Beliefs
Victory is a Bible-based church. That means we seek to believe and practice what is explicitly taught in the Bible. Based on the Bible, we believe the following:
God.
We believe in One eternally existing God who created all things and by whom all things exist. God has revealed Himself to us as our Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and as the Holy Spirit, with distinct attributes but without division of nature, essence, or being. Jesus Christ is God displayed in flesh. He is both God and man.
(Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1-14; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; John 10:30; Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16)
The Bible.
The Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is true in all that it teaches. As the flawless Word of God, it is our only authority for what we believe and how we live.
(2 Tim 3.15-17)
God and Jesus Christ.
There is only one God. The One God has revealed Himself to us as our Father, in His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is, the One God manifested in and through an authentic human life. To see Jesus is to see God.
(Deut 6.4; John 14.9; Eph 4.4-6; Col 2.9; 1 Tim 3.16)
Sin and Salvation.
Everyone has sinned and needs salvation. Salvation comes by grace through faith based on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
(Rom 3.23-25; 6.23; Eph 2.8-9)
The Gospel and Conversion.
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. We express our belief in the gospel through our obedience to the gospel. We obey the gospel and apply it to our lives by repenting of our sins (death to sin), being baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (burial), and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (resurrection). This threefold experience is the consistent pattern of conversion in the early church.
(1 Cor 15.1-4; 2 Thes 1.8; 1 Pet 4.17; Mark 1.15; Acts 15.7; Rom 6.3-4; Acts 2.4, 37-39; 8.9-17; 10.1-48; 19.1-7)
Water Baptism.
We believe that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is expressed by calling on His name in the waters of baptism. Water baptism is an act of obedience identifying with Jesus in death to sin, burial of the old nature, and resurrection to new life.
(Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38, 8:12, 16, 36-38, 10:48, 16:33, 19:5, 22:16; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12)
Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is active in the world today and that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and His accompanying gifts and the life characteristics produced by His indwelling, are the privileges of all New Testament believers. Jesus spoke of two types of baptism-water baptism and Spirit baptism. Jesus Himself was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. After His water baptism, the Spirit descended upon Jesus. We should follow the example of Jesus and be baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit.
(Mark 1:7-11; John 14:16-18; Acts 1:5, 8, 2:1-4, 38-39, 4:31, 8:17, 10:44-45, 19:6; Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 61:1, Matthew 28:19, Luke 1:35, John 5:21-23, John 14:10, John 14:16, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Hebrews 1:8-10, James 2:19)
Christ-Like Living.
As Christians we are to love God and love others. We are to worship God joyfully and seek to live a life that is pleasing to him both inwardly and outwardly—in our thoughts, words, and actions. We are empowered to live a life pleasing to God through the Holy Spirit. As a Spirit-filled church, we believe that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit are for the church today and are available to all Spirit-filled believers.
(Mark 12.28-31; 1 Cor 12.8-10; 2 Cor 7.1; Rom 8.13-14; Gal 5.19-26; Heb 12.14)
The Church.
We believe the church has been called out of the world to be a group of people who follow Jesus Christ fully and love one another sacrificially. We believe the church, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is called to affect genuine spiritual change in the community. We believe the local church is the hope of the world! The church is called to be one group of people made up of many members; all using their talents and abilities for the cause of Christ.
(Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Hebrews 10:23-25; Acts 2:42-47, 17:6, 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26)
The Future.
Jesus Christ is coming again to catch away his church. In the end will be the final resurrection and the final judgment. The righteous will inherit eternal life, and the unrighteous eternal death.
(1 Thes 4.16-17; Rev 20.11-15)
