Statement of Faith
Mid-Valley Community Church Statement of Faith
As a congregation, we do not subscribe to any creed or formal statement of doctrine. We have no statement or
creed aside from the New Testament. However, we do believe that it is helpful and important for us to share with
prospective church members our understanding of some of the essential elements of our faith.
The Scriptures
Because the Bible is God's Word to us, we live by it. Jesus said, "... it is written, 'man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). We preach it. We teach it. We urge every member of the church to read it, to study it,
to memorize it, meditate on it and most of all, to obey it. We offer biblical sermons every Sunday. We have Sunday school classes and
Bible study groups for everyone. Make it your aim to know God's Word and to obey God's Word.
God the Father
The Bible teaches that there is one God Who exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This three-in-oneness is a mystery,
but both ideas are clearly taught by Jesus Himself. In Mark 12:29, He quoted the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy when He said,
"'... Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.'" In Matthew 28:19 He commanded us to baptize "... in the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," thus identifying all three as equally God. The Bible tells us much about what God is like. He is
eternal; He has always existed. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He is sovereign-He controls the course of history and oversees the
course of our personal lives. He is holy and altogether pure in character. He is righteous and just. He is faithful and true. He is
merciful, gracious and forgiving. He is loving-He loves you personally. He is always consistent; He never changes. He is both our
caring Shepherd and our strong Fortress.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. John 1:1 makes this important statement about Him: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God." Verse 14 of the same chapter clearly identifies this Word Who was and always has been God,
as the Son, Jesus Christ. Throughout His ministry on earth Jesus made claims that only God would make, such as His statement in
John 10:30: "'I and the Father are One.'" Even His enemies recognized Who He claimed to be for in John 10:30-33 it is written, "... Again
the Jews picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of
these do you stone Me?' 'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because You, a mere man,
claim to be God.'"But in another mystery, Jesus is not only God, but also man. One of the great truths of God's Word is found in John
1:14a: "The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us ..." God the Son voluntarily emptied Himself of His divine majesty and
took to Himself human flesh and blood. As the prophets Isaiah and Micah had foretold seven centuries earlier, He was born of a virgin
in the Judean town of Bethlehem. He lived a sinless life on earth more than thirty years. During the last several years of His life He
engaged in public ministry, preaching, healing and training disciples. When, at the divinely appointed time, He revealed Himself to
Israel as their rightful King, the Messiah, He was rejected by the nation's leaders and was betrayed into the hands of Romans, who put
Him to death by crucifixion. He was buried in a tomb that was sealed by the Romans and set under armed guard. But on the third day
He was vindicated and shown to be Lord by His bodily resurrection. He appeared to His disciples and to more than 500 people at one
time. His resurrection is the bedrock of our faith.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the three-in-one God. He is equal with the Father and the Son. The ministry of the Holy Spirit
includes convicting people of their sin and giving new birth to those who respond to God in faith. When a person receives Christ, the
Holy Spirit comes to permanently indwell him or her. The Spirit places the new believer into the Body of Christ, the Church, and gives
him or her a spiritual gift to use to serve others. He teaches us, guides us, transforms our character into the image of Christ, and
empowers us to share our faith in Christ with others. It is possible for us to grieve the Spirit or to quench His work by sinning against
God, but when we yield control of our lives to the Lord, we are filled with the Spirit and are able to walk in His power.
Salvation
Man was originally created by God to love Him and to serve Him. But mankind as a whole turned away from God; all people are
sinners. Scripture says, "... 'There is no one righteous, not even one,'" "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and "...the
whole world is a prisoner of sin ..." (Romans 3:10, 23; Galatians 3:22). The penalty of sin is death-not just physical death, but for those
who die without personally committing themselves to Jesus Christ as Lord, eternal separation from God. Hebrews 9:27 says, "... man
is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment ..." Romans 6:23 insists: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Praise God! Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, paid the penalty for our sin. His death wasn't a
tragic accident; Scripture says that it took place in accordance with the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23). In
His great love, God gave His Son as a substitute for our sin. "God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might
become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). For this reason everyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ receives
forgiveness of their sins and the gift of new life from God. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). We don't earn our salvation or work for it in any way: "For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast"
(Ephesians 2:8-9). But faith is more than just believing that Jesus is God's Son, or even that He died for you; faith is a personal
commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord. Scripture says: "... if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Romans 10:9).
The Church
The Bible teaches that all men, women, boys and girls who have made this personal commitment to Jesus Christ make up the
worldwide Church. The apostle Paul describes the Church as "the Body of Christ;" each Christian is a part of the Body and the Lord
Jesus Himself is the head. This universal Church is represented around the world by numerous local congregations of believers,
which are also called "churches."At this point we should briefly mention the ordinances of the Church. An ordinance is a symbolic
practice initiated by the Lord Jesus during His life on earth for the lasting benefit of His Church. We believe that He has given us two
ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper, or Communion. Baptism is a symbol of the believer's sharing in the death, burial and
resurrection of Christ and is a pledge which publicly identifies the believer with Christ (Romans 6:3-4; I Peter 3:21). In accordance with
New Testament practice, we baptize only those who have already made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We also baptize by
immersion, which not only agrees with the meaning of the word "baptize," which is "to dip," but also with the symbolic meaning of
baptism. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic remembrance of the Lord's death on our behalf, His broken body and His shed blood (I
Corinthians 11:23-26). Here at Mid-Valley we observe the Lord's Supper monthly, usually the first weekend of the month, and also on
other special occasions throughout the year such as Good Friday and Christmas Eve.
