Armstrong Valley Bible Baptist Church

Doctrine/Statement of Faith

The Holy Scriptures

We believe that the Bible is God’s verbally inspired revelation to man and that inspiration extends equally to all parts of both Old and New Testaments; that it is inerrant in the original writings and is therefore the supreme and final authority in all matters of doctrine, faith and life. (I Timothy 3:16-17).

The Trinity of the God-Head

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19).

The Pre-existence, Deity, and Incarnation of Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ ever existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit and that in His incarnation was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. (John 1:1-19; I Timothy 3:16).

Creation

We believe that God created the heavens and the earth and all things therein, by the word of His mouth, in six (6) literal days. (Genesis 1).

The Creation and Fall of Man

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that he sinned and, thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, are totally depraved and for those who reach the age of moral responsibility become accountable for their sins in thought, word, and deed, and that they must be born-again to be accepted of God. (Romans 5:12; Romans 3:10; 3:23; John 3:1-21).

The Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ

We believe that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood. We believe that he arose bodily from the dead on the third day in the same body in which he suffered and died. We also believe that our Lord ascended into Heaven; that He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is our High Priest and Divine Advocate with the Father. We believe that by His finished work on the Cross and His unceasing ministry of intercession in Glory, that Jesus Christ has procured for every believer Eternal Salvation.

(I Corinthians 15:3; Romans 5:9; I Corinthians 15:4; John 20:27; Mark 15:19; Hebrews 8:1, 7:25; I John 2:1; Hebrews 9:12, 5:9; John 3:16).

Salvation

(a) We believe that salvation is the free gift of God brought to man by infinite grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. Since salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, nothing which man could do of works or righteous deeds can make any contribution to his salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:15; Isaiah 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9).

(b) Having been saved by grace and being kept by the power of God, it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh, or of stumbling to another believer. (I Corinthians 8:9; Galatians 5:1, 13; I Peter 1:5).

(c) Having become a new creature by faith in Jesus Christ, the believer now possesses two natures: the old sinful nature and the new spiritual nature, which are in conflict one with the other. Victory has been provided over the old nature by the indwelling Holy Spirit and the Word of God. (Romans 6-8; Galatians 5:17-26).

Holy Spirit

(a) We believe the Holy Spirit is a person; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; that He regenerates the sinner by the Word of God, baptizing them into the body of Christ; that He permanently indwells the body of each believer, sealing them unto the day of redemption; and that He enlightens, instructs, and guides every born-again person who makes himself available to His direction. Therefore, it is the privilege and responsibility of each believer to be filled with the Spirit, who is effectual power of godly living, Christian service, and Spiritual Worship. (John 3:5-7; 14:16, 17, 26; 16:7-15; Ephesians 4:30; Titus 3:5; I Peter 1:23; I Thessalonians 5:19; I Corinthians 12:13).

(b) We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of His gifts through the Holy Spirit, but that speaking in tongues and other supernatural sign gifts gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. (I Corinthians 12; 13:8-11; Hebrews 2:3-4).

(c) We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted. (James 5:13-16).

The Nature of the Church

(a) We believe that the true invisible Church of Jesus Christ was begun at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven and indwelt the believers; that it is composed solely of born-again people who have been called out from among the Jews and Gentiles to become the Body and Bride of our Lord. The one Body unites believers to each other, and all to Christ; and its chief purpose of existence is to evangelize the world and to complete itself through the winning of lost souls to Christ. (Acts 2; Romans 1:16; Acts 15:14; Ephesians 5:24; I Corinthians 12:12, 13; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8).

(b) We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches, as an expression and embodiment of the true, invisible church, is clearly taught in the New Testament, and that the Epistles set forth the principles and instructions under which it should operate.

Ordinances

We believe that two ordinances are commanded for Christians today, namely, Water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. While recognizing that Water Baptism has no saving merit, it is our conviction that after one is saved, Baptism is the next step in order to portray to the world the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. It is our conviction that the scriptural method of Baptism is immersion. We believe that Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper to commemorate His death until He comes again. We further believe that Water Baptism by immersion is observed but once, and is a sign of identification, and a testimony to newness of life, but the Lord’s Supper is commemorative and is to be observed frequently as a memorial of the Broken Body and the Shed Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:9-13; I Corinthians 11:23-33.)

