Proposed EIIBS premises & facilities

Proposed Layout of EIIBS- Plan View Revised

Proposed Layout of EIIBS- Sectional View Revised

An area of 1.5 acre (65,342 sq feet) piece of land is set aside and reserved for the development of the proposed EIIBS premises and facilities.

Our Beliefs

We believe in the Verbal Plenary Inspiration of the Holy Bible, that it is God-inspired in everyword to the fullest extent in the original Greek and Hebrew languages only. The Holy Bible is God’s revelation to us about Himself, about the Lord Jesus Christ, about the Holy Spirit, about human beings, about sin and salvation, about Heaven and Hell, about judgment to come, etc. The Bible tells us how God sacrificed His Son to enable man to get right with Him, and how man is to live with his fellowmen. We believe that man is lost spiritually, and without the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, is doomed to Hell. We believe in a literal Hell where those who do not trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour will spend eternity in conscious, unending torment.

We also believe that God Almighty is the One and Only True Living God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and all that is in Heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth. We believe God is holy and yet loving. From eternity past, God planned to populate Heaven with humans who become His children through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and cleansed by His shed blood. Heaven is a place of eternal joy, peace, happiness and fellowship with God and the redeemed; Heaven is in direct contrast to Hell where souls are cut off from fellowship with God and suffer eternally. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the true Son of God Who became the God-Man at the Incarnation (John 1:14). He was truly God and truly Man in one body. As the Son of man, He identified with human beings on Earth in their sufferings and understands our weaknesses because He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). As our Lord, “He is able to succour [help] them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). At the end of His earthly life, the Lord Jesus died on the Cross to pay for our sins. He, the sinless Son of God, died on our behalf as a Substitutionary Sacrifice [peace-offering] to God (1 John 4:10). The Lord Jesus Christ Who was without sin became a sin-offering for us “that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). By His death on the Cross, the Lord Jesus conquered sin, death and Satan. Three days later, He came to life again from the dead to assure us that our sins were fully paid for. We believe in the existence of Satan, that he is a fallen angel and an avowed enemy of God and God’s people. He actively seeks to seduce unbelieving souls to Hell. He also hinders Christians from living holy lives, as well as thwarts their efforts to extend God’s Kingdom. As the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross was sufficient for all mankind but efficacious or effective only for those who believe.

We believe in the sovereignty of God in man’s salvation. It is God Who predestinates and chooses us to believe in Him and be His children. Salvation is totally by God’s grace. Man’s good works do not merit salvation in any way. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Titus 3:5-6). We believe that man is sinful and depraved, unable to do anything good to merit salvation. Indeed, all men are like sheep which “have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD [God] hath laid on Him [the Lord Jesus Christ] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). We believe that salvation is only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The God-appointed and God-given Mediator is our Lord Jesus Christ. “For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). We believe that all men are lost spiritually, needing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, to be made right with God.

We believe in evangelism, that the church is to reach out to save the lost and not wait for the lost to find their way to the church and to the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the fundamentals of Christianity, that the Bible is the Word of God, that the Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, without a human father, but through the power of the Blessed Holy Spirit. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ lived a sinless life before God and man, that He died on the Cross as a Perfect Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, once and for all. His sacrificial death was completely sufficient to pay for the penalty of man’s sin and is never to be repeated again. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ resurrected physically on the third day. Forty days later, He ascended to Heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the world. Presently, He is praying for us His children on earth. For “it is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34).

We believe that salvation is only possible in this life when a person is able to make a volitional and intelligent decision to receive Christ as Saviour. We believe that there is no second chance after death to trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation. We do not pray for the dead, for there is nothing the living can do to change the destiny of the dead. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back very soon to receive unto Himself those who trust in Him as their personal Saviour. Our Lord Jesus promised: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). He will save us from God’s wrath to come.

We believe in the Holy Spirit Who is One with the Father and the Son, equal in power and glory. He is sent into the world by both the Father and the Son and indwells every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. To receive the Holy Spirit into our lives, we do not need to wait for the “second blessing”, or consciously invite Him into our lives. The Holy Spirit convicts man of his sins (John 16:8) and resides in the person the moment he believes and receives the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and Lord.(John 14:16,17).

BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN DISTINCTIVES

The Scriptures
We believe that the Holy Scripture or the Bible is the Word of God. It is verbally and fully inspired by Him and is therefore inerrant; infallible and authoritative.

It is verbally inspired so that every word, and in fact every jot and tittle is inspired by God (Matthew 5:18). The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors in their writing, and while their style is not diminished, the result is the holy infallible Word of God.

It is fully inspired in that it is all inspired of God. One part of the Bible is not more inspired than another part, but all of it (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16). We believe that there are only 66 books in the Bible as spelt out in the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF 1.II). The books commonly called Apocrypha are not divinely inspired, and therefore are not part of Holy Scripture.

The Bible is inerrant in that there is no error in it because God Himself is the Divine Author. Hence scripture is used to interpret other portions of scripture (WCF 1.IX). If the scriptures give an interpretation to a particular text, then we must not seek any other interpretation.

