VC Family | What We Believe

Jesus Christ is the Son of God; God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all by dying on the cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will visibly return again to earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; John 14:10)

The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and Son, as God. He came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ, and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, and in the proper exercise of all the Biblical gifts of the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13; John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 5:1; Galatians 5:25)

God made human beings in His image as the pinnacle of His creation. People were created to honor God and to enjoy a relationship with Him, but they rebelled and alienated themselves from God. This rebellion resulted in an inward depravity of all humans that is expressed in sinful attitudes and actions. All of us are marred by sin and are incapable of living out the full humanity for which we were created. Broken and sinful people, whatever their character or achievements, are lost and without hope apart from God's salvation.

Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it by faith. We can never make up for our sins by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ alone, as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. Through Christ's atonement for sin, an individual is reconciled to God as Father, becomes His child, is forgiven of sin, and is regenerated by the Holy Spirit. The natural response of faith in Jesus is to turn from our self-ruled life and follow Jesus as Lord. Followers of Jesus are empowered by the Spirit to grow in relationship with Jesus, to become more like Him, and to carry out His ministry. This part of God's work in us is called sanctification. Ultimately, all believers will be glorified with Christ, sharing in His victory over sin and death. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; John 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5)

Jesus Christ commanded His followers to observe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper (Communion) until He returns. Water baptism serves as a public identification with Jesus --a visual and symbolic demonstration of a person's connection to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. It signifies that their former way of life has been put to death and that they are now a new creation of God. The Lord's Supper symbolizes the breaking of Christ's body and the shedding of His blood as a payment for sins. As we celebrate the Lord's Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we publicly remember the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ's body. The Lord's Supper is enjoyed by believers repeatedly as a sign of continued participation in the salvation benefits of Christ's death. (Matthew 26:26-29; 28:19; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-11;

1 Corinthians 11:23-34; Col 2:12; 1 Peter 3:21)

We believe that the church is God’s primary instrument through which He is fulfilling His redemptive purposes in the earth. To equip the saints for the work of ministry, God has given apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral and teaching gifts to the church. We also affirm the priesthood of all believers, and the importance of every Christian being joined with and actively involved in a local community of the saints. God has called the church to preach the gospel to all nations, and especially to remember the poor and to minister to their needs through sacrificial giving and practical service. Matthew 16:17-19; Acts 2:17-18, 42; Ephesians 3:14-21; 4:11-16; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; Hebrews 10:23-25; 1 Peter 2:4-5,9-10.

We long for the future, physical, visible, personal, and glorious return of Jesus Christ; the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ; the judgment of the just and the unjust; and the fulfillment of Christ's kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation in Christ, or exist eternally separated from the benevolent presence of God and will endure eternal punishment. Those whose hope is in Christ will live forever in glorified bodies without sorrow or suffering. These will reign with Christ, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory. Then the whole earth will worship the God Who makes all things new. (John 10:9; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 2 Timothy 10:10)

The first institution God blessed and ordained was the institution of marriage. The first miracle Jesus performed was at a wedding ceremony. God wants us to be intimately involved and considers the marriage relationship the most important of all relationships except for one's personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Marriage is the foundation of the family and all human government. It also is to serve as a model of intimacy and an example of the relationship the church is to have with Christ. This is why God wants to bless marriage above all other relationships. God has made marriage a very holy thing, and we want to honor that.

HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED

In both Old and New Testaments, the Word of God teaches that human life is sacred from conception to its natural end and believers must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of all people, including the unborn. (Psalm 139:13; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 22:37-39; Romans 12:20-21; Galatians 6:10)

MARRIAGE AND HUMAN SEXUALITY

The Bible has given us God’s design for the gift of sex, and it is to be exercised and enjoyed only within the covenant relationship of marriage between one biological man and one biological woman (Genesis 1:24; 1 Corinthians 7:1-5). God has expressly condemned sexual intercourse outside of the marriage covenant. This prohibition applies to married people committing adultery, to sexual relationships between unmarried men and women, and to homosexual practice (Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9).

It is God’s expectation that the unmarried should live pure and celibate lives, refraining from sexual intimacy (1 Corinthians 7:7-9). Marriage as designed by God is meant to be a beautiful illustration of Christ’s relationship with the church (Ephesians 5:21-33).

GENDER CREATION IS SACRED

We believe that God wonderfully created each person as distinctly male or female (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:18-25; 5:1,2). These two distinct and complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. While we seek to love, accept, and walk with those experiencing gender dysphoria, we reject all attempts at constructing one’s own sexual identity by medically altering the human body or living as anything other than the biological sex God assigned a person at birth.