Our Lord’s Second Advent

We believe in the Blessed Hope, the personal pre-millennial, pre-tribulation, and imminent return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, which is known as the Rapture of the Church. We also believe in the personal, visible and glorious return of Christ to the earth with His Saints at the end of The Great Tribulation. This phase of His coming is known as the Revelation of Jesus Christ. When He returns to earth with His Saints, we believe that Jesus Christ will establish His millennial Kingdom and will reign for one thousand years. (Titus 2:13; I Thessalonians 4:13-17; John 14:3; Revelation 19:11-21; Revelation 20:1-6).

Dispensations

We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense, reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life which define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These are not ways of salvation, but rather divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations – law, church, and millennial Kingdom – are the subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture. Care must be exercised in applying truth from one dispensation to another. However, recognizing that “all scripture is profitable…” we reject any tendency toward hyper-dispensationalism.

The Lord’s Day

We believe that Sunday is to be set aside for special worship in commemoration of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This day should therefore be observed in a manner which honors Him and calls the world to remember Him. (John 20:19, 26; Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2).

Israel’s Place in God’s Program

We believe that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance,” and therefore His covenant people, Israel, now blind and scattered, shall be redeemed and regathered to the Land of Promise which is commonly known as Palestine; and under the personal and millennial reign of Christ upon David’s throne in Jerusalem, shall become the head of the nations, and “the Gentiles shall come to their light and kinds to the brightness of their rising.” (Romans 11:25-29; Psalms 72; Isaiah 60:3).

The Resurrection of the Dead

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just at the Rapture (I Thessalonians 4:16; I Corinthians 15:51-57) and of the unjust at the end of time. (Revelation 20:11-15; John 5:28-29).

The Eternal State of the Saved and the Lost

We believe in a Heaven and a Hell; Heaven the place of eternal conscious joy for all who receive Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, Hell, the place of eternal conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire for all who reject Jesus Christ thereby dying in their sin. (John 14:1-6; Psalm 16:11; Philippians 1:21 and 23; Psalm 9:17; John 8:24; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:10-13).

The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a personal being, a fallen angel, the prince of demons, the god of this age, the great enticer and deceiver, the adversary of Christ and His people, the accuser of the brethren, whose end is in the Lake of Fire. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; II Corinthians 4:3-4; I Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9, 10; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

Separation and Sanctification

We believe that the Scriptures clearly teach non-cooperation with religious apostasy and non-conformity to the world for every believer; that born-again people should be separated from the world unto Christ; that it is clearly commanded of God to all believers to live lives of separation from all worldly and sinful practices and to be holy as He is Holy. We believe that positional sanctification occurs at the moment of regeneration and that practical sanctification is to be progressive throughout the entire life-span of the believer here on earth and by the powerful Word of God. (Colossians 3:1-4; II Corinthians 6:14-17; Titus 2:14; I Peter 1:14-16; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 10:1 and 10:14; II Corinthians 7:1; II Corinthians 3:18; II Peter 3:18; Romans 6:1-14; Ephesians 1:15 to 2:6; I Corinthians 6:19, 20; Galatians 5:16-23; Romans 6:13; John 17:17; Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 5:25-27).

Human Sexuality

(a) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1: 26-29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)

(b) We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; I Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23)

Family Relationships

(a) We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Galatians. 3:28; Colossians 3:18; I Timothy 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)

(b) We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are an heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; I Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3: 18-21; Hebrews 13:4; I Peter 3:1-7)

Divorce and Remarriage

We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce. God intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the office of pastor or deacon. (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; I Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

Abortion

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortion due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

Euthanasia

We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus we believe that an act of omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment. (Exodus 20:13, 23:7; Matthew 5:21; Acts 17:28)

Love

We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6: 31; John 13: 34-35; Romans 12:9-10; Romans 12:17-21; 13:8-10; Philippians 2:2-4; II Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I John 3:17-18).

Lawsuits Between Believers

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church for the purpose of resolving personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (I Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32; Matthew 18:15-17)

Missions

We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Corinthians 5:20).

Giving

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:17-18; I John 3:17)