Liberty Valley Church Statement of Faith
I. The Scripture
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is the record of God's revelation of himself to man. It is inerrant and infallible in its original manuscript. It is the supreme standard by which all human conduct should be tried.
II. God
There is only one true and living God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. He is the eternal triune God three distinct persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, yet one in entity.
a. God the Father
God the Father is Spirit/Glory who is the sovereign of the universe. He has the three divine attributes, omnipotent / all powerful, omnipresent / everywhere always, omniscient / all knowing.
b. God the Son
Jesus the Christ is the eternal Son of God. His incarnation came through the virgin birth of Mary, conceived by the Holy Ghost. He was and is perfect without sin. He made provision for redemption by shedding his blood and death on the cross. He was raised from the dead and was seen alive by many up to forty days after his resurrection. He ascended into heaven, and is seated on the right hand of the Father. There he intercedes for us as the one mediator between God and man. He will return to Earth in power and in glory to judge the world.
c. God the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired the men of old to write the scriptures. Through illumination he enables men to understand the truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin and righteousness, and of judgment. He is responsible for regeneration / the new birth. He dwells in the believer to guide and direct in Christian character.
III. Man
Man was created by God in his own image from dust and placed in the Garden of Eden. In the beginning man was innocent of sin, and was given the freedom of choice. The first man Adam sinned against God and brought sin into the human race; whereby his environment and nature are inclined toward sin, and are under condemnation.
IV. Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by his own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.
a. Regeneration
Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This results in a new standing with God as forgiven and justified from sin and its penalty.
b. Sanctification
Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes. It is a action to which the believer progresses in moral and spiritual maturity and righteousness.
c. Glorification
Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
V. The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local body of baptized believers. Coming together to observe the two ordinances, the Lord's supper and baptism, commit to his teachings, and exercise the gifts and privileges invested in them by his word. Pertaining to the sign gifts of the apostles, we believed that they have ceased with the apostolic office ending with Paul the apostle.
This church is an autonomous body, operating through the democratic process under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The New Testament also speaks of the church as the body of Christ which includes all the redeemed of all ages.
VI. The Two Ordinances
Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior. It is prerequisite to the privileges to church membership and the Lord's supper.
The Lord's supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby the members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate his second coming.
VII. The Last Things
According to his promise Jesus Christ will return personally and visible in the glory to the Earth. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall be caught to meet him in the air. After seven years of judgment on the Earth know as the Great Tribulation, the Lord Jesus will return with his saints to establish his millennial kingdom.
VIII. Evangelism and Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.
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