This portion of Victory Baptist Church's Statement of Faith represents the basics of our beliefs and does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe.
(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. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to the normal grammatical-historical meaning, as well as literal meaning when applicable. We believe the Word of God has been preserved in the Traditional Masoretic Text for the Old Testament and in the Traditional Received Text of the New Testament. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church. All issues of interpretation and meaning shall be determined by the Pastor. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)
(B) 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, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26)
(C) 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 man. (Is. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-11)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitution sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24- 25; I Peter 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 the Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)
(D) The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person Who convicts the world of sin, 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; I Cor. 12:12-14; II 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 a privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; I 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 local church in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11; 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. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit; and have ceased 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. (I Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14-21-22)
(E) Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God by a direct act. That man’s primary responsibility in life is to glorify God as his Creator. However, 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)
(F) Salvation
We believe salvation is a 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 the atoning work of Christ on the cross was for all men and reject the Calvinistic doctrine of limited atonement. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable (Matt. 12:31; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9)
(G) The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that once a person is saved, they 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; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Peter 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)
(H) 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 persons. (I Cor. 12:12-14; 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; I 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, and any affiliation, societies, organizations, associations, or agencies this church affiliates with to further the objectives stated in the Purpose Statement are not authoritative in matters of church practice or belief. (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1-4; I Cor. 3:9, 16, 5-4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4)
4. We recognize water baptism by immersion only 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; I Cor. 11:23-26)
(I) Separation
We believe that all believers should maintain a godly testimony and live in such a way that their lives do not bring a reproach upon their Savior, Jesus Christ. 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. We stand against any and all worldly philosophies that seek to destroy or undermine the truth of Biblical Christianity. (Lev. 19:28; Romans 12:1-2, 14:13; I Cor. 6:19-20; II Cor. 6:14-17; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15- 17, II John 9-11)
(J) The Rapture of the Church
We believe in the “blessed hope”, the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. (I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13)
(K) The Second Advent of Christ
At the end of the tribulation period, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish his earthly Messianic Kingdom which was fore promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:304; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
(K) The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgement and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25- 26; Rev. 20:5, 20:12-13)
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 the spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; II 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 the 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; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15.)
(L) The Personality of Satan
We believe in the reality of Satan as a distinct personality, who, having been perfectly created, fell from his exalted state through pride which prompted his rebellion against God. That he led a multitude of the angelic host in his revolt and that he remains the arch enemy of God. That he is the author of sin and the father of all lies. He is presently seeking to thwart the purposes of God and is the accuser of the brethren. He was defeated at Calvary and will eventually be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity as punishment. (Job1:6-7; Is. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11, 25-41; Rev. 20:10)
(M) Creation
We believe that the Genesis account of creation is neither allegory nor myth. We believe that God created the universe in six (6), literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap theory, the Day-Age theory, Theistic Evolution, and any other unscriptural theory or theories which contradict or deny the Biblical account of creation. (Gen 1-2; Ex. 20:11)
(N) 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 5 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)
(O) Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. 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 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; II Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
(P) Missions
We believe that God has given the church the 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; Mk. 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:2-8; II Cor. 5:20)
(Q) Giving
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give 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; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6-7; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17)
(R) Alcohol and Illegal Drugs
We believe that the use of alcohol as a beverage and use of illegal drugs is both unwise and is a stumbling block to others and must be avoided. (Pro. 20:1; I Cor. 8:9-13; I Thess. 5:22)
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(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. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to the normal grammatical-historical meaning, as well as literal meaning when applicable. We believe the Word of God has been preserved in the Traditional Masoretic Text for the Old Testament and in the Traditional Received Text of the New Testament. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church. All issues of interpretation and meaning shall be determined by the Pastor. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)
(B) 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, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; II Cor. 13:14; John 14:10, 26)
(C) 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 man. (Is. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-11)
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitution sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24- 25; I Peter 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 the Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)
(D) The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person Who convicts the world of sin, 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; I Cor. 12:12-14; II 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 a privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; I 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 local church in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11; 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. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit; and have ceased 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. (I Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14-21-22)
(E) Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God by a direct act. That man’s primary responsibility in life is to glorify God as his Creator. However, 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)
(F) Salvation
We believe salvation is a 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 the atoning work of Christ on the cross was for all men and reject the Calvinistic doctrine of limited atonement. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable (Matt. 12:31; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9)
(G) The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that once a person is saved, they 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; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Peter 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)
(H) 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 persons. (I Cor. 12:12-14; 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; I 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, and any affiliation, societies, organizations, associations, or agencies this church affiliates with to further the objectives stated in the Purpose Statement are not authoritative in matters of church practice or belief. (Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1-4; I Cor. 3:9, 16, 5-4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4)
4. We recognize water baptism by immersion only 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; I Cor. 11:23-26)
(I) Separation
We believe that all believers should maintain a godly testimony and live in such a way that their lives do not bring a reproach upon their Savior, Jesus Christ. 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. We stand against any and all worldly philosophies that seek to destroy or undermine the truth of Biblical Christianity. (Lev. 19:28; Romans 12:1-2, 14:13; I Cor. 6:19-20; II Cor. 6:14-17; II Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15- 17, II John 9-11)
(J) The Rapture of the Church
We believe in the “blessed hope”, the personal, imminent return of Christ who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. (I Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13)
(K) The Second Advent of Christ
At the end of the tribulation period, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish his earthly Messianic Kingdom which was fore promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:304; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 3:10, 19:11-16, 20:1-6)
(K) The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgement and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29, 11:25- 26; Rev. 20:5, 20:12-13)
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 the spirit, soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; II 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 the 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; II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15.)
(L) The Personality of Satan
We believe in the reality of Satan as a distinct personality, who, having been perfectly created, fell from his exalted state through pride which prompted his rebellion against God. That he led a multitude of the angelic host in his revolt and that he remains the arch enemy of God. That he is the author of sin and the father of all lies. He is presently seeking to thwart the purposes of God and is the accuser of the brethren. He was defeated at Calvary and will eventually be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity as punishment. (Job1:6-7; Is. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11, 25-41; Rev. 20:10)
(M) Creation
We believe that the Genesis account of creation is neither allegory nor myth. We believe that God created the universe in six (6), literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap theory, the Day-Age theory, Theistic Evolution, and any other unscriptural theory or theories which contradict or deny the Biblical account of creation. (Gen 1-2; Ex. 20:11)
(N) 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 5 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)
(O) Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. 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 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; II Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
(P) Missions
We believe that God has given the church the 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; Mk. 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:2-8; II Cor. 5:20)
(Q) Giving
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give 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; I Cor. 16:2; II Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6-7; Eph. 4:28; I Tim. 5:17-18; I John 3:17)
(R) Alcohol and Illegal Drugs
We believe that the use of alcohol as a beverage and use of illegal drugs is both unwise and is a stumbling block to others and must be avoided. (Pro. 20:1; I Cor. 8:9-13; I Thess. 5:22)
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