Victory Fellowship Church Statement of Faith 

 

This is what Victory Fellowship Church believes and teaches. We hold these truths with conviction and teach them with grace.

 

The Bible

 

The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God. God breathed out every word as the Holy Spirit carried along its human authors. (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21). Because it comes from God, the Bible is inerrant: without error in all that it teaches in the original manuscripts. It is infallible: fully trustworthy and certain to accomplish God's purpose (Isaiah 55:11). It is the complete revelation of God's will for His own glory and for our salvation. It is the final and sufficient authority for what we believe and how we live.

 

God

 

God is the Creator and Ruler of all things in heaven and earth, both seen and unseen. He created all things for Himself, holds them under His power, and sustains them. He is the one and only true, living, perfect, unchanging, and eternal God. He exists in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who are co-equal and one in essence.

 

Jesus Christ

 

Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who came into this world in human form, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. While on earth, He was fully God and fully human and lived a sinless life. He died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all. He was buried, and on the third day He rose in a bodily resurrection, demonstrating His power over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). He ascended to heaven, is interceding for believers, and shall return in power and glory to gather the faithful and reign eternally.

 

The Holy Spirit

 

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully God and co-equal with the Father and the Son. He works in the world, in the church, and in every believer, convicting us of our sin and our need for Jesus Christ (John 16:8).

The Holy Spirit indwells, seals, and baptizes every believer into the body of Christ at the moment we put our faith in Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13–14). No second experience is required to receive Him. He is our counselor, leading us into all truth, and our source of power for Christian life, ministry, and spiritual growth.

 

Spiritual gifts

 

The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to every believer for the good of the church (1 Corinthians 12:7). We believe all the gifts described in Scripture remain available today, given as the Spirit chooses (1 Corinthians 12:11). No single gift, including speaking in tongues, is required as evidence of salvation or of being filled with the Spirit. Every gift is to be used in love, in an orderly way, and under the authority of Scripture and church leadership (1 Corinthians 13; 14:33, 40). Scripture is the test of any claimed word, prophecy, or experience, and none of these ever adds to Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:19–21). The clearest mark of the Spirit's work is not a gift but His fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).

 

Angels, Satan, and Demons

 

God created angels as spiritual beings to worship Him and carry out His purposes, including serving those who inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). Angels are never to be worshiped (Revelation 22:8–9). Satan is a created being who rebelled against God. He leads fallen angels, or demons, who oppose God and seek to deceive and destroy (John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8). They are real, but they are not equal to God. Jesus defeated Satan and the powers of darkness through His cross and resurrection (Colossians 2:15). A believer, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, belongs to Christ and cannot be possessed by Satan or demons (1 John 4:4). We stand firm in Christ's victory through truth, prayer, and the Word of God (Ephesians 6:10–18). Satan and his angels will be judged and punished forever (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). We teach what Scripture clearly reveals about the unseen world and avoid speculation beyond it (Deuteronomy 29:29).

 

Man

 

God created Adam and Eve in His image, male and female, created by Him and for Him (Genesis 1:26–27). Through Adam's disobedience, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12). All of us have inherited a disobedient, sinful heart, and all of us have sinned. Our sins separate us from fellowship with God. We can never make up for our sins by self-improvement or good works.

 

Salvation

 

Our sins separate us from fellowship with a holy God, and nothing we do can earn our way back into His presence. The penalty for sin is eternal death and separation from God. Our reconciliation to Him can only be accomplished when, enabled by the Holy Spirit, we confess and repent of our sins from the heart and accept Jesus Christ as God's offering of forgiveness for our sins. This instantaneous free gift of salvation is given by the grace of God through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ and the merit of His blood shed on the cross. Once redeemed, we are forgiven of all our sins, kept by God's power, and secure in Christ forever.

 

Grace

 

Because of God's free and abundant grace, we can live by it and unreservedly extend forgiveness and grace to

others. By God's grace, we can live a righteous and fruitful life, with the goal of serving and glorifying Him. As a church, we strive to be a place where grace is taught, administered, and experienced.

 

The Church

 

The Church is the Body of Christ on earth, made up of believers unified together through the Holy Spirit. It exists to glorify God through worship, build up its members in the faith through instruction in the Word, fellowship, love one another, and communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and the source of the Body's life. Christ gave the church two ordinances to practice until He returns: baptism and the Lord's Supper.

 

Baptism

 

Baptism is a step of obedience for every person who has put their faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38–41). We baptize believers by immersion in water, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism pictures our death to sin, burial, and resurrection to new life in Christ (Romans 6:3–4). It is a public declaration of faith, not a means of salvation.

 

The Lord's Supper

 

 The Lord's Supper is a remembrance of Christ's body given and His blood shed for us, proclaiming His death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). Believers share it and are called to examine their hearts before taking part (1 Corinthians 11:27–28).

 

Men and Women

 

God created men and women equal in worth, dignity, and value. Both bear His image and are fellow heirs of the grace of life (Genesis 1:27; Galatians 3:28; 1 Peter 3:7). God also designed men and women with distinct and complementary roles in the home and in the church. In marriage, the husband is called to lead, love, and protect his wife sacrificially, as Christ loves the church. The wife is called to respect and willingly support her husband's servant leadership, as the church does with Christ (Ephesians 5:21–33). Biblical headship is never a license for harshness, control, or abuse. In the church, the office of pastor and elder is reserved for qualified men (1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9). We understand 1 Timothy 2:12 to describe the authoritative teaching and oversight that belong to the elder office, not to forbid all teaching by women. Women are vital to the church's life and mission. They may teach classes of adult men and women, lead small groups, and serve as deacons (Romans 16:1; 1 Timothy 3:11), along with a wide range of other ministries, using the gifts God has given them.

 

Marriage and Sexuality

 

God created humanity male and female, and each person's biological sex is part of His good design (Genesis 1:27). Marriage is a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, instituted by God and reflecting the relationship between Christ and the church (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–6; Ephesians 5:31–32). Sexual intimacy is a good gift from God, reserved for a husband and wife within marriage (Hebrews 13:4; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20). Every person is made in the image of God and deserves dignity, love, and respect. Hateful or harassing words and actions toward anyone are inconsistent with the gospel. All of us fall short of God's design, and forgiveness and new life are freely offered to everyone who turns to Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

 

Sanctity of Human Life

 

Every human life is sacred because every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27; 9:6). God forms and knows each life in the womb, and human life is His gift from conception to natural death (Psalm 139:13–16; Jeremiah 1:5). We oppose the intentional taking of innocent human life, including abortion and euthanasia (Exodus 20:13). We are called to protect and honor the unborn, people with disabilities, the elderly, the poor, and all who are vulnerable (Proverbs 31:8–9). We extend compassion and grace to everyone affected by abortion. Forgiveness and healing are fully available in Jesus Christ.

 

Last Things

 

-Christ's return

 

Jesus Christ will return personally, bodily, and visibly to the earth in power and glory, and He will reign as King (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Revelation 11:15). Faithful Christians hold differing views on the millennium and the timing of the rapture, and Victory Fellowship takes no position on either. This hope moves us to live holy lives and to share the gospel with urgency (Titus 2:11–13; 2 Peter 3:11–12).

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-The resurrection

 

All the dead will be raised bodily: those who belong to Christ to eternal life, and those who have rejected Him to judgment (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28–29). Believers will receive glorified, imperishable bodies like Christ's risen body (1 Corinthians 15:42–44; Philippians 3:20–21).

 

-Final judgment

 

God will judge every person through Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31; Revelation 20:11–15). Those who are in Christ will never be condemned but will give an account of their lives and receive rewards for faithful service (Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

 

-Hell

 

Those who reject Jesus Christ will be separated from the presence of God in eternal, conscious punishment in hell (Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

 

-Heaven

 

Those redeemed by Christ will live forever with God in the new heavens and new earth. There God will dwell with His people, and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:1–4).