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The Statement of Faith that members and directors of the Corporation are required to subscribe to is as follows:
i. BIBLE
We believe the Bible is the complete Word of God. The sixty-six books, as originally written,comprising of the Old and the New Testaments, were verbally inspired by the Spirit of God and are therefore entirely free from error.
The Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice and the only true basis of Christian union. II Tim. 3:16-17;Heb. 1:1-2;II Peter 1:19-21;Romans 15:4;Ps.19:7-11.
ii. TRINITY
We believe that the Bible clearly sets forth the trinity, the tri-unity of the Godhead and that there is one God who reveals Himself in Three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, all co-eternal, co-existent and co-equal. Matt. 3:16,17; 28:19;Jn.15:26;
II Corith.13:14; Gal.4:6;Jn 14:16-21.Deut 6:4; I Peter 1:2.
God the Father - We believe in the doctrine of God the Father, creator of all, the only true eternal and living God whose attributes include holiness, goodness, justice, love, self existence, self sufficiency, mercy, grace, faithfulness, immutability and truth. He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.Ex. 34:7,7; 3:14; I Kings 8:27; Acts 17:22-31; Eph 1:11; Isa 6:1-13; Rom 11: 33-36; 9:28-39;Rev 4:1-11.
God the Son - We believe in the doctrine of God the Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in His essential deity, in His eternal existence with the Father in preincarnate glory, and His virgin birth, sinless life, death, burial and resurrection, ascension, mediatorial ministry and personal return. Jn. 8:58; 10:30,1:1-5;Rom. 9:5;I Tim. 3:16;Isa. 7:14; 9:6-7;Mt. 1:23; Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9,1:15-20;Heb. 1:8; 4:15;Acts 1: 9-11;1 Jn. 2:1; Rev:1-8; I Thes 4:16; I John 2:1
God the Holy Spirit - We believe in the doctrine of God the Holy Spirit, in His essential deity and personality, who convinces of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, who regenerates, sanctifies, illuminates and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ.Ps.139:7-12; Matt. 28:19;Jn. 3:3-6;John 14:16,17,26; 16: 8-11; I Cor. 2:10, 12:13; II Cor. 3:18; Gal 5:22-23; Heb. 9:14; 10:15-18;Gen 1: 1-3; Rom 8:14,16,26,27; Eph 1: 13,14; Acts 1-8.
iii. SATAN
We believe that Satan exists as an evil personality, the originator of sin, the arch-enemy of God and man.Isa.14:12-15;Ezek. 28:12-19;Luke 10:18;Jas. 4:7;I Jn. 4:4; John 8:44; II Corinth 4:4;I Peter 5:8; Rev: 20: 10.
iv. MAN
We believe that man was divinely created in the image of God and that he sinned, becoming guilty before God, resulting in total depravity, thereby incurring physical and spiritual death.Gen. 1:1-3,27;2:7,18-25;Rom. 3:10, 23; 5:12; 6:23;Heb. 9:27; John 1:3.
v. SALVATION
We believe that salvation is by the sovereign, electing grace of God, that by the appointment of the Father, Christ voluntarily suffered a vicarious, expiatory and propitiatory death, that justification is by personal faith alone in the all sufficient sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that those whom God has effectually called shall be divinely preserved and finally perfected in the image of the Lord.Rom. 10:9-13; 8:28-39;I Corinth.15:49;Acts 4:12,16:31;Eph 2:1-10;I Peter 1:2.
vi. FUTURE THINGS
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious resurrection of the just and the unjust, in the eternal blessedness of the redeemed and in the judgment and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.Dan. 7:13;Matt. 26:64; 24:27-51;I Cor.15:49;I Thess. 4:13-18; Rev 4:16, 19:11-21;20:12-15;John 14:1-4;
vii. THE LOCAL CHURCH
We believe that a church is a company of baptized believers, called out from the world, separated unto the Lord Jesus and voluntarily associated for the ministry of the Word, the mutual edification of its members, the propagation of the faith and the observance of ordinances. We believe it is a sovereign, independent body exercising its own divinely awarded gifts, precepts and privileges under the Lordship of Christ, the great Head of the Church. We believe that its officers are Pastors and Deacons and such other Officers as the Church shall deem necessary to elect from time to time.John 17:6-26,15:19;Rom 14:19;II Corinth 10:8, 13:12;I Thes 5:11; Matt 18:15-17, 28:18-20;Acts 2:41,42, 15:13-18, 20:17-28; I Corinth 5:9-13, 11:2,3, 12:28;Eph 1:22,23, 2:19-22, 3:10, 4:11,12, 5: 23,24; Col 1:18, 3:11; I Tim 3:1-13.
viii. ORDINANCES
We believe that there are only two ordinances of the church, regularly observed in the New Testament:
1. Baptism, which is the immersion of the believer in water, whereby the believer obeys Christ's command and sets forth one's identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Mt. 28:19;Acts 2:41,8:36-38, 22:16;Rom. 6:1-11;Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12; Eph 4:3-6.
2. The Lord's Supper, which is the memorial wherein the believer partakes of the two elements, bread and wine, which symbolize the Lord's body and shed blood, proclaiming His death until He comes.Luke 22:19-20;I Cor. 11:23-34.
ix. THE LORD'S DAY
We believe that the first day of the week should be observed as the Lord's Day and that, in a special sense, it is the divinely appointed day for worship and spiritual exercise.Ps. 95:1-7; Heb.10:25.Mat 12: 1-8.
x. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
We believe in religious liberty; namely that every person has the civil right to practice and propagate his beliefs.
xi. THE CHURCH AND STATE
We believe in the entire separation of church and state.Dan 3: 17,18;Acts 4: 19,20, 5:29, 23:5;. Matt 22:21.
xii. CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment of the interest and good order of society and that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured and obeyed, except in the things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience and over all kings of the earth.Rom.13:1-7;I Tim. 2:1-4;I Peter 2: 13-17.
ASSOCIATION
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West Highland is a member congregation in the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada.