About the Bible. .
. Our foundation at the Village is based firmly and doctrinally upon
the Bible. It is our authority and our guide to living. We believe
the Bible to be the divinely inspired Word of God. It is without
error, and it is given to us so that we may know and understand
the truth of God and His love (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The Bible is to be a lamp unto our feet and a
light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). It is worthy of our study and
application – We have no creed but Christ; no book but the
Bible.
God divinely inspired human authors to write
the sixty-six books that make up the Bible. It is through these
authors that he chose to communicate the values and principles which
are pleasing to Him and in our best interests (2 Peter 1:21). We
look to the Bible as the final authority on all matters of faith
and conduct (John 17:17).
(2Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21; John 17:17;
Psalm 119:105)
About God…. We believe there is one God, the creator and sustainer of the universe,
and he eternally exists (Genesis 1:1, 26-27). He exists as three
distinct persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) although He is One.
(Deut. 6:4) He is all powerful (Luke 1:37) and all knowing (Rom.
11:33). While we cannot fully comprehend his divine nature, it is
possible for people to know him. We believe that God loves us and
wants to have a relationship with us. (1 John 4:16)
About Jesus…
Jesus Christ came to Save the World (John 3:16-17). We believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our leader and forgiver (John 1:14).
He came to earth voluntarily, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born
of a virgin. We believe he lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15),
choosing to die on a cross for our sins (Phil. 2:6-8). He was raised
to life by God for our salvation (1 Peter 1:19-21). He is at the
right hand of God and will return one day as our victorious Savior
(Acts 1:11).
We believe that Jesus is the bread of life (John
6:35), the light of the world (John 8:12), the resurrection and
the life (John 11:25), and as the way, the truth, and the life –
the only means of access to God the Father (John 14:16).
About the Holy Spirit…
We believe that the Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and
the Son. As children of God we believe He lives within us (Romans
8:11) to guide us (John 16:13) in our understanding of His Truth
(1 Corinth. 2:10). We believe the Holy Spirit empowers us to live
Christ-like lives (Acts 1:8).
The Holy Spirit is constantly available to Christ’s
followers, showing Christ to us, forming Christ in us, guiding us
into truth, and empowering us to live a Christ-life in the world.
The Holy Spirit assures us that God is our Father and loves us.
God has poured out his love into our hearts (Rom. 5:5). Romans 8:15-16
says that when we cry, “Abba Father,” the Holy Spirit
is witnessing to our spirit that we are God’s children. Few
experiences can provide more power in our lives than to have the
assurance of our salvation.
About Relationship
with God… In our natural state we are sinners who fall short of the glory
of God (Rom.3:23). But through Christ’s work we receive forgiveness
(Acts 2:38; 13:38), which frees us from the burden of guilt (Heb.
9:14) that ruins any hope of our being truly satisfied. Whereas
we were sinners condemned to die (Rom. 6:23), now we receive the
gift of eternal life. So marked is the change that takes place at
conversion that Jesus describes it as crossing over from death to
life (John 5:24).
Baptism serves as a symbol of the burial of the
old self and the resurrection of the believer’s soul to walk
in life with Christ. The Bible teaches we are saved by grace through
faith, but in the New Testament church (Eph 2:8), a person’s
baptism was always the first expression of faith, not separate from
it. Baptism is intended to offer a means of union with Christ and
a benchmark of transformation, marking the place and time a person
made a commitment to Christ (Rom. 6:1-8).
Because we have sinned, we have severed our relationship
with God and have fallen short of His intended purpose for our lives.
The separation will lead to eternal death unless we are reconciled
to God (Rom. 3:23; 6.23). Anyone who has fallen into sin after having
been baptized should seek forgiveness and repent (Acts 8:13-24).
To repent means to change your mind. We must decide today that we
no longer want to live life doing our own thing, but want to follow
God’s path instead (Acts 3:19). “That if you confess
with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”
(Rom. 10:9).
With our guilt taken away, we can be reconciled
to God and thus relate to him personally (Rom 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:19).
Jesus said that the resulting relationship with God (“knowing
God”) is the most important aspect of eternal life (John 17:3).
God provides the deepest fulfillment that anyone could have as our
loneliness is banished and a friendship is established with God.
To be a Christian is to change. It is to become
new. It is not simply a matter of choosing a new lifestyle, though
there is a new style. It has to do with being a new person.
About the Church.
. . God works through the church to reconcile a lost world to Himself
through His son, Jesus. For this reason it is important for followers
of Christ to regularly gather together for celebration. During celebration,
followers come to experience community by being built up and encouraged.
These connections occur through teaching, fellowship, prayer, and
communion. Celebration in this manner enables all believers to serve
and connect with one another and with the unchurched (Acts 2:42-47).
The church compares to a living organism, with
Jesus at the head. God arranges the parts of the body according
to His divine plan. Each follower of Christ is given special functions
to perform by God for the good of the body. (Ephesians 4:1-16; Romans
12:4).
