CARSON VALLEY BIBLE CHURCH
STATEMENT OF FAITH
The following are the core beliefs of Carson Valley Bible Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible.
1. The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life. (1 Corinthians 2:7-14; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
2. In one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19-20; 2 Cor. 13:14).
3. That Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate. (John 1:1-14; Acts 1:11; Phil. 2:5-11; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 1:1-10; 4:14).
4. That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service. (John 3:3-7; 16:8-14; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Cor. 3:16; Rom. 8:9; Romans 8:26; Ephesians 5:18).
5. That man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained. (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-19; John 3:36; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; 1 John 1:8).
6. That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become the children of God. (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
7. That water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as a means of salvation. (Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 17; 11:23,24).
8. That the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the head. (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 4:1-15; 1 Cor. 16:1).
9. That Jesus Christ is the Lord and the Head of the Church and that every local church has the right, under Christ, to decide and govern its own affairs. (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18)
10. In the personal, bodily and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 24:1-51, 25:41; John 14:1-3, I Corinthians 15; II Corinthians 5:10; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Rev. 20:11-15).
11. In the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment. (Matthew 24:1-51, 25:41; John 14:1-3, I Corinthians 15; II Corinthians 5:10; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Rev. 20:11-15).
2. In one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19-20; 2 Cor. 13:14).
3. That Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He is now our High Priest and Advocate. (John 1:1-14; Acts 1:11; Phil. 2:5-11; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Hebrews 1:1-10; 4:14).
4. That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service. (John 3:3-7; 16:8-14; 1 Cor. 12:13; 1 Cor. 3:16; Rom. 8:9; Romans 8:26; Ephesians 5:18).
5. That man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained. (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:1-19; John 3:36; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-3; 1 Timothy 2:13-14; 1 John 1:8).
6. That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become the children of God. (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
7. That water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the Church during the present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as a means of salvation. (Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 17; 11:23,24).
8. That the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the head. (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 4:1-15; 1 Cor. 16:1).
9. That Jesus Christ is the Lord and the Head of the Church and that every local church has the right, under Christ, to decide and govern its own affairs. (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18)
10. In the personal, bodily and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 24:1-51, 25:41; John 14:1-3, I Corinthians 15; II Corinthians 5:10; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Rev. 20:11-15).
11. In the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment. (Matthew 24:1-51, 25:41; John 14:1-3, I Corinthians 15; II Corinthians 5:10; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Rev. 20:11-15).
Carson Valley Bible Church
Doctrine Distinctives
Charles H. Spurgeon regarding the 1689 Baptist Confession of faith states, "excellent list of doctrines" and "is the most excellent epitome of the things most surely believed among us."
1. We are a Gospel-Centered Church
We believe that the Gospel is at the center of all that we teach and do as a church.
Because the Gospel is good news, that through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God has accomplished His plan for the redemption of humanity. We believe that the Gospel is a message that should be proclaimed and believed as of first importance. Furthermore, we aim to make central in all our ministry practices this core message, consistently highlighting God’s plan to rescue sinners from eternal judgment because of their sin and bring them into restored fellowship with Him. All of which was accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Likewise, we believe the Gospel is the central message of the entire Bible, and desire to have our three main areas of ministry undeniably driven by the Gospel. Resulting in a Gospel-Driven pulpit, Gospel-Driven community, and Gospel-Driven mission in our community and beyond.