The Bible is infallible and is correct in all matters, not only of matters pertaining to salvation, but also of history, science and geography.

The Bible, being the Word of God, is absolutely authoritative and so demands our absolute belief and obedience. Every believer can and must rest on its teachings, trust it, and depend on it fully and sufficiently for all that we need to know concerning how we may live our Christian lives (2 Tim 3:16-17; See WCF l.IV).

The Christian Gospel
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-4

The Apostle Paul declared that according to God’s eternal plan, Christ died for our sins. The Bible clearly states that we are by nature and conduct sinners before God (Romans 3:10,23), unable to do anything spiritually good to please Him. Sin is an offence against God and unless our sins are forgiven, we will be judged and eternally separated from God.

However, God in His great love for us sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be born on earth and to die on the cross. He died in the place of sinful men, paying the penalty for sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) and remained in the grave until the third day. The burial of Jesus shows that the death was real. The heart of the gospel is this—”I, the sinner, deserve to die; but I believe that Jesus the Son of God died in my place. He became my Substitute.”

According to the Scriptures, Christ rose from the dead on the third day. This event proves His claim to be God’s Son (Romans 1:4) and His power to conquer sin (Romans 4:25). It also assures us as Christians that God will raise us after we die (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Salvation is a gift of God to undeserving and unworthy sinners.

In summary, the gospel proclaims Jesus’ death for sinners. This gift of eternal life is available to all who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as Lord and Saviour. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!

The Holy Trinity
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is not easily understandable to our limited minds. Nevertheless, we must accept it by faith as an essential doctrine of Christianity. God is the one living and true God. He is one God, yet three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

One can find this doctrine on the first pages of the Bible. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: …so God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:26-27). This shows that God, who is one, speaks as more than one. Furthermore, “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us” (Genesis 3:22). When Isaiah heard the call of God centuries later, he said: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8).

In the New Testament, there are many references to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. In the baptism of Jesus Christ we see the Three Persons of the Godhead: the Father in heaven, the Son on earth and the Spirit descending from heaven to earth (Matthew 3:13-4:1).

The Virgin Birth of Christ
The conception and birth of Jesus was a miracle performed by the power of God through His Holy Spirit, without a human father. Jesus Christ is both Divine and Human: Divine in that He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit; Human in that He was born of the Virgin Mary.

The doctrine of the Virgin Birth of Christ is one of Christianity’s essential doctrines. The Virgin Birth of Christ was told by both Matthew and Luke. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:18). In Luke 1:26-35, we have God’s full explanation of the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, Who is both God and Man.

Physical Resurrection of Christ
The doctrine of the Resurrection of Christ is one of Christianity’s essential and central truths. The Apostle Paul said that if Christ had not risen physically, then our faith is vain, we are still in our sins, and we are of all men most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:16-19).

This doctrine is specifically and thoroughly taught in Q52 of the Westminster Confession Larger Catechism: “How was Christ exalted in His resurrection?”

Ans: “Christ was exalted in His resurrection, in that, not having seen corruption in death (of which it was not possible for Him to be held), and having the very same body in which He suffered, with the essential properties thereof (but without mortality, and other common infirmities belonging to this life), really united to His soul, He rose again from the dead the third day by His own power; whereby He declared Himself to be the Son of God, to have satisfied divine justice, to have vanquished death, and him that had the power of it, and to be Lord of quick and dead: all which He did as a public person, the head of His Church, for their justification, quickening in grace, support against enemies, and to assure them of their resurrection from the dead at the last day.”
Much can be said from this statement, but there are 5 key points.

Firstly, Christ did actually die physically. It was confirmed by the Roman soldiers (John 19:33-37) and the Jewish burial that was given him (John 19:39-40).

Secondly, He also resurrected bodily; His grave clothes were left behind (John 20:5-7) and His nail prints could still be felt (John 20:27).

Thirdly, Christ rose from the dead on the third day by His own power. He predicted this in John 10:18. This is significant because it proves that He is the Son of God (Romans 1:4).

Fourthly, Christ’s resurrection secures salvation for all believers because it proves that His death was accepted as atonement for our sins.

Fifthly, because He has conquered death, all believers will likewise be resurrected at the last day (1 Corinthians 15:24-26).

Presbyterian Form of Church Government
The church is governed by sound principles in order to carry out God’s eternal plan in the world and in His children. But since God alone is the Lord of the conscience, God “has left it free from the doctrine and commandments of men, which are in any thing contrary to His Word, or beside it in matters of faith or worship” (Article 5.1). Hence, all church power, of the congregation or of its officers, is only “ministerial and declarative”. The only authority on faith and conduct is the Holy Scriptures and “all its decisions should be founded upon the revealed will of God” (Article 5.7). It is essential that those admitted as teachers and preachers in the church be sound in “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

The church is committed to the task of evangelism and missions, fellowship and discipleship, baptism, the Lord’s Supper and Worship, Christian education, weddings and funerals, and the stewardship of the manifold resources bestowed by God.

The management, administration and discipline of the church rest on the Session of the church which comprises the Pastor, Associate/Assistant Pastor and, if any, Advisory or Supervisory Pastor, Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses. The Pastor will also be the Chairman or Moderator of the Session.

