Doctrinal Statement

As a student of the Our Generation Training Center, I strive to make the Bible the sole authority for everything that I believe and do. Below is a summary of what I believe the Bible teaches. This is an affirmation of my faith, and though it does not exhaust the extent of my faith, I believe it accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and is therefore binding on me. (The Following Doctrinal Statement is pulled from the Doctrines Page of VBM’s website with permission from the VBM President. https://visionmissions.org/about/#beliefs)

THE BIBLE

I believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that it is divinely inspired. I believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration of Scripture. I believe that the Bible is the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man and the supreme, infallible authority in all matters of faith and conduct. I use the King James Bible for teaching and preaching in the English language.

GOD

I believe in the Trinity, the unity of the Godhead. There are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are equally perfect in every divine quality and execute distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. I believe in God the Father. We believe in Jesus Christ. We believe in the Holy Spirit.

THE FATHER

I believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. I believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

JESUS CHRIST

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. I believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. I believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and His personal, visible return to earth. I believe Jesus is God.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

I believe in the person of the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.

MAN

I believe that all men by nature, choice and practice are sinners, but that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I believe, therefore, that those who repent of their sins and, by faith, receive Christ as Lord and Savior will rejoice forever in God’s presence, and those who refuse to accept Christ as Lord and Savior will be eternally separated from God.

SALVATION

I believe salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who obtained eternal redemption for the believer by His blood. I believe that Jesus tasted death for all men and wants all to be saved. Salvation, in its broadest sense, includes regeneration, justification, sanctification and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Therefore, I affirm that the Gospel is the good news that God has made a way of salvation through the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ for any person. This truth is in keeping with God’s desire for every person to be saved. Therefore, I deny that only a select few can respond to the Gospel while the rest are predestined to an eternity in hell.

ETERNAL SECURITY

I believe in the eternal security of all blood-bought individuals or believers and that such inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled. The power of God keeps each believer, and nothing can separate us from Him, ourselves included. I believe that believers can lose the joy of fellowship with God, can grieve God, and can quench the Spirit of God in them but not lose their salvation.

ETERNAL STATE

I believe in a literal Heaven, the eternal home of the redeemed. I believe Heaven to be the literal place where the saved will live forever in the eternal bliss and blessings of God. I believe in Hell, the Christ-less eternity for the lost, where there will be burning and tormenting for those without salvation who have refused to receive the gospel and Jesus Christ as Lord. I believe that Hell, unbelievers, Satan and all the fallen angels shall be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and forever.

MARRIAGE

I believe marriage is, by definition, heterosexual and between one man and one woman. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God and is to be enjoyed exclusively within the context of marriage. Ultimately, marriage serves as a type of union between Christ and His church.

THE CHURCH

I believe in the local church, consisting of a company of professing, born-again believers in Jesus Christ, immersed in a credible confession of faith and associated for worship, work and fellowship. I believe that to those local churches were entrusted the perpetual observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and the task of proclaiming to a lost world the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the enthroning of Him as Lord and Master. The scriptural officers of the church are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the offices of pastors and deacons are limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE

I believe that every human being is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from any ecclesiastical authority or any illegitimate, unconstitutional, or illegal political authority; therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions with each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other.

BAPTISM

I believe in baptism by immersion after salvation with no merit for salvation in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Spirit). Baptism is an outward expression of our inward faith in Jesus Christ and a public testimony of what God has done by His grace. Therefore, I reject infant baptism and any form of sprinkling for infants or adults.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

I believe that spiritual gifts are given to the church for the express purpose of winning the lost and edifying other believers. The Holy Spirit is given to each believer upon acceptance of Christ, and His purpose is to exalt Christ and bring people to Christ. Speaking in tongues was the least important of these gifts in the New Testament and was a sign for unbelieving Jews. Therefore I do not teach or practice speaking in tongues.

WORLD EVANGELISM

I believe that the Apostolic office ceased with the death of the New Testament Apostles. I believe that it is His church that He promised continual existence, to continue the work He started until He comes again. I believe that the ministry of reconciliation is committed to every believer, and all are saints/priests of God. The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the preaching of the gospel to all nations. It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations.

BIBLICAL SEPARATION

I believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; that they should be separated from the world while being present in the world, and that they should abstain from all appearance of evil as a testimony to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ECUMENICALISM

I believe that doctrinal purity is essential to gospel harmony and that the Bible commands us not to partner with someone preaching another gospel or teaching contrary to sound doctrine.

SECOND COMING

I believe in the literal return of Jesus Christ in the clouds to take all saved people from the earth before the beginning of the Tribulation period. I believe in the bodily/visible return of Jesus Christ with his saints at the close of the Tribulation period to rule and reign for a thousand years on earth. According to their works, I believe that unbelievers will face and be judged by God at the Great White Throne Judgment, not for salvation, but for their proper and rightful places in the lake of fire.