Our Statement of Faith.

Our Statement of Faith

1. God the King and the Holy Trinity
WE BELIEVE that God is the Eternal1 King.2 He is an infinite,3 unchangeable4 Spirit,5 perfect6 in holiness, 7 wisdom,8 goodness,9 justice,10 power11 and love.12 From all eternity13 He exists as the One14 Living 15 and True16 God in three persons17 of one substance,18 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,19 equal in power and glory.20

1Deuteronomy 33:27; Romans 1:20; 2Psalm 95:3; Isaiah 43:15; 3Psalm 147:5; Job 11:7-9; 4James 1:17; 5John 4:24; 6 Matthew 5:48; 7Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 115-16; 8 Psalm 104:24; Proverbs 2:6; Isaiah 28:29; 9Exodus 33:19; Psalm 63:2; Psalm 31:19; 10Psalm 33:5; Psalm 89:14; Isaiah 30:18; 11 Exodus 15:6; 121 John 4:8; 13Isaiah 43:13; 14Isaiah 45:5; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 15Psalm 42:2; Psalm 84:2; 16Jerimiah 10:10; 17John 1:18; John 10:30; John 14:9; John 14:16-17; John 14:26; John 15:26; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 18 John 1:1; John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 19Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Revelation 1:4; 20Revelation 5:13; Ephesians 3:14-21

2. God the King: The Creator and Ruler of All Things
WE BELIEVE that God's kingdom is everlasting.21 From His throne, 22 through His Son, His eternal Word,23 God created, 24upholds25 and governs 26 all that exists:27 the heavenly places, 28 the angelic hosts,29 the universe, 30 the earth,31 every living thing 32 and mankind.33 God created all things very good. 34

21Psalm 45:6; Psalm 145:13; Daniel 4:3; 22 Psalm 93:1-2; 23John 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:1-2; 24Genesis 1:1; Psalm 95:3-5;25Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; 26Psalm 103:19; Psalm 104:24-29; 27Psalm 96:4-6; 28Psalm 89:11; 29Psalm 103:20-21; 30 Colossians 1:16-17; 31Psalm 104:5; 32Psalm 103:22; 33Psalm 22:28; Psalm 47:8; 34Genesis 1:31

3. Counterfeit Kingdom: Satan and Demonic Hosts
WE BELIEVE that Satan, originally a great, good angel, rebelled against God, taking a host of angels with him. 35 He was cast out of God's presence and, as a usurper of God's rule, established a counter-kingdom of darkness36 and evil on the earth.37

35Revelation 12:7-9; 36 2 Corinthians 11:14; Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 6:12; 37Mark 3:22-26; Ephesians 2:1-2; 1 John 5:19

4. The Kingdom in the Creation of Man, the Fall and The Doctrine of Original Sin
WE BELIEVE that God created mankind in His own image, male and female,38 for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth.39Under the temptation of Satan, 40 our original parents fell from grace,41 bringing sin, 42 sickness43 and God's judgment of death to the earth. 44 Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. 45 Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. 46 Human beings are born in sin,47 subject to God's judgment of death 48 and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness.49

38Genesis 1:26-27; 39 Genesis 1:26; 40Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9; 41 Genesis 3:8; Romans 1:21; Romans 5:16; 42Romans 5:12; 43 John 5:14; 441 Corinthians 15:22; 45John 8:44; 1 John 5:19; 46Romans 8:20-23; 47Psalm 51:5; 48 Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 2:5; Romans 2:12; Hebrews 9:27; 49Galatians 1:3-5; Galatians 4:8-9; Colossians 1:13

5. God's Providence, Kingdom Law and Covenants
WE BELIEVE that God did not abandon His rule over the earth50 which He continues to uphold by His providence. 51 In order to bring redemption, God established covenants52 which revealed His grace to sinful people.53 In the covenant with Abraham, God bound Himself to His people Israel, promising to deliver them from bondage to sin and Satan and to bless all the nations through them.54

50Psalm 24:1; Psalm 96:10; 51 Isaiah 40:22; Hebrews 1:3; 52Romans 9:4; 53Ephesians 2:12; 54Genesis 17:3-8; Genesis 12:2-3; Genesis 15:4-6; Romans 4:3-5; Romans 4:16; Romans 4:20-25; Galatians 3:6-9; Galatians 3:13-14

WE BELIEVE that as King, God later redeemed His people by His mighty acts from bondage in Egypt 55 and established His covenant through Moses, revealing His perfect will and our obligation to fulfill it. 56 The law's purpose is to order our fallen race57 and to make us conscious of our moral responsibility.58 By the work of God's Spirit, 59 it convicts us of our sin60 and God's righteous judgment against us 61 and brings us to Christ alone for salvation.62