The spiritual oversight of the church in matters of doctrine, principles of government, church elections, admission and discipline of members and the administrative oversight of the church shall be the specific responsibilities of the Pastor with the full co-operation and participation of the Board of Elders (Article 11.2 & 15.7). Deacons and deaconesses work under the instruction of the Elders.

All session members of the church are elected to hold office for a period of three years by the congregation at the Annual Congregational Meeting. All may be eligible for re-election in accordance with the terms of the Constitution.

The church is financially supported by the freewill offerings and tithes of its members and gifts donated from friends and other income derived by the church according to the Holy Scriptures.

The Form of Government of the Bible Presbyterian Church USA

Westminster Catechism

Larger Catechism: Larger_Catechism

Shorter Catechism: Shorter_Catechism

The Westminster Shorter Catechism was written by a group of English and Scottish theologians, the same assembly which produced the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger Catechism.  It was completed in 1647 and approved by the Church of Scotland in 1648, upon which it then became the primary manual for instructing in doctrine within the Scottish churches.

The purpose of the Shorter Catechism is to educate lay persons in Reformed doctrine.  It is laid out in question and answer format to make it easy to learn and remember.  Some churches in Scotland today still have their children memorize this catechism, and will present Bibles to children who can correctly answer all of its questions in one sitting.  Historically, new converts were also given a copy of the Shorter Catechism and the Westminster Confession of Faith along with a Bible to study.  

The catechism consists of 107 questions and answers with Scripture proofs, and follows the same organization of doctrine as the Heidelberg Catechism.  Questions 1-12 concern God as Creator.  Questions 13-20 deal with original sin and the fallen condition of man.  Questions 21-38 concern Christ the Redeemer and the benefits that come from this redemption.  Questions 39-84 discuss the ten commandments.  Questions 85-97 concern the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  Questions 98-107 teach and explain the Lord’s Prayer.

This document is suggested by some to be the most thoroughly Biblical and Calvinistic catechism every produced.  Although it is a Presbyterian document, many denominations have made use of it in instructing their members.

Welcome to EIIBS – Ebenezer International Institute of Biblical Studies info centre

Inauguration of Ebenezer International Institute of Biblical Studies (EIIBS)

 

Ebenezer International Institute of Biblical Studies (EIIBS) – Kenya
Principal: Rev Richard Musyoki

COLLEGE VERSE
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth.

STATEMENT OF FAITH
EIIBS is a reformed college committed to training pastors of all Christian denominations in Kenya in the region and internationally, its teaching and practice are based on the full counsel of God as recorded in the Bible.

The following is what we believe in EIIBS community faculty student’s supportive staff and partners.

1. That the word of God, the Bible is inspired infallible and authoritative word of God (2 Timothy. 1:16)

2. That there is only one God, eternally existing in three persons as Father, Son and the Holy Spirit all equal in power, same in essence and substance (2 Corinthians 13:14)

3. Our Lord Jesus Christ is both God and Man.
The Bible says that. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18,23) and that he lived a sinless life. That he died, was buried and on the third day, he rose again from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3,4) and that he went back to heaven but will come back to judge both the living and the dead (Romans 12:14 and Revelation 20:11-15)

4. That the Holy Spirit helps the lost sinner to believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as his saviour (John 16:8-10)

5. That salvation is only by grace through faith in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9)

6. That both the saved and unsaved will be raised from the dead, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to eternal condemnation (Revelation 20:11-15)

7. That the church of Jesus Christ is made up of those who have been born again through the spirit of God through believing in Jesus Christ.

8. That the local church is primarily a witness of Jesus Christ.

9. That every believing Christian is a witness of Jesus Christ.

10. That the souls of those who have trusted in Christ upon death immediately pass into the presence of God (2 Corinthians 58, Luke 23:43ff)

11. That the souls of the lost sinners upon death remain in misery until the coming of the Lord Jesus where they will be raised only to be casted into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:5ff, Luke 16:22-28, Hebrews 9:27)

12. That Satan is real and that he is a person; That old serpent called the devil Satan who deceive the whole world (Revelation 12:19, Ephesians 6:11, Revelation 20:10)

Faithful adherence to these tenets is expected of all who join EIIBS. Any deviation will be dealt with as soon as it arises.

VISION
A bible college of academic excellence, biblical relevance theological fidelity and spiritual piety.

MISSION
To help strengthen the church in Kenya in the region and externally offering sound theological training to those men and women the Lord is calling to His Kingdom service.

CORE VALUES
1. Excellence
2. Responsiveness
3. Mission-mindedness
4. Accountability
5. Partnership
6. Transparency
7. Affirmation
8. Involvement
9. Servanthood

Ebenezer Bible Presbyterian Church, Kenya
Registered as Ebenezer Bible Presbyterian Church, the first Bible Presbyterian Church in East Africa, KENYA on Nov 2 2009-Certificate issued.

Ebenezer Bible Presbyterian Church, Kenya
Ebenezer International Institute of Biblical Studies
Rev. Richard Musyoki
P.O. Box 1907
Machakos  East Africa
Kenya