Beliefs

What do we believe?

The Bible is our rule for faith and living. We believe it to be the inspired and infallible Word of God. That is, we believe it to contain the very thoughts, ideas and words that God wished conveyed to man, and we believe it to be free from all error.

Christ is preached as the only Redeemer of God’s elect, in His offices of Prophet, Priest and King. We confess Christ to be the very Son of God, who became man, born of the virgin Mary, born under the law, subject to our own weaknesses, and yet without sin. We believe Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was buried. We believe the crucified Lord rose from the dead and was seen be many, before ascending up into heaven. Today, Christ is in heaven, making intercession for His people, and awaiting the time when He shall triumphantly return to earth to gather the elect of God and judge the world.

Reformed doctrine is central to all teaching and preaching. By 'Reformed,' we mean those doctrines clearly set forth by God in the Holy Scriptures and brought to bear against the abuses and false teachings of the Papacy during the Reformation of the sixteenth century. Doctrines such as the total depravity of man, double predestination, justification by faith alone and the Biblical use (and covenantal understanding), of the sacraments of baptism and communion.

What else should you know?

We are Presbyterian in church polity, because we believe this is the form of church government seen in the Apostolic Church, with the spiritual leadership of the church is found in the representative office of elder, both ruling and teaching. Also referred to in the Bible as bishops, overseers and presbyters, these elders are elected (or called by the congregation in the case of a teaching elder, who is usually given the title 'minister' or 'pastor'), examined by the presbytery and set apart with the laying on of hands by the presbytery to their ruling or teaching office. A session composed of a minister, and one or more ruling elders, governs each local church. The members of every session in a particular geographic region constitute a presbytery. Once a year, all the elders of the Bible Presbyterian Church gather together, constituting a national presbytery, or more commonly referred to as a Synod. We believe these to be the ecclesiastical courts of the church, as deduced from Scripture. Should any difference or dispute arise among the members of a particular congregation, and the parties involved are unable or unwilling to resolve the matter according to Matthew 18, the whole matter should be referred to the elders of the church, beginning at the session level, with appeal rights to the local and national presbyteries.

We hold up the Scriptures as the ultimate authority to be appealed to in all matters relating to religion, morality and faith.

We subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, as systematically stating, with Scriptural proofs, the truths contained in the written Word of God.