Valley Baptist Church
Of The Scriptures
We believe the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired; that it has truth for its matter without any admixture of error; that it is and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; and that it is the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried.
We believe the Authorized (King James) Version Old and New Testaments are the Word of God kept intact for English-speaking peoples by way of God's divine providence and work of preservation; and that the Authorized Version translators were not "inspired", but were merely God's instruments used to preserve His words for English-speaking peoples.
By "Holy Bible" we mean that collection of sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, which, as originally written and providentially preserved, does not only contain and convey the Word of God, but is the very Word of God.
By "inspiration" we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired.
By "providentially preserved" we mean that God through the ages has, in His divine providence, preserved the very words that He inspired; that the Hebrew Old Testament text, as found in the Traditional Masoretic Text, and the Greek New Testament text as found in the Textus Receptus, are indeed the products of God's providential preservation, and are together the complete, preserved, inerrant Word of God.
Of The True God
We believe there is one, and only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth, inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all possible honor, confidence and love; and that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct, but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.
We believe Jesus Christ, Who was pre-existent in the Godhead from eternity-past, was made flesh when He was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner: born of a virgin woman, Mary, as no other man was ever born or can ever be born of woman; and that Jesus Christ is God Incarnate, both the Son of God and God the Son.
We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son, and of the same nature; that He was active in the creation; that in His relation to the unbelieving world, the Holy Spirit restrains the evil one until God's purpose is fulfilled; that the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, of judgment, and of righteousness; that He is the witness of and guide into all truth; that He shall not speak of nor exalt Himself, but will glorify the Son of God; that the Holy Spirit is the agent in the New Birth; and that He seals, endues, comforts, preserves, guides, teaches, witnesses, sanctifies, and helps the believer.
Of Creation and The Fall of man
We believe the Genesis account of creation; that the Genesis creation record is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God's own image and after His own likeness; that by God's own handiwork, in the space of six twenty-four hour days, were all things created that are in heaven and that are in the earth, visible and invisible; that creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species, or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; and that all animal and vegetable life was made directly, and God's established law was that they should bring forth only after their kind.
We believe man was created in innocence under the law of his Maker, but by voluntary transgression fell from his sinless and happy state; and that by the sin of one man all men are born with a sin nature. They are sinners, not by constraint, but by choice, and therefore all are under just condemnation without defense or excuse.
Of Salvation
Grace in the new creation:
We believe sinners must be born again in order to be saved; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus; that the new birth is instantaneous and not a process; that in the new birth the one dead in trespasses and in sins is made a partaker of the divine nature and receives eternal life, the free gift of God; that the new creation is brought about in a manner above man's comprehension, and is not by culture, nor by character, nor by the will of man, but wholly and solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in connection with divine truth, so as to secure man's voluntary obedience to the gospel; and that proper evidence of the new birth appears in the holy fruits of repentance, and faith, and newness of life.
Salvation is Free:
We believe in God's electing grace; that the blessings of salvation are made free to all by the gospel; that it is the immediate duty of all men to accept salvation by a cordial, penitent, and obedient faith; and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner on earth but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the gospel, a rejection which involves the sinner in an aggravated condemnation.
Justification:
We believe the great gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life on principles of righteousness; and that justification and its benefits are bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which man has done, but rather, God's righteousness is imputed to man solely through faith in the Redeemer's vicarious shed blood.
Repentance and Faith:
We believe repentance and faith are solemn obligations, and also inseparable graces, wrought in the soul of man by the quickening Holy Spirit of God; that being deeply convicted of his own guilt, danger and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ, man must turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy, while at the same time heartily believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, openly confessing Him as the only true and all-sufficient Saviour.
Eternal Security of the Saints:
We believe all the Redeemed are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, and are, therefore, secure in Christ; and that eternal security is synonymous to eternal life, and is a work of God which insures that the gift of salvation, once received, cannot be lost by any true believer.
