Victory Church Core Beliefs

STATEMENT OF FAITH...CORE BELIEFS THAT MUST BE AGREED UPON

(A) The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenarily 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 Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 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; 2 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 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, I Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I 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; I 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, 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; I 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; I John 2:20, 27).

(E) 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; and, that 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 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 sins.  Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  Works has no part in salvation. ( John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1: 4-5)

(G) 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 (2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15).

(H) 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 1:66-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

OTHER POSITIONS AND BELIEFS THAT WILL BE TAUGHT BUT ARE NOT BINDING

(A) 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 age of law, the age of the Church, and the age of the kingdom are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture (Gen. 1:28; I 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).

(B) The Gifts of the Spirit.

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:-38; I Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12).

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 the 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).

(C) 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 and they can never lose their salvation. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I 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).

(D) The Church

(1) We believe that the local church, the local assembly of baptized believers, is solely made up of born-again persons. (I 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; 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 (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; Rom. 16:1, 4; I Cor. 3:9,16; 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 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.  They are both pictures of what has already happen in our hearts and have nothing to do not impart salvation in any way. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; I Cor. 11:23-26).

(E) Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. That believers maintain separation from all religious apostasy. That believers refrain from any worldly practices and associations that would mar the testimony of the believer and the church. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; I John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11).

(F) The Second Advent of Christ

We believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the Saints. 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; I Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

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 of our core beliefs accurately represents the teaching of the     Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members and agreed upon.

We believe that the remaining doctrinal positions that are not a part of our core faith are what will be taught in our church but are not     binding upon all members in order to be a member of the church.    

The Statement of Faith does not cover current social issues due to the fact that they do not constitute doctrinal positions. 

Our church maintains a position on all social issues as given in God’s Word including the following current moral issues:

The following moral issues must be agreed upon in order to be a member of Victory Church.

(1) Abortion-The Bible affirms that life begins at conception thereby teaching that to end a life, from conception onward, would constitute murder. (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1,5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

(2) Human Sexuality-The Bible affirms that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. Any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery, pornography or any other practices of sexual activity outside of a Biblical marriage are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5,13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).

(3) Civil Government-The Bible affirms that God has ordained the home, church, and the state. God has given each institution specific biblical responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; I Peter 2:13-14).