(Mark 1:14-14, Gal 3:8, Gal 1:11-12, Phil. 1:27-30, 1 Cor 15:1-4, Rom 1:16-17)
2. We are a Confessionally Reformed Church
The Bible is the ultimate and final authority in the Church. Subservient to the word of God, we believe that there are helpful historical summaries of the Christian faith that have been written and tested through history. To stand upon the shoulders of these saints that have gone to great lengths to add clarity of orthodoxy for all believers we regularly make use of orthodox creeds such as The Apostle’s Creed, and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. In matters of our own doctrinal statement, we have subscribed to a historic confession of faith known as the 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith, also known as the Second London Baptist Confession. We believe the 1689 confession reflects and further explains our Statement of Faith and serves as guard rails of doctrinal truth. In substantial agreement, we affirm the usefulness of this document to the church. In doing so, we have also provided parenthetical notes and commentary to parts of the confession where clarity or explanation of minor diversion may be necessary. See (25.1, 26.4, 26.9, 28.2, 29.4) https://storage2.snappages.site/XDN5RQ/assets/files/CVBC-Doctrine-Handbook-Final.pdf
3. We are Complementarian
We believe that the Bible teaches that both men and women are created equal in value, dignity, and worth. We also believe that God has designed men and women to have complementary roles in the church and home. Particularly, we believe that the office of Pastor/Elder in the church is reserved for qualified men only (1 Timothy 2:11-3:7). For the office of Deacon, we believe that this role and office is open to qualified men and women (1 Timothy 3:8-13, Romans 16:1). Furthermore, we believe that God has designed us male and female. These gender distinctions are a part of the beautiful plan of God and should not be separated nor distorted in the covenant of marriage or human sexuality. To further clarify, CVBC has adopted the Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality as our doctrine pertaining to this subject. (A copy of the Nashville Statement can be found at the CONNECT DESK)
We believe that the Gospel is at the center of all that we teach and do as a church.
Because the Gospel is good news, that through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God has accomplished His plan for the redemption of humanity. We believe that the Gospel is a message that should be proclaimed and believed as of first importance. Furthermore, we aim to make central in all our ministry practices this core message, consistently highlighting God’s plan to rescue sinners from eternal judgment because of their sin and bring them into restored fellowship with Him. All of which was accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Likewise, we believe the Gospel is the central message of the entire Bible, and desire to have our three main areas of ministry undeniably driven by the Gospel. Resulting in a Gospel-Driven pulpit, Gospel-Driven community, and Gospel-Driven mission in our community and beyond.
(Mark 1:14-14, Gal 3:8, Gal 1:11-12, Phil. 1:27-30, 1 Cor 15:1-4, Rom 1:16-17)
2. We are a Confessionally Reformed Church
The Bible is the ultimate and final authority in the Church. Subservient to the word of God, we believe that there are helpful historical summaries of the Christian faith that have been written and tested through history. To stand upon the shoulders of these saints that have gone to great lengths to add clarity of orthodoxy for all believers we regularly make use of orthodox creeds such as The Apostle’s Creed, and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. In matters of our own doctrinal statement, we have subscribed to a historic confession of faith known as the 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith, also known as the Second London Baptist Confession. We believe the 1689 confession reflects and further explains our Statement of Faith and serves as guard rails of doctrinal truth. In substantial agreement, we affirm the usefulness of this document to the church. In doing so, we have also provided parenthetical notes and commentary to parts of the confession where clarity or explanation of minor diversion may be necessary. See (25.1, 26.4, 26.9, 28.2, 29.4) https://storage2.snappages.site/XDN5RQ/assets/files/CVBC-Doctrine-Handbook-Final.pdf
3. We are Complementarian
We believe that the Bible teaches that both men and women are created equal in value, dignity, and worth. We also believe that God has designed men and women to have complementary roles in the church and home. Particularly, we believe that the office of Pastor/Elder in the church is reserved for qualified men only (1 Timothy 2:11-3:7). For the office of Deacon, we believe that this role and office is open to qualified men and women (1 Timothy 3:8-13, Romans 16:1). Furthermore, we believe that God has designed us male and female. These gender distinctions are a part of the beautiful plan of God and should not be separated nor distorted in the covenant of marriage or human sexuality. To further clarify, CVBC has adopted the Nashville Statement on Biblical Sexuality as our doctrine pertaining to this subject. (A copy of the Nashville Statement can be found at the CONNECT DESK)