Dear Ones:
Throughout history fellowships of believers have tried to put together their belief statements so others knew up front what they believe is foundational and imperative. We our open to discussion on these points and we believe that each individual must wrestle with what is important to their faith and understanding.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Statement of Faith
FRENCH VILLAGE FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN BIBLE CHURCH
FREEDOM IN CHRIST
In essentials – Unity. In the worship – Truth, Freedom and Liberty. In all things – Love.
We believe in One God Who Exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that there is only one God, revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4, John 1:1, 2 Corinthians 13:14,) In the New Testament, time and time again we see expression of God the Father, Jesus the Son of God, and God the Holy Spirit.
We Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was begotten, not created, truly God, truly Man. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died a vicarious and atoning death for the sins of the world, resurrected bodily for our justification, and now reigns in glory until all things be put under His feet. (1 Timothy 3:16).
We believe in creation. We believe God created everything as described in the Holy Scriptures. (Genesis 1: 1-31) We Believe in Justification through Faith.
We believe that justification is by grace through faith in our Lord’s sacrifice on Calvary. (Romans 3:21-24) The wages of sin is death, and all have sinned. (Romans 6-23) This death is spiritual death first and a natural death second. We Believe in Baptism. We believe that all of God’s people are to be buried with our Lord Jesus Christ in the waters of baptism, subsequent to conversion. (Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, Romans 6:4) Baptism is not a prerequisite to salvation.
We Believe in the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in all believers, conforming them to the image of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:13, Romans 8:16-17)
We Believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an Endowment of Power. We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is an endowment of power, subsequent to conversion, given by God to anoint the believer for sanctification and evangelism. It is our understanding that the supernatural charisma of the Holy Spirit is active within the Body of Christ until the coming of our Lord. Furthermore, we believe in the development in the charismatic gifts ought to be encouraged under the guidance of the local church authorities. (Acts 8:14-17, Acts 19:1-2, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
We Believe in the Holy Scriptures. We believe in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures (also known as the Bible, which consists of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament), given by the Holy Spirit without error, as He moved upon holy men of old. Furthermore, we believe that the church has no authority to establish doctrines or practice contrary to these same Scriptures, which were subsequently accepted as canon by the early Christian church. (2 Timothy 3:16)
We believe in the Sanctification. We believe that those who are called by the name of Christ should depart from sin, understanding that salvation from the penalty of sin only begins the process of redemption. We acknowledge that by the work of the Holy Spirit we can create in us the character of Christ. (2 Timothy 2:19). We believe in the priesthood of the believer. All believers in Jesus Christ have direct access to God via Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.(1 Peter 2:5)
We believe in marriage. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and those two distinct, complementary sexes, together reflect the image and nature of God. (Genesis 2:18-25) Then we believe that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union.
We believe in the Sanctity of Human Life as it begins in conception. We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His Image, male and female. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including preborn babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. We believe that man was made in the image of God and is the crown of creation. He is now, by reason of the fall, spiritually depraved and alienated from his Creator. Apart from God’s grace, he has no ability to attain his high calling. (Psalm 8, Ephesians 2:8-9)
We Believe in the Unity of the Church (universal ). We believe in the spiritual unity of all who are born of God and have the mind of Christ. We know our Heavenly Father wants us to fellowship with all of His Children and work together for His Glory. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)
We Believe in the Local Church. We believe the identity of the Body of Christ on the Earth is primarily perceived through the local church. While encouraging the voluntary association of local churches, and recognizing the need of consensus on matters of fundamental doctrine and conduct, we strongly confess the local church to be sovereign and autonomous.
We Believe that Local Churches Need Friends. We believe in the right of local churches and ministries to form temporal institutions to assist them in carrying out the work of God. At the same time, we reject sectarianism and divisiveness as great evils. Local churches should work with each other to proclaim the rule of God in the Universe.
We believe that Jesus Christ is returning to the world in the future to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the return of our Lord, the literal rule of Christ upon the earth, the resurrection of the regenerate to eternal life and the unregenerate to eternal damnation, and the ultimate victory of the eternal Kingdom of God (Acts 1:9-11, Daniel 12:2, Revelation 22:1-7)