WHAT WE BELIEVE
Bibliology - We believe in the full inspiration of the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. By this we understand that the Holy Spirit moved the writers, so that the original documents were God-breathed, inerrant and infallible. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
The Godhead - We believe in one Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, eternal in being, identical in nature, equal in power and glory and having precisely the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28: 19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Timothy 1:17)
Jesus Christ - We believe the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a satisfactory and substitutionary sacrifice, and that our redemption is made sure to us by His bodily resurrection from the dead. (John 1:1-2; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
Holy Spirit - We believe the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, in the present age indwells all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, regenerates them, baptizes them into the Body of Christ and seals them unto the day of redemption. We believe every believer is commanded by God to be filled with the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:18-20)
Mankind - We believe mankind was created by God in His image and likeness but through Adam’s sin became alienated from God, acquired a sin nature and came under the judicial sentence of death. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23, 5:12-14; Ephesians 2:12)
Sin - We believe sin means violation of, or disobedience to, the revealed will of God,. Sin is also the state of absence of righteousness, or anything that falls short of the perfect glory of God. God has established that the penalty for sin is death. (Romans 3:23, 6:23; James 4:17; I John 3:4)
Salvation - We believe salvation is the gift of God, offered to persons by grace and received by repentance toward God and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This faith is manifested in works pleasing to God. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14)
The Church - We believe the Church, the “Body of Christ,” is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons in this age irrespective of their affiliation with Christian organizations. The head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:23-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Colossians 1:18)
Ordinances - We believe there are two Christian ordinances, namely, water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism signifies the believer has died with Christ, has been buried with Him and has risen to walk in newness of life with Him. The Lord’s Supper is a commemorative observance by which believers worship the Lord and proclaim His death until He returns. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Romans, 6:1-4; I Corinthians 11:23-26)
Final State - We believe the salvation and blessedness of the saved, and the condition and punishment of the lost, are conscious and everlasting. (Matthew 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:15, 22:3-5)
OTHER IMPORTANT DOCTRINES AND PRACTICES
The following are other important positions held by Eastgate.
Assurance and Security - We believe all true believers can know on the authority of the Word of God that they are saved, and safe and secure, for all eternity. (John 5:24, 10:27-30; 1 John 5:11-13)
Spiritual Gifts - We believe God gives to each believer, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit at conversion, a gift or gifts to equip the believer to serve God and edify other believers. These gifts are given by a sovereign act of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
Ordinance Practices - Regarding the ordinance of baptism, we believe the proper mode of baptism is by immersion in water (Acts 8:38), and this is our practice. Regarding the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, we believe in and practice the celebration of the Lord’s Supper each week, as the Scriptures indicate was the practice of the early Church. (Acts 20:7)
Future Events - We believe God has revealed different dispensations, or stewardships, with corresponding rules governing life and relationship with God. In every dispensation the way of salvation is by faith alone. The present dispensation is characterized by the building of the Church. The Church did not exist before this age and does not take the place of Israel in the prophecies of Scripture. The personal, imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to rapture the Church will be followed in order by the tribulation, Christ’s one-thousand-year reign on earth and the eternal state of blessing for the saved and punishment for the lost. (Daniel 2, 9:20-27; Matthew 16:18, chapters 24 and 25, 28:16-20; Romans 9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:36-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Revelation chapters 13 and 19 – 22)
If you have questions regarding what we believe, feel free to contact our elders.