Our Faith

We who meet at Colonial Hills Bible Chapel are a company of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who do not recognize denominational boundaries or sectarian limitations. Believing that the church is one body, composed of all believers, we refuse to take any name that is not common to all Christians. We meet regularly to study the scriptures, to fellowship together, to break bread in remembrance of our Lord, and to pray (Acts 2:42). We seek to gather in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and to maintain the apostolic pattern and simplicity which marked the churches of the days of the apostles in the New Testament (Romans 12:4-8). We seek by God’s grace to honor the Lord Jesus and worship God “in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23, 24). We assemble every “first day of the week” for the “breaking of bread” (Communion) (Acts 20:7), and desire to eliminate ritual and a stated order of service; however, we want to be led entirely by the Holy Spirit in the order of worship and ministry. We do not wish to silence any of the brethren present who may be led by the Spirit to pray and offer praise, to give out a hymn, to read or minister the Word of God or otherwise take part at the Lord’s table. In other words, no one man presides – only the Lord “in the midst” (Matthew 18:20). This we believe to the scriptural order of meeting, worship, and discipline.Anyone who is a child of God through faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross for sin, reception of Him as his own personal Saviour, and has testified his faith through the waters of baptism, has a right to participate at the Lord’s table, provided he is not living in sin and in deliberate disobedience to God’s Word (the Bible) (I Corinthians 5:11, II Corinthians 9:11, and Romans 15:7).Distinction between “clergy” and “laity” is not recognized (Revelation 2:6, 10), but realize that God bestows gifts to men in the body (the Church), as He wills. He raises up “pastors” and “teachers” according to His own will (Ephesians 4:11-13, Acts 20:17, 20). There is no thought of a stipulated amount of remuneration for the preaching of the Gospel, but we hold ourselves responsible to help those who are in the Lord’s work (III John 7). No collections are taken at public meetings.

We consider human creeds as unnecessary. The Bible being a record of what “holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”, there is consequently “no private interpretation” of the Bible. We are concerned with having the mind of the Spirit in matters of interpretation of Holy Writ. The Bible itself is our creed.

We have certain beliefs in the doctrines as unfolded in the Scriptures: that is, man’s fall and total depravity; his guilty, lost and hopeless condition; the amazing love of God in providing a Saviour in His Only Son; the perfection of Christ in His divine, as well as His human nature; reconciliation to God through Christ’s shed blood, by which alone man is redeemed, and not by works, law-keeping, or reformation. Christ’s resurrection is proof that God accepted his atonement.We believe that the Christian should have full assurance of his eternal salvation, and that this assurance comes not through feelings or experiences, but by the Word of God. We see from the Scriptures that being saved by Christ’s work once for all, a believer can never be lost, but as safe as though he were in heaven already (I John 3:2). However, the Scriptures guard against an abuse of this teaching, because it insists on good works as the fruit of being saved (Ephesians 2:10). The Bible teaches the believer to “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). The Scriptures also clearly show that a Christian life should be one devoted to Christ, and of separation from the way of the world.The hope of the Christian is not the betterment of this world system, but the coming of Christ to receive His own. He will raise the dead in Christ, and change the living, that together, they may be caught up to meet Him in the air. God will then judge the world by severe judgment preparatory to Christ’s millennial reign on earth when He will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 12:5). Righteousness will then prevail throughout the world, but His redeemed Church will always be with Him (I Thessalonians 4:17).

 

We believe, according to the Scriptures, that those who do not by faith respond to the Gospel of God’s grace and receive His free salvation, will have their part in the “lake of fire”, which is the “second death”, and eternal punishment, not extinction or restoration. Therefore, we believe in the earnest and loving dissemination of the Gospel of God’s offer of His eternal salvation (Revelation 20:14).We invite all to share the excitement of God’s goodness, love, and mercy with us at Colonial Hills Bible Chapel.


A WARM WELCOME AWAITS YOU !