The 12 core tenets of our faith

1. We believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible and authoritative Word of God. All that we believe about our Christian faith must be rooted in the Holy Scriptures, and somehow be “proven” through them, or, cannot be established as essential doctrine. The Holy Scriptures are locked and cannot be understood by the intellect of people whose minds have been blinded by the Ruler of this World, Satan. Only through the Light of Jesus Christ the eyes of the heart may be opened up to understand the living Word of God which is revealed by the Holy Spirit, through the Scriptures.

2. We believe that there is one God, eternally (co)existent and shown through the Scriptures as God the Father (referring to God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), God the Son (referring to Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God) and God the Holy Spirit (referring to “Parakletos”, the Spirit of Truth, of whom Jesus said that He would be sent from the Father after His ascension from the earth, to indwell those believing in Him).

3. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life in the days of His flesh, in the miracles He performed on earth, in His vicarious and atoning death on the cross where He bore upon Himself the curse and the sin of the world, in His bodily resurrection by God’s power that raised Him from the dead, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, and, His personal coming again to this earth as King in power and glory, after God has placed all His enemies as footstool under His feet. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus Christ after He rose from the Dead, after He took the keys of Death and Hades.

4. We believe that the only means of being cleansed from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious blood of Christ, which He shed on the cross to make atonement for the sin of the world, which applies only to those who accept it and ask for it to take effect in their lives. That is the only way to be justified before God and become reconciled to Him, through the Righteousness of Christ that is imputed to a person that believes in the Good News of God’s free gift of salvation.

5. We believe that inward, spiritual regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for personal justification before God, leading to salvation. Without the Holy Spirit coming in to restore God’s life to our fallen humanity; which was subjected to Death because of the state of Sin in which we were born in the flesh; who is the seal of God until the Day of Redemption; one cannot be a sibling of Christ that has been given the power and authority to be called a child of God.

6. We believe that the baptism by immersion in water is testimony of faith, repentance and public confession of sin, and an act of obedience. This ordinance, which is a symbol of the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, activates the power of God for resurrection from the dead, and, salvation to those who believe. Jesus commanded His disciples to baptise their disciples in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and it is recorded in Acts that they baptised new believers in the Name of Jesus.

7. We believe that Jesus Christ is the Head of a universal earthly Body (“Ecclesia” according the original Hellenic Scriptures, or, “Church” according to the English tradition), which is made up of all those people who believe in, and, stay faithful to Him as their personal Lord and Saviour. This earthly Body has many religious expressions, which are not relevant to right standing with God, or, salvation from Death and eternal Life. What makes people a member of the Body of Christ is not the Church group or organisation they are a part of, but the Holy Spirit dwelling in them through faith in Jesus (if they have indeed been born from above by God’s Spirit).

8. We believe that Jesus rules (exercises authority over) His Body on earth through persons that He personally calls out of the world to serve Him by representing Him and being earthly manifestations of His authority and stewardship. Such elders in positions of responsibility in the Body are divinely empowered by spiritual gifts for the work of the ministry, and are categorised according to the primary function which they were called to serve: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers. All of them are in full operation in the Body of Christ today, and they are given as spiritual functions to build up and equip believers for the work of the ministry.

9. We believe that the Body of Christ is called by God to be an earthly manifestation of His heavenly Kingdom, revealing to the world the power and glory of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, giving witness to the only way that leads to freedom from the power of Death, knowing of Truth, and coming to eternal Life, through reconciliation with God, and, discipling those who choose to believe and follow the only way of salvation. The core characteristic of making disciples in Jesus Christ, according to the words of Jesus to His own disciples, is “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”.

10. We believe in the Spirit-filled life. When Spirit-filled, the Christian is given the power to be witness to Christ’s Kingdom and His Gospel. Being Spirit-filled is a separate experience to the incoming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit for spiritual regeneration from above, which is for Life, revelation of Jesus, sanctification and transformation, and opens the door for the believer to live a life in “abundance”, of which Jesus spoke.

11. We believe that the redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides: healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer; freedom from all kinds of inward or otherwise forms of oppression that torment people and maintain various forms of bondage in life; release of God’s promised blessings shown in the Bible; sanctification by divine grace for those who remain faithful in following Jesus, and, are led by His Spirit; inward transformation that gradually diminishes man’s carnal nature so that more fruit of the Holy Spirit according to Christ may become a part of a renewed character, which in turn then manifests also in outward behaviour and life choices.

12. We believe in the resurrection of both those who remain faithful to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and the lost, the one to glory and everlasting life, and, the other to everlasting damnation, in “the place of torment” known as Hell (or, Hades according to the Scriptures). The resurrection of the dead is written that it will happen at His second coming to the earth when He will judge the nations.