Valleybrook Church Bedrock: The Foundational Truths of the Valleybrook Community
Foundation #1:
We believe that a whole picture of God embraces the power of the Trinity: three in one — God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.
Foundation #2:
We believe that the Bible, God’s Living Word, is one unified story from beginning to end — this story is supernatural rather than natural.
Foundation #3:
We believe that in the Bible, God says what He means and means what He says — God is that good!
Foundation #4:
We believe that God speaks to us today, not only through His supernatural Word, but also through the voice of His Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Foundation #5:
We believe that the Valleybrook community is to be God’s Kingdom come to this earth, and that to see and hear this supernatural Kingdom, we are given new eyes and ears.
Valleybrook Church Statement of Faith
The Bible
The Bible is God’s unique revelation to people. It is the inspired, infallible Word of God, and the supreme and final authority on all matters upon which it teaches. No other writings are vested with such divine authority . (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
God
There is only one God, creator of heaven and earth, who exists eternally as three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each fully God yet each personally distinct from the other. (Matthew 3:16,17; John 16:23-27; Galatians 4:4-6; Ephesians 1:3, 17-23)
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless human life, willingly took upon Himself all of our sins, died and rose again bodily, and is at the right hand of the Father as our advocate and mediator. Some day, He will return to consummate history and to fulfill the eternal plan of God. (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 24:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:24-25; Revelation 19, 20)
Sin/Salvation
All people are created in God’s image and matter deeply to Him. Central to the message of the Bible is that God loves people, and invites them to live in communion with Himself and in community with each other. Apart from Jesus Christ, all people are spiritually lost and, because of sin, deserve the judgment of God. However, God gives salvation and eternal life to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ and in His sacrifice on his or her behalf. Salvation cannot be earned through personal goodness or human effort. It is a gift that must be received by humble repentance and faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 1:21 , 3:23 , 5:12 -21; James 4:1,2; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:4-7)
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin and draws people to Christ. He also indwells all believers. He is available to empower them to lead Christ-like lives, and gives them spiritual gifts with which to serve the church and reach out to a lost and needy world. (John 3:3-6, 14:15-17,25,26, 16:5-15; Acts 5:3,4; 1 Corinthians 12:4-13)
The Church
The local church is a congregation of believers who gather for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and community with each other. Through it, believers invest time, energy, and resources to fulfill the Great Commission – reaching lost people and growing them into fully devoted followers of Christ. All believers are members of the body of Christ, the one true church universal. Spiritual unity is to be expressed among Christians by acceptance and love of one another across ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, national, generational, gender, and denominational lines. (Hebrews 10:24,25; Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 8:1; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 13:17)
Faith and Practice
Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. This church recognizes that it cannot bind the conscience of individual members in areas where Scripture is silent. Rather, each believer is to be led in those areas by the Lord, to whom he or she alone is ultimately responsible. (1 Corinthians 8, 9; Romans 14)
Human Destiny
Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. At the final judgment, unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation. Believers will be received into God’s loving presence and rewarded for their faithfulness to Him in this life. (Matthew 10:28; Hebrews 9:27; 1 Corinthians 2:9, 15:12 -23; Ephesians 3:20; Revelation 20:11-22:6)
A Final Remark:
We believe this statement reflects a contemporary summary of the central doctrines in the Bible, which are also presented in the historic creeds of the Christian church. We are a Christian church with an interdenominational focus; our aim is to serve people from different denominations and religious backgrounds. Because we believe in accountability, we are affiliated with the Baptist General Conference.