Doctrinal Position
The following is a brief, but accurate, description of the doctrinal position of True Vine Baptist Church in relationship to the Bible, the Church, and so forth. Please be advised that the statements do not go into detail on these subjects, but merely give you a brief look at what we believe as set forth in the scriptures. For attendees, please reference the Church Constitution for a more formal statement of faith and membership information.
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I. God:
We believe that God is the true and living God, and is infinite, always has been and always will be. (Revelation 21:6) That He is the Supreme ruler of the universe and maker of all things. In him exists, and yet are separate in their work, the Trinity: the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. All work in harmony and never conflict. (I John 5:7; Genesis 14:22; Psalms 135:6,7; Philippians 2:5,6; Ephesians 2:18; Exodus 20:1-3)
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II. Lord Jesus Christ:
We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, Mary, and begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner. That He was born God in the flesh, and that no other man was ever or ever will be born this way. He was, and is, the sinless Son of God and God the Son. We believe that He died, was buried, and arose the third day. (Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-14; I Corinthians 15:1-4; I Timothy 3:16)
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III. Bible:
We believe the scriptures, as contained in the Authorized King James Authorized Version 1611 to be the pure Word of God. We believe the 66 books, from Genesis to Revelation, to be given by inspiration, that it is free from “errors” and that it is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice for every Christian. (Psalms 12:6,7; 119:89,105,128,140,160; Proverbs 3:5,6; II timothy 3:16,17)
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IV. Church:
We believe that the local church was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, and is responsible to help perfect the saints, do the work of the ministry, to edify the body of Christ, and to feed to flock of God. (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11,12; I Peter 5:2) We believe that a Baptist Church is a group of baptized believers who are come together to accomplish, and try to obey, what true Bible Believing Baptists have believed and practiced for centuries.
We believe the local church is a separate organization from the government and should be separate in all areas, and that it is a self-governing organization. We believe that the local church is not the church body, that is, the living organism of I Corinthians 12:13-20, but that is does contain the “body” (True Church).
We believe that the local church, is bound by the great commission of Mark 16:15, that is to spread the gospel found in I Corinthians 15:1-4. And that the two offices of the church are the Pastor, or Bishop, and Deacon. The qualifications, work, and authority of these two offices are duly outlined in the scriptures. (I Timothy 3:1-3; Titus 1:6-9; Acts 6:1-6; Ephesians 4:11,12; II Timothy 4:1-4; I Peter 4:11; 5:2,3)
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V. Creation:
We believe the account of creation in genesis to be literal and correct. Any other interpretation, such as evolution (Theistic or otherwise), is a manmade doctrine (Matthew 15:9), based on science falsely so called, (I Timothy 6:20), and the teachers of such are fools (Psalms 14:1). Man is a direct creation of God (Genesis 1:26; 2:7,8). And that all creation produces after its kind. (Psalms 104:1-35; 121:2; 146:1-10; Colossians 1:16,17; Job 38:4; Isaiah 42:5)
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VI. Heaven:
We believe that heaven is a real place where Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father. It is the place especially designed for those who God will someday take to be with him. (Hebrews 10:12; Philippians 1:23; II Corinthians 5:8; John 3:16; 14:1-3)
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VII. Hell:
We believe that hell, just as heaven, is a literal place and it that it was prepared for the Devil and his angels. However, any unsaved man that dies will be condemned to the torments of hell fire until the White Throne Judgment, where he will receive the everlasting judgment into the lake of fire. We believe hell to be beneath us, in the core of this earth. Geologists estimate the center of the earth to be between 10,000, and 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. (Luke 16:23,24; Matthew 5:22; 25:41; Revelation 20:12-15; Proverbs 15:24; Isaiah 14:9; Psalms 9:17)
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VIII. Fall of Man:
We believe that man is a fallen creature due to the sin of Eve, and the willingness of Adam to partake of the forbidden fruit. Thus man is under condemnation of God and has no excuse and no defense for his position. (Psalms 51:5; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 1:18-32; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1)
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IX. Salvation:
We believe that a person has to be saved in order to receive God’s gift of eternal life. We believe that salvation is a result of a man’s recognition of being a sinner, repenting of this condition, and then calling upon the name of the Lord to be saved.
We believe that blood of Jesus Christ (God’s blood), is necessary for the cleansing of sins and that there is no substitutes. (water baptism, being a good person, keeping the commandments, etc., etc.). We believe that salvation is by grace through faith, plus or minus nothing! We believe salvation is eternal, and that those who receive the Lord Jesus as their Saviour are kept by the power of God until the day of redemption.(Romans 2:4; 3:10, 23; 5:10; 6:23; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:12; Ephesians 1:13,14; 2:8,9; 4:30; Revelation 1:5; Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30; I Timothy 2:25; II Peter 3:9; Titus 3:5; John 10:28,29; I John 5:11-13)
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X. Devil:
We believe the Devil (Satan, the Dragon, Lucifer, etc.) to be the great deceiver(Revelation 12:9), who at one time was holy and enjoyed heavenly honors. But through pride and rebellion and the desire to be as God, fell (Ezekiel 28:1-19), and now is the Prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2; John 12:31), and is the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4; Luke 4:5,6). His destiny is in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10). (John 14:30; I Peter 5:8; I John 3:8; 4:3; Revelation 13:13-18)
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XI. Return of Jesus Christ:
We believe the second coming of Jesus Christ is in two stages. The first stage is the Lord Jesus Christ’s personal, imminent, pre-tribulation return for the Church. This rapture or catching away of the church age saints removes the Church, His body, before God’s wrath is poured out on earth during the great tribulation. The second stage of Christ’s second coming is the pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ after the tribulation to set up His 1000 year reign on earth. (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:42-44, 51-53; Philippians 3:20,21)