Statement of Faith and Covenant

VALLEYVIEW STATEMENT OF FAITH and COVENANT

 

 

 

     We believe that to carry on the religious mission of the church, to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons who associate with the church as members should abide by and agree to the following Statement of Faith and Church Covenant and then conduct themselves in accordance with them.

 

VALLEYVIEW 'STATEMENT OF FAITH'

 

We Believe:

 

     That the Bible was written by men supernaturally borne along by the Spirit of God, so that in truth what they wrote is the word of God, fully inspired and inerrant in the original manuscripts; and that it is the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions are to be tried.

 

     That the Godhead exists in three distinct persons as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that these three are ONE God (i.e., Trinity), having the same nature, attributes, and perfections; that each executes distinct but harmonious offices not only in the great works of creation, redemption, and providence, but also in every area of life and history.

 

     That Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man; that He alone is the one and only way to the Father.

 

     That the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins as a perfectly righteous, substitutionary atoning sacrifice; and that on the ground of His shed blood and bodily resurrection we are justified by grace (salvation), through faith apart from any human merit or works in the person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

     That the Lord Jesus Christ came forth from the grave bodily resurrected, that He ascended into heaven, now seated at the right hand of God, there as our intercessory High Priest and Perfect Advocate.

 

     That the “Blessed Hope” set before us is the personal, imminent, glorious and triumphant return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

     That man’s bodily resurrection will bring everlasting blessedness to the righteous and everlasting punishment to those who have not been “born again” by receiving Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

 

 

 

     That the Holy Spirit is a personal spirit, fully divine, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, who from the moment of salvation indwells, seals and baptizes every believer into the body of Christ; further, that the Holy Spirit sanctifies, gifts, guides, empowers and enlightens believers, whose filling is manifested not by the exercise of any supernatural gift, but rather by the fruit of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit testifies concerning Jesus Christ and never leads anyone at any time contrary to the revealed word of God.

 

     That man was created in the image of God; that he sinned, and thereby incurred the consequences of disobedience to God, which included not only physical death, but also spiritual death, that is, separation from the life of God; therefore, by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, such that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, and deed.

 

      ThatGod wonderfully and immutably creates each person as either male or female, and that these two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God. Marriage as designed by God is to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman; and that sexual intimacy is to occur exclusively within that union.

 

       That all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. As such, it is vital to value, protect, defend, all human life.

 

     That Satan and the other evil spirit beings, who are aligned with him, are real personalities in total rebellion against God; and that Scripture refers to Satan as the “god of this world,” the “deceiver of the whole world,” and a “liar and murderer from the beginning” (that is, the garden of Eden).

 

    That the two ordinances of the church are believers baptism by immersion and the celebration of the Lord’s Supper; and that the sacred observance gathered around Christ’s Table is for all believers walking in fellowship and obedience with the Savior.

 

     That the saved are to pattern their mind, affections, attitude, speech and conduct after the example and teachings of Christ, that is, the Spirit’s goal for every believer is Christ-likeness; furthermore, that our Lord’s mission in the world, now passed to us, is our worldwide great commission as commanded in Matthew 28:18-20.

 

      Concerning Final Authority for Matters of Belief and Conduct, our Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Valley View Baptist Church’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our pastors and deacons as led by the Spirit of God are the interpretive authority on the Bible’s application.

 

 

VALLEYVIEW 'CHURCH COVENANT'

 

We, as members of the Valley View Baptist Church, having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of faith, having been Scripturally baptized by immersion; we do now in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body of Christ.

 

We promise, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in its work for Christ; to heed the Scriptural directives for life and service;  to meet together regularly for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, support, fellowship, and thus be equipped for mission outreach;  to promote the Church’s spirituality and prosperity; to give it a sacred pre-eminence above all institutions of human origin; and to contribute cheerfully, regularly, as directed by God in proportion to His blessing, for the support of the Church, benevolent purposes, and for the advancement of the Gospel worldwide.

 

We also promise to maintain family and personal devotions; to train our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord; to seek the salvation of our family, kindred, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances; to walk wisely in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our commitments, exemplary in our conduct; to avoid all gossip, unholy language, immorality, criminal behavior and addicting practices that enslave the body and/or mind; rather, to be zealous in our efforts to advance the work of Christ and His Church. We further promise to strive in all conditions, even until death, to live to the glory of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.

 

We further promise to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready and anxious for reconciliation.

 

We moreover promise that, when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church of like faith and practice where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

 

Adopted 9-13-2020

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