The Scriptures

We believe that the Bible is the inerrant and inspired Word of God –  That the very words were spoken by God to holy men of old  That the divine inspiration extends fully and equally to all parts of the Scriptures  They are the only complete and final revelation of the Word of God to man and are therefore our only rule of faith and practice (The King James Bible is the only English version we officially endorse.) (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 2:20-21; Mark 12:36; Matthew 5:18; Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 119:89; Revelation 22:18-19)

The True God

We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God –  An infinite, intelligent and perfect being  The creator, preserver and supreme ruler of the universe  Inexpressibly glorious in holiness and all other perfections and worthy of all possible honour, confidence and love  That in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious office in the great work of redemption. (John 4:24; Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Exodus 15:11; Mark 12:30; Ephesians 2:18)

The Person of God

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ –  That He is the very God by whom and for whom all things were created  That He was virgin born  That He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and is God manifest in the flesh  That He lived a perfect, sinless life and gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men  That He rose bodily from the grave. (John 1:1-3, 14; Matthew 1:18-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 9:12, 27; John 1:29; I Corinthians 15:4-8)

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person and not just an influence –  That He is equal with God the Father and God the Son  That He was active in creation  That He convicts of sin, judgment and righteousness  That He seals, endues, guides, teaches, sanctifies and helps the believer  That He calls individuals into Christian service and that He empowers and directs them in that service.  We reject the modern charismatic movement with its unscriptural emphasis on speaking in tongues and other sign gifts. (John 14:16-17; John 16: 7-14; Genesis 1:2; Matthew 28:19; Luke 24:49; Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:14-16, 26; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 13:2-4; I Corinthians 12-14)

Satan

We believe that Satan was once a holy angel who enjoyed heavenly honours but through wicked pride, fell and drew after him a whole host of heavenly angels –  That he is the enemy of God and every Christian  That he is the author of all false religious and present day apostasy.  That he will be punished forever with his fallen angels in the lake of fire. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28: 13-17; I Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:11; Revelations 12:9; Matthew 4:1-3; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Revelations 20:10)

Creation

We believe that the Genesis account of creation is literal and is an accurate historical record –  That man, the universe and all that is in it were created by God and not some process of evolution  That the six days of creation were literal 24-hour days. (Genesis 1:1-27; Exodus 20:11; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3)

Man

We believe that man was created in innocence under the law of his maker but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state –  In consequence of which all mankind are now sinners not by constraint but by choice  Being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God  Positively inclined to evil and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defence or excuse. (Genesis 1:27-31; Genesis 3:6-24; Isaiah 53:6; Ezekiel 18:19-20; Jeremiah 17:9; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 1:20; Romans 5:12, 19-20)

Salvation

We believe that God in His love and mercy has provided eternal salvation through the perfect redemptive and substitutionary atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ who bore all the sins of the world in His own body-  The conditions of salvation are repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ  It is totally of grace through faith, apart from any human works or effort, plus or minus nothing  That it is freely given to all that will receive it  Man cannot obtain salvation apart from the convicting and renewing work of the Holy Spirit and the work of God. (Romans 5:8; I Peter 2:24; I John 2:2; Acts 20:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 6:37-44; John 3:5, 16; Romans 10:17)

Blessings of Salvation

We believe that all who are in Christ are justified, forgiven, imputed with Christ’s righteousness, regenerated, given eternal life, adopted into the family of God, redeemed, given spiritual gifts, sanctified, sealed and eternally secure in Him. Therefore all true believers will endure to the end. (Romans 1:5-9; Hebrews 10:17; I John 1:9; Romans 4:5-7; Titus 3:5; John 3:3-5; John 10:28; Ephesians 1:5, 13; Colossians 1:14; I Corinthians 12:4-11; Hebrews 10:10; John 5:24; I John 5:4)

The Church

We believe that the local New Testament church is a visible assembly of baptised believers, associated by common faith and fellowship in the Gospel –  Adhering to the orthodox Baptist faith rooted in the Holy Bible  Observing the ordinance of Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper  Governed by His Word, exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in them by His Word  That its only scriptural offices are Pastor (elders) and Deacons whose qualifications, claims and duties are defined in the epistles 1 Timothy and Titus  That the mission of the church is found in the Great Commission  That each local church has the absolute right of self-government with Christ as the Head, free from the interference of any hierarchy of any individuals, churches or organisations  The body of Christ, or household of God, is composed of all believers from the commencement of the church age on the day of Pentecost until the end of the church age at the Rapture. (Matthew 18:17; Acts 2:41-47; I Corinthians 11:2; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 5:23-24; I Peter 5:1-4; Acts 6:3-5; Acts 15:22)

The Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of a believer in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost –  That it is commanded by our Lord and is to be practiced by the church  That it pictures the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, also the believer’s death to sin, and their resurrection to a new life. We believe the communion of the Lord’s Supper is a privilege and responsibility intended only for born again believers –  That the sacred use of the bread and the fruit of the vine are symbolic only, commemorating together the death of Christ  It is to be proceeded by solemn self-examination  These ordinances are recognised in historic Baptist orthodoxy. (Acts 8:36-39; Acts 10:48; Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:41-42; I Corinthians 11:23-31)

The Righteous and the Wicked

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the righteous (saved) resulting in their everlasting blessedness with Christ and in the bodily resurrection of the wicked (unsaved) resulting in their everlasting, conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire. (I Corinthians 15:12-54; John 5:25-26; John 14:2-3; Revelations 20:5-6, 10-15; Luke 16:24)

Things to Come

We believe in the personal, imminent, pre-Tribulation and pre-Millennial coming of our Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones (the Rapture), immediately followed by the Seven-Year Tribulation. Christ subsequently returns to earth with His saints to establish His 1,000-year kingdom known as the Millennium. (Acts 1:6-11; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; Matthew 24:15-31; Revelations 19:11-15; Revelations 20:1-3; I Thessalonians 1:10)