What We Believe at Venersborg Church

1. We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of God's will to mankind and the final authority for all Christian faith and life (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

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2. We believe God, the Creator of all things, is infinitely perfect and eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1-2; Colossians 1:16-17; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

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3. We believe Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. We believe He lived a sinless life, died on the cross as atonement for our sins and arose bodily from the dead. We believe He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, where He is as our High Priest, Advocate, and Shepherd. We believe in His personal, pre-millenial visible return to the world according to His promise and that this "blessed hope" is vital to the personal life and service of the believer (Matthew 1:21-23; John 3:16; Hebrews 4:14-15; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

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4. We believe in the Holy Spirit who is one in essence with the Father and Son, and who came forth from God to convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and comfort, those who believe in Jesus Christ. And we believe it is by the Holy Spirit's indwelling that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life (John 15:16; John 16:8-11; Acts 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Titus 3:5).

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5. We believe that all men by nature and by choice are sinners: for all have sinned and fall short of God's glory: (Romans 3:23), but that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shalt not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

   We further believe that the saved of all the earth will face Christ after the Rapture of the Church to be judged and rewarded by him according to their post-salvation works after which they will experience an eternity of joy and happiness with him in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:10; John 3:16; John 14:2-3).

   We believe that the unsaved people of earth will face God at the Great White Throne judgment because ignorantly or willfully they have rejected salvation through Christ by faith. After this judgment they will then experience eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire (Matthew 25:41,46; Revelation 20:7-15).

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6. We believe that water Baptism and Communion (The Lord's Supper) are the ordinances to be observed by the Church during this present age, but they are not to be regarded as a means of salvation (Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

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7. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in Christ and 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; and, a child of God ought to align with a visible manifestation of the Body of Christ, namely, a local church (Ephesians 4:1-6; Hebrews 10:21-25).

Conclusion -- We believe that this body of doctrine is a sacred trust to be preserved and taught in its purity and that it teaches a life to be lived and a gospel to be preached.