-The Victory Baptist Church Statement of Faith-
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant, infallible, God breathed, and preserved for the English speaking world in the KJV 1611 (II Timothy 3:16,17; II Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 12:6,7).
THE GODHEAD
We believe in the one triune God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory and in each having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19,20; II Corinthians 13:14).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST
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 man (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:35;John 1:12-14; II Corinthians 5:19-21).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative vicarious, and substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made by His literal physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24-25; I Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:20-13).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God. As our High Priest, He now fulfills the ministry of as representative, intercessor, and advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:24; I John 2:1,2).
THE PERSON AND WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person Who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the supernatural agent of regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. He is the abiding comforter, teacher, and guide (John 16:8-11; II Corinthians 12:12-14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13,14). It is the privilege of believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We do not believe that the evidence of being filled is by speaking in tongues, nor do we practice the same (I Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22).
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, inheriting a sinful nature and became alienated from God; that man is totally depraved and utterly unable to remedy his lost condition without God. Mankind suffered a spiritual and physical death by Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-13; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3).
SALVATION
We believe that salvation is the unmerited gift of God given to man by grace and received by repentance and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1:7; I Peter 1:18; John 1:12; Acts 13: 38,39).
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provided the only grounds for justification and salvation for all who believe; and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit, and thus become children of God (Hebrews 9:22; 7:25; Romans 5:11; John 3:16).
ETERNAL SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by the power of God and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1,38,39; I Corinthians 1:4-8; I Peter 1:4,5).
We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of salvation through the testimony of the Word of God, which, however, clearly the misuse of Christian liberty as an occasion to sin (Romans 13:13,14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).
SEPARATION
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach on their Saviour; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded by God (Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5).
We are fully persuaded that we are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; therefore, separation from others whose teachings are contrary to the direct, clear, and revealed Word of God, is to be strictly adhered to (Ephesians 5:1; Romans 12:1,2; I John 2:15-17; II Corinthians 6:14).
THE LOCAL CHURCH
We believe that the local church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ is solely made up of born-again persons (I Corinthians 12:12-14; II Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22,23; 5:25-27).
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 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
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; Romans 16:1, 4; 1 Corinthians. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
THE SECOND COMING
We believe in the "blessed hope," the personal, imminent, pre-tribulation and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent return to earth with His saints to establish His millennial kingdom (I Thessalonians 4:16,17; Revelation 20:4-6).
THE ETERNAL STATE
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all persons; the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting torment (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28,29; 11:25,26; Revelation 20:5,6,12,13).
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, separated from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body will be reunited to be glorified with the Lord (Luke 23:42; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23, 3:21; I Thessalonians 4:16,17).
We believe that the souls of the unbelievers and unsaved remain after death, in Hell, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when as 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 (Luke 16:19-26; I Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6,7; Revelation 20:11-15).
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; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
CREATION
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11).
HUMAN SEXUALITY
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, 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 (Genesis 2:24; 19:5,13; 26:8-9; Leveticus 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).
We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Roman 7:2; 1 Corinthains. 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23).
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; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jeremish 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).
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) the state. 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 (Roman 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14).
MISSIONS
We believe that God has given to the church and each individual Christian 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 the foreign naitions and not wait for them to come to us (Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:2)
