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The True Vine Statement of Faith 1. The Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God. They are written by God through men, without error in the original writings, and are the complete revelation of God’s will for the salvation of mankind. They are the final authority for the complete Christian faith and life in Christ. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:21) 2. There is only one God, Creator of all things. He is infinitely perfect and externally existing in three personages: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. These three entities coexisting as one God is what we refer to as the Trinity. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 44:6, James 2:19, and John 5:7) 3. Jesus Christ, having been conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of a Virgin (Mary), is in fact true God and true man. (Matthew 1:18-25, Romans 1:3-4, Philippians 2:5-8, and Colossians 2:9) 4. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of man according to the Old and New Testaments. Jesus then rose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is our High Priest and Advocate before the father. (1 John 3:5, 1 Peter 1:3,22; Hebrews 4:15, Romans 3:24-26, 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Acts 1:9-11, and Timothy 2:5) 5. Man was created in the image and likeness of God and had fellowship with Him. Man fell into sin and was separated from God by that sin. Only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ, can salvation and spiritual fullness be obtained. (Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 59:1-2, Ephesians 1:7-8, and Titus 3:5-6) 6. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; and during this age, to convict mankind of sin and bring man to the knowledge that he falls short of the glory of God; and to regenerate the believing sinner by indwelling, guiding, instructing, and empowering the believer for godly living and service to God. (John 14:15-17, 26; 16:7-14; and 1 Corinthians 3:16) 7. The shed blood of Jesus Christ His death and His bodily resurrections are God’s only provision for justification and salvation from man’s sinful state. Only those who repent and receive Jesus Christ by faith are born again by regeneration of the Holy Spirit, thus becoming a child of God. (Acts 4:12, Romans 5:8-11, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, and John 3:3-8) 8. There will be a bodily resurrection of all the dead, the believer to eternal blessedness and everlasting joy and peace with God in Heaven; for the unbeliever, judgment and everlasting conscious punishment in Hell. (Acts 24:15, John 6:38-58, and Revelation 20:11-15) 9. Those born again into the family of God believe in the personal, pre-millennial and immanent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. The belief is the blessed hope of our faith, and has a vital bearing on personal life, service, and commitment of the believer. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, and 2 Peter chapter 3) 10. The true Church is composed of all such people who through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ, of which Jesus is the Head. (1 Corinthians 12:13-28, Romans 8:14, and Ephesians 1:22-23) 11. Water baptism by immersion after accepting Christ as personal Lord and Savior is an outward testimony of death and burial to sin, and resurrections to new life with God. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial service setting forth sacred and symbolic manner the death and life of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that only true believers should share in it. (Neither of these practices have any bearing on the salvation of a believer, nor does any ritual, custom, or good work of any kind). (Acts 10:44-48, Acts 8:36, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30, and Ephesians 2:8-9). |