STATEMENT OF FAITH
The following comprise the Scriptural beliefs of this church and its
members.
(A) The Holy Scriptures. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the
Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary inspired Word of
God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and,
therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of
the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of
God to Man. We believe that every word of the Holy Scriptures, both
the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God. We affirm
that holy men of God were moved by the Spirit of God to choose and
record the exact words in the original writings commonly referred to by
the early churches as the Textus Receptus (TR) or the Received Text,
and that God through His omnipotent care has preserved His Word to all
generations forever (Psalm 12:6-7).
In that God has promised to preserve His Word to all generations
forever; and in that the King James Version of the Bible is the only
English translation from the preserved Textus Receptus, in the public
ministry and services of this local church we are committed to the use
and perpetuation of the King James Version of the Bible, and believe it
to be the preserved Word of God for English speaking people. (Matt. 5:
18; Jn. 16:12-17; II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pt. 1:20-21).
(B) Dispensationalism. We believe that the Scriptures
interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined
dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in
successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but
rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man
according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations—the law, the
church, and the kingdom—are the subjects of detailed revelation in
Scripture. (Gen. 1:28; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:
10; 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-25, 27; Rev. 20:2-6)
(C) The Godhead. We believe in one triune God, eternally existing
in three persons¬—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in
being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the
same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14;
John 14:10, 26)
(D) The Person and Work of Christ.
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God,
became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the
Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal
God and redeem sinful men. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2
Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our
redemption through His death on the cross as a representative,
vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made
sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36;
Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and
is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He
fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts
1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)
(E) The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the
world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the
Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body
of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John
16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)
2. We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers
to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege
and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18;
1 John 2:20, 27)
3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual
gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and
teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the
work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)
4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as
speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in
tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or
filling of the Holy Spirit, and that ultimate deliverance of the body from
sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the
resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of
believers for physical healing. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)
(F) The Total Depravity of Man. We believe that man was
created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the
human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from
God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy
his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3;
4:17-19)
(G) Salvation. We believe that salvation is the gift of God
brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness
of our sins. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit, are forgivable. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19;
Matt. 12:31-32; 1 John 1:9)
(H) The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers.
1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’
s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30;
Rom. 8:1; 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the
assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word,
which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an
occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
(I) The Church
1. We believe that the local church, which is the body and the
espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again, baptized
persons. (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local
churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures.
(Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any
external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1,
4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)
4. We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the
Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matt. 28:
19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)
(J) Separation. We believe that all the saved should live in such a
manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God
commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all
worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain
from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily
markings. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:
15-17; 2 John 9-11; Lev. 19:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)
(K) The Second Advent of Christ. We believe in that blessed
hope, the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His
church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the
Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to
establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the
nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; I Thess. 1:
10; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
(L) The Eternal State.
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to
eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.
(Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent
from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they
await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to
be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23;
3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)
3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in
conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when
with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne
Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated,
but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:
41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:
11-15)
(M) The Personality of Satan. We believe that Satan is a person,
the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and
declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished
in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev.
20:10)
(N) Creation. We believe that God created the universe in six
literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-
Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.
(Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)
(O) Civil Government. We believe that God has ordained and
created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home,
2) the church, and 3) human government. Every person is subject to
these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are
answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each
institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those
responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to
infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal
and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of
responsibility under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1
Pet. 2:13-14)
(P) Human Sexuality.
1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual
activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a
woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism,
bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are
sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God
disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery
or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30;
Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of
one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-
23)
(Q) Family Relationships
1. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in
position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate
spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The
husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders
(pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible
for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim.
2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)
2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the
foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his
wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the
Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the
headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are
responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and
leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate
discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex.
20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:
6-12; I Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; I Pet.
3:1-7)
(R) Divorce and Remarriage. We believe that God disapproves
of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the
spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on
the grounds of fornication and abandonment. Although divorced and
remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions in the church
and be greatly used of God for Christian service, if they were divorced
after salvation, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or
deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Cor. 7:15; 1 Tim.
3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)
(S) Abortion. We believe that human life begins at conception
and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes
the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is
murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to
rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control,
or the physical or mental well being of the mother are acceptable. (Job
3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke
1:44)
(T) Love. We believe that we should demonstrate love for others,
not only toward fellow believers, but also toward both those who are
not believers and those who oppose us. We are to deal with those who
oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the
stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of
violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal
justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to
love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev.
19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21;
13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
(U) Lawsuits Between Believers. We believe that Christians are
prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the
church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses
all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between
members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek
compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company
as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Cor. 6:1-
8; Eph. 4:31-32)
(V) Missions. We believe that God has given the church a great
commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be
a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language
group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ
we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait
for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48;
John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)
(W) Giving. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that
portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his
local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe
as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other
offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the
relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a
Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering
once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1
Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:
17)
AUTHORITY OF STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible
itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe,
however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the
teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members. All
literature used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the
Statement of Faith.
| "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the Victory... "I Chronicles 29:11 |
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| Victory Baptist Church 305.248.2008 |