of the early church and that these have now ceased with the passing of the apostolic era.

We further believe that the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement is not a Scriptural movement and is not supported in any form by this church (Rom 8:1-14; I Cor 6:19-20; Cf. I Cor 1:4-7 with 3:1-4).

THE ORDINANCES
We believe that the Scriptural ordinances of the church are baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper; that baptism be administered to believers only, as a symbol of their belief in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and as a picture of the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection; and that the Lord’s Supper should be partaken by baptised believer’s only to show forth His death till He come. The Lord’s Supper is to be administered only to the people of the local congregation (Matt 3:16, Acts 8:26-39; Rom 6:3-5; I Cor 11:23-28).

FUTURE EVENTS
We believe in the personal, pre-millennial, pre-tribulational and imminent return of Jesus Christ, when all the saved of this age of grace will be gathered together unto Him; that there will be a period of unprecedented "great tribulation" upon the earth; that Jesus Christ will return to earth with His saints, the nations will be judged, Satan will be bound, the one thousand year reign of Christ on the earth will be literally fulfilled, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, the judgment seat of the great white throne, the everlasting kingdom of God.

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved in heaven, and the everlasting punishment of the lost in hell and ultimately the lake of fire (John 14:1-3; I Thess 4:13-18; 3:13; Matt 24:21-31; 25:31-46; Rev 20:1-15; I Cor 15:20-28; John 5:25-29).

THE DEVIL
We believe that the Devil (Satan) is a person, the unholy god of this world, the prince of the powers of darkness, the author and father of evil; that he has many demons and fallen angels assisting him in his opposition to God; that he is destined to eternal judgment in the lake of fire (Matt 4:1-3; 12:24-28; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; Rev 12:9; 20:10).