55Exodus 15:3-18; 56 Exodus 19:3-6; Exodus 24:3-4; Exodus 24:7; Romans 8:3-4; Romans 8:12-14; 57 Deuteronomy 5:1-3; Deuteronomy 30:15-18; Galatians 3:23-25; 58Psalm 25:8-10; Romans 7:7; 59John 15:26; John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:14-17; 60 Romans 7:13; Galatians 3:19; Galatians 3:21-22; 61Romans 2:1-11; 62Galatians 3:24; Philippians 3:8-9

WE BELIEVE that when Israel rejected God's rule over her as King,63 God established the monarchy in Israel64 and made an unconditional covenant with David, 65 promising that his heir would restore God's kingdom reign over His people as Messiah forever. 66

631 Samuel 8:6-8; 64 1 Samuel 8:21-22; 1 Samuel 9:15-16; 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 10:24; 652 Samuel 7:11b-16; Psalm 89:34-37; 66Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Ezekiel 34:23

6. Christ the Mediator and Eternal King
WE BELIEVE that in the fullness of time,67 God honored His covenants with Israel and His prophetic promises of salvation68 by sending His Son,69 Jesus, into the world. 70 Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary,71 as fully God and fully man in one person,72 He is humanity as God intended us to be. 73 Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit,74 inaugurating God's kingdom reign on earth,75 overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, 76 preaching the good news of salvation, 77healing the sick, 78 casting out demons79 and raising the dead. 80 Gathering His disciples, 81He reconstituted God's people82 as His Church 83to be the instrument of His kingdom.84 After dying for the sins of the world,85 Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day, 86 fulfilling the covenant of blessing given to Abraham.87 In His sinless, perfect life 88 Jesus met the demands of the law89 and in His atoning death on the cross 90 He took God's judgment for sin91 which we deserve as law-breakers. 92 By His death on the cross He also disarmed the demonic powers.93 The covenant with David was fulfilled in Jesus' birth from David's house,94 His Messianic ministry, 95 His glorious resurrection from the dead,96 His ascent into heaven and His present rule at the right hand of the Father.97 As God's Son and David's heir, 98 He is the eternal Messiah-King,99 advancing God's reign throughout every generation and throughout the whole earth today.100

67 Mark 1:15; Galatians 4:4; 68Romans 1:2-4; 69 John 1:14;70 John 1:17-18;71 Luke 1:30-35, 72 John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-7; 73Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:29; 74Luke 3:21-22; Luke 4:16-21; 75Mark 1:14-15; Luke 11:20; Luke 17:20-21; 76Luke 4:1-13;77 Luke 4:43; 78Luke 4:40; 79Luke 4:41; 80 Luke 7:14-17; 81Mark 1:16-17; 82Mark 3:13-15; 83 Matthew 16:18; 84Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:1-17; 85John 1:29; John 6:51; John 4:9-10; 86Mark 8:31; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; 87Galatians 3:13-14; 88 Acts 3:14-15; Hebrews 4:15; 89Romans 5:18-19; 901 Peter 2:24; 91Galatians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 92Romans 1:18; Romans 1:32; Romans 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 93Colossians 2:13-15; 94Matthew 1:1; 95 Luke 1:68-72; Luke 2:10-11; Matthew 9:27; 96Acts 2:24-28; 97Acts 2:29-36; 98Romans 1:1-4; 99Hebrews 1:1-3; 100 1Corinthians 15:24-26; Ephesians 1:19-23; Revelation 5:5

7. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost in power,101 baptizing believers into the Body of Christ102 and releasing the gifts of the Spirit to them. 103 The Spirit brings the permanent indwelling presence of God to us104 for spiritual worship,105 personal sanctification,106 building up the Church, 107 gifting us for ministry,108 and driving back the kingdom of Satan by the evangelization of the world109 through proclaiming the word of Jesus110 and doing the works of Jesus.111

101Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4; 1021 Corinthians 12:13; 1031 Corinthians 12:4-7; 104John 14:16-17; 105 Romans 12:1; Ephesians 5:18-20; 106Romans 8:3-4; 1071 Corinthians 14:12; 1 Corinthians 14:26; 108Romans 12:4-6;109Luke 11:20; 1 John 3:8b; 110 Ephesians 6:10-20; 111John 14:12-13; Romans 15:18-19; 1 Corinthians 4:20

WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ112 and that He is our abiding Helper,113 Teacher,114 and Guide. 115 We believe in the filling or the empowering of the Holy Spirit,116 often a conscious experience,117 for ministry today.118 We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit119 and in the exercise of all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit.120 We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Spirit,121 for healing,122 and for recognition and empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church. 123

112Romans 8:9-10;113 John 16:7; 114 John 14:26; 115John 16:13-15; Romans 8:14; 116Luke 24:49; Acts 4:31; 117Acts 8:18-19; Acts 19:1-2; 1181Corinthians 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 6:4-7; 119Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:15-17; 1201 Corinthians 12:7-11; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Corinthians 14:5; 1Thessalonians 5:19-21; 121Acts 8:14-17; Acts 19:6; 122Mark 1:41; Luke 6:18b-19; Mark 16:18; 123Acts 13:1-3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6

8. The Sufficiency of Scripture
WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Holy Scripture124 so that the Bible is without error125 in the original manuscripts. We receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments126 as our final, absolute authority, the only infallible rule of faith 127 and practice.128

1242 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 1 Corinthians 2:12-13; John 14:26; 125Psalm 19:7-9; Psalm 119:30; Psalm 119:43; Psalm 119:89; Matthew 5:17-18; John 3:34; John 10:35; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 22:6; 126Luke 24:44; 2 Peter 3:15-16; Revelation 22:18-19; 127 Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; 128Matthew 7:21; Matthew 7:24; Luke 1:38; James 1:22-25

9. The Power of the Gospel Over the Kingdom of Darkness
WE BELIEVE that the whole world is under the domination of Satan129 and that all people are sinners by nature130 and choice.131 All people therefore are under God's just judgment.132 Through the preaching of the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom of God133 and the work of the Holy Spirit, 134 God regenerates,135 justifies,136 adopts137 and sanctifies138 through Jesus by the Spirit139 all who repent of their sins140 and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord141 and Savior. 142 By this they are released from Satan's domain and enter into God's kingdom reign.143

129 Luke 4:5-7; 1 John 5:19;130 1 Corinthians 15:22; Ephesians 2:1-3; 131 Romans 1:21-23; Romans 1:32;132 Romans 1:18; Romans 2:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ephesians 5:6; 133 Mark 1:14-15; Acts 8:12; Acts 28:31; Ephesians 5:5;134 John 16:7-11; 135 John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:23;136 Romans 5:1-2; Romans 5:9; 137 Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6;138 Ephesians 5:25; Hebrews 13:12; 139 1 Peter 1:1-2;140 Acts 2:38; 141Romans 10:9;142 1 John 4:13-15;143 Colossians 1:13-14; Philippians 3:20

10. The Church: Instrument of the Kingdom
WE BELIEVE in the one,144 holy,145 universal Church.146 All who repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit147 and form the living Body of Christ,148 of which He is the head149 and of which we are all members.150

144 John 17:20-21; Ephesians 4:3-6;145 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 146 Matthew 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 2:18-19; 1 Peter 2:9-10;147 Titus 3:4-7;148 Romans 12:4-5; 149 Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23; 150 1 Corinthians 12:27

11. Baptism and the Lord's Supper
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: water baptism151 and the Lord's Supper. 152 Both are available to all believers.

151 Matthew 28:19-20;152 1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 11:23-26

12. The Kingdom of God and the Final Judgment
WE BELIEVE that God's kingdom has come in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ,153 that it continues to come in the ministry of the Spirit through the Church,154 and that it will be consummated in the glorious, visible and triumphant appearing of Christ155 - His return to the earth as King.156 After Christ returns to reign,157 He will bring about the final defeat of Satan and all of his minions and works,158 the resurrection of the dead,159 the final judgment160 and the eternal blessing of the righteous and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.161 Finally, God will be all in all162 and His kingdom, His rule and reign,163 will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth,164 recreated by His mighty power, in which righteousness dwells 165 and in which He will forever be worshipped.166

153 Daniel 7:13-14; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 12:28;154 Matthew 6:10; Matthew 10:7-8; Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:11; John 15:26-27; Romans 14:17-18;155 Mark13:26; Acts 1:9-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:8;156 Revelation 19:11-16;157 Matthew 25:31-32; 1 Corinthians 15:23-25;158 Revelation 20:10;159 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 160 John 5:28-30; Revelation 20:11-15;161 Matthew 25:31-46;162 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; 163 1 Timothy 6:13-16;164 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:5;165 Revelation 21:27; 166 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 7:9-12

If you desire further information regarding our theological position,

to request the paper entitled:
"Association of Vineyard Churches Theological and Philosophical Statement".

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