We the members of South Valley Baptist Church see our mission as reaching out to all people regardless of race, gender, nationality, religion, education, or status in life with the Gospel of Jesus Christ Reflecting and Showing Love so that we shall fulfill the “Great Commandment” and reach our full potential in the kingdom of God.
Statement of Faith
A. The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Old and New Testament Scriptures are the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God. The scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and are, therefore the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal Literal-grammatical-historical meaning, and all issues of interpretation and meaning shall be determined by the pastor. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used by the church.
2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter. 1:20-21
B. Dispensationalism
We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations, or rules of life, which defines man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. Three of these dispensations – the law, the church, and the kingdom – are subjects of detailed revelation in Scripture.
Genesis 1:28; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 2 Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25, Ephesians 1:10, Colossians 1:24-25, 27; Revelation 20:2-6
C. The God Head
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.
Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Corinthians 13:14
D. The Person and Work of Christ
1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.
Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-8
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
Acts 2:18-36; Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 1:3-5
3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.
Acts 1:9-10; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2
E. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.
John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6, Ephesians 1:13-14
2. We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all that saved to be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 1:17-18; Ephesians 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27
3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelist, pastors, and teachers, to equip believers in the church to do the work of the ministry.
Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28; Ephesians 4:7-12
4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, although God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing.
1 Corinthians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 13:8; 1 Corinthians 14:21-22
F. The Total Depravity of Man
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.
Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 4:17-19
G. Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable.
Matthew 12:31-32; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9
H. The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
1. We believe that once a person is saved, he is kept by God’s power and remains secure in Christ forever.
John 6:37-40; John 10:27-30; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:4-5
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice int he assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh.
Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15
I. The Church
1. We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again believers.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 5:25-27
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament.
Acts 14:27; Acts 20:17; Acts 20:28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or controls, and any affiliations, societies, organizations, association, or agencies this church affiliates with to further the objectives stated in the Purpose Statement are not authoritative in matters of church practice or belief.
Acts 13:1-4; Acts 15:19-31; Acts 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16; 1 Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4
4. We recognize water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age.
Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 8:36-38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
J. Separation
We believe that believers should maintain a godly testimony and live in such a way that their lives do not bring reproach upon their Savior. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, associations, and immodest and immoderate appearances. We stand against any and all worldly philosophies that seek to destroy or undermine the truth of Biblical Christianity.
Leviticus 19:28; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11
K. The Second Coming of Christ
We believe in that blessed hope, the personal, imminent return of Christ, Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel.
Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 19:11-16; Revelation 20:1-6
L. The Eternal State
1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.
Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; John 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, are absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when in spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.
Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-6
3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with the soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment.
Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15
M. The Personality of Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.
Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10
N. Creation
We believe that the Genesis account of creation is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of God’s creation of the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.
Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11
O. Civil Government
We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these three authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. We believe that we must obey the state unless it requires us to act contrary to our faith at which time we must obey God rather than state.
Matthew 22:15-22; Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Titus 3:1-2; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14
P. Human Sexuality
1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance.
Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5, 13; Genesis 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23
2. We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman for life.
Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23
Q. Family Relationships
1. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders of the church (pastors and deacons). Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church.
Galatian 3:28; Colossians 3:18; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12
2. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction.
Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20;12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18; Proverbs 22:15; Proverbs 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7
R. Divorce and Remarriage
We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage are regarded as adultery except on grounds of fornication and abandonment.
Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; Matthew 5:32; 1 Corinthians 7:15
S. Abortion
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable.
Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; Psalm 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; Jeremiah 20:15-18; Luke 1:44
T. Euthanasia
We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift from God and must be respected from conception until natural death. Thus we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate sufferings constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment.
Exodus 20:13; Exodus 23:7; Matthew 5:21; Acts 17:28
U. Love
We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only towards fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions.
Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:9-10; Romans 12:17-21; Romans 13:8-10; Philippians 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18
V. Lawsuits Between Believers
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slanders.
1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32; Matthew 18:15-17
W. Missions
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us.
Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 5:20
X. Giving
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his/her local church. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to support the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all right to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made.
Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teachings of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members. All literature, whether print or electronic, used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith.