West Valley Community Church
Statement of Faith

 

Human Destiny

Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. For all humankind, there
will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment
that will determine the eternal fate of each individual. Unbelievers will
be condemned to be separated from God. God’s judgment will reveal His
justice in assigning them to exist in eternal separation, as a result of
their own rejection of God. Believers will be received into an eternal
friendship with God and will be rewarded for works done in this life.

Faith and Practice

The Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
West Valley recognizes that it cannot force the conscience of its
individual members in areas where the Bible is silent. Rather, each
believer is to be led in those areas by the Lord, to whom he or she is
ultimately responsible. We believe this Statement of Faith to be an
accurate summary of what the Bible teaches. All those who agree to this
Statement will refrain from promoting doctrines that are not included
in the Statement of Faith in such a way as to cause dissension.
The result of a relationship with Jesus Christ is that all believers
become members of His body, the Church. There is one true Church
universal, comprised of all those around the world who acknowledge
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Bible commands believers to gather
together to devote themselves to worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word.

According to the Bible, believers are also to observe the reverent
practices of the Church established by Jesus Christ, which are: the
baptism of believers by immersion, and communion. Fellowship, which is
service to the body through the development and use of talents and gifts,
and outreach to the world are also commanded of believers. Wherever
God’s people meet regularly in obedience to His command, they become a
local version of the Church, with it’s members working together in love
and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose: to glorify God. We also
believe that the local church is autonomous (self governing) and must be
free from all political or outside interference.

The Bible

The sole foundation of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six
books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that the Bible in its
entirety originated with God, and that He chose individuals as
instruments to record His words. The Bible, therefore, at one and the
same time speaks with the authority of God yet reflects the backgrounds,
styles, and vocabularies of its human authors. We hold that the Bible
is without error and is always true in everything it teaches. The Bible
is the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and
practice and there are not other writings similarly inspired by God.

God

We believe that there is one true, holy God, who exists eternally in three
Persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . each of whom equally posses all
the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality, and that
they perform distinct but harmonious functions in the work of creation,
provision, and redemption. We believe in God the Father, an infinite,
personal Spirit, who is perfect in holiness, wisdom, and power.
We believe that He is mercifully concerned in the daily affairs of humans,
that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death
all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Salvation

The central purpose that God has revealed in the Bible is to call all
people into a relationship with Him. We believe that every person is
created in the image of God and originally, was created to have
fellowship with God, but instead defied Him and chose an independent
path. This causes all people to be alienated from God and suffer from
a corrupt nature, rendering them unable to please God. The original act
of defiance, often called .The Fall. took place at the beginning of
human history, and all individuals since have suffered these consequences
and are therefore in need of the saving grace of God.

The salvation of humankind is based solely upon the sovereign (completely
sufficient) grace of God, accomplished through the work of Christ on the
cross. It is not the result, in whole or in part, of human works.
Salvation must be personally taken hold of by repentance and faith.
God has given His assurance in the Bible that once a person has
committed their lives to Jesus Christ the resulting salvation cannot be lost.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son, conceived by the Holy
Spirit, being both fully God and fully man. He lived a life of perfect
obedience to the Father and voluntarily paid the penalty for the sins
of all by dying on the cross as their substitute, satisfying divine
justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone.
He rose from the dead in the same body, though it had become glorified,
in which He lived and died. He ascended into heaven, and sat down at
the right hand of the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God
and man, continually makes intercession for those who have committed
their lives to Him. He will come again to earth, personally and visibly,
to complete history and the eternal plan of God.

The Holy Spirit

The result of a genuine saving relationship with Jesus Christ is a life
of obedience demonstrated by living the commands of Christ. Believers
are able to accomplish this as they submit to the Holy Spirit, the third
Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit was sent into the world by the
Father and the Son to apply to humankind the saving work of Christ.
He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them recognition of their
need of a Savior, and gives them a new nature in Christ. At the point
of salvation He permanently lives within every believer to become the
source of assurance, strength, wisdom, and uniquely empowers each
believer with gifts with the purpose of building the “body of Christ”
(the Church).

The Holy Spirit guides believers to help them understand and apply the
truths of the Bible. His power and control are set in motion by faith,
making it possible for the believers to lead a life of Christ-like
character and to act in a way that brings glory to God.

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