The Future
The Bible offers two promises to the believer about the future. First, someday the Lord Jesus will return for His Church.
1Thessalonians 4:15-17 tells us: "According to the Lord's own Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming
of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep" (which is the polite way for referring to those who have died). "For
the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air ..." For believers who do die before the Lord comes, the promise is just as wonderful. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8:
"Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord." Those who die
having put their faith in Christ pass immediately into the presence of the Lord and the joys of Heaven, where all tears will be dried and
there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. In either case, the ultimate result is the same, "... And so we will be with the
Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17)." Second, the Bible promises that when He appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as
He is. (1 John 3:2) Like a bride awaiting the return of her husband from a long tour of duty away from home, our eager expectation of
His return encourages us to live pure and devoted lives and to serve Him faithfully until He comes. And so we pray, "Even so, come
quickly Lord Jesus."
As a congregation, we do not subscribe to any creed or formal statement of doctrine. We have no statement or
creed aside from the New Testament. However, we do believe that it is helpful and important for us to share with
prospective church members our understanding of some of the essential elements of our faith.
The Scriptures
Because the Bible is God's Word to us, we live by it. Jesus said, "... it is written, 'man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4). We preach it. We teach it. We urge every member of the church to read it, to study it,
to memorize it, meditate on it and most of all, to obey it. We offer biblical sermons every Sunday. We have Sunday school classes and
Bible study groups for everyone. Make it your aim to know God's Word and to obey God's Word.
God the Father
The Bible teaches that there is one God Who exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This three-in-oneness is a mystery,
but both ideas are clearly taught by Jesus Himself. In Mark 12:29, He quoted the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy when He said,
"'... Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.'" In Matthew 28:19 He commanded us to baptize "... in the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," thus identifying all three as equally God. The Bible tells us much about what God is like. He is
eternal; He has always existed. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He is sovereign-He controls the course of history and oversees the
course of our personal lives. He is holy and altogether pure in character. He is righteous and just. He is faithful and true. He is
merciful, gracious and forgiving. He is loving-He loves you personally. He is always consistent; He never changes. He is both our
caring Shepherd and our strong Fortress.
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. John 1:1 makes this important statement about Him: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God." Verse 14 of the same chapter clearly identifies this Word Who was and always has been God,
as the Son, Jesus Christ. Throughout His ministry on earth Jesus made claims that only God would make, such as His statement in
John 10:30: "'I and the Father are One.'" Even His enemies recognized Who He claimed to be for in John 10:30-33 it is written, "... Again
the Jews picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of
these do you stone Me?' 'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because You, a mere man,
claim to be God.'"But in another mystery, Jesus is not only God, but also man. One of the great truths of God's Word is found in John
1:14a: "The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us ..." God the Son voluntarily emptied Himself of His divine majesty and
took to Himself human flesh and blood. As the prophets Isaiah and Micah had foretold seven centuries earlier, He was born of a virgin
in the Judean town of Bethlehem. He lived a sinless life on earth more than thirty years. During the last several years of His life He
engaged in public ministry, preaching, healing and training disciples. When, at the divinely appointed time, He revealed Himself to
Israel as their rightful King, the Messiah, He was rejected by the nation's leaders and was betrayed into the hands of Romans, who put
Him to death by crucifixion. He was buried in a tomb that was sealed by the Romans and set under armed guard. But on the third day
He was vindicated and shown to be Lord by His bodily resurrection. He appeared to His disciples and to more than 500 people at one
time. His resurrection is the bedrock of our faith.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the three-in-one God. He is equal with the Father and the Son. The ministry of the Holy Spirit
includes convicting people of their sin and giving new birth to those who respond to God in faith. When a person receives Christ, the
Holy Spirit comes to permanently indwell him or her. The Spirit places the new believer into the Body of Christ, the Church, and gives
him or her a spiritual gift to use to serve others. He teaches us, guides us, transforms our character into the image of Christ, and
empowers us to share our faith in Christ with others. It is possible for us to grieve the Spirit or to quench His work by sinning against
God, but when we yield control of our lives to the Lord, we are filled with the Spirit and are able to walk in His power.
Salvation
Man was originally created by God to love Him and to serve Him. But mankind as a whole turned away from God; all people are
sinners. Scripture says, "... 'There is no one righteous, not even one,'" "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and "...the
whole world is a prisoner of sin ..." (Romans 3:10, 23; Galatians 3:22). The penalty of sin is death-not just physical death, but for those
who die without personally committing themselves to Jesus Christ as Lord, eternal separation from God. Hebrews 9:27 says, "... man
is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment ..." Romans 6:23 insists: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Praise God! Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, paid the penalty for our sin. His death wasn't a
tragic accident; Scripture says that it took place in accordance with the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23). In
His great love, God gave His Son as a substitute for our sin. "God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might
become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). For this reason everyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ receives
forgiveness of their sins and the gift of new life from God. "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). We don't earn our salvation or work for it in any way: "For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast"
(Ephesians 2:8-9). But faith is more than just believing that Jesus is God's Son, or even that He died for you; faith is a personal
commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord. Scripture says: "... if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Romans 10:9).
The Church
The Bible teaches that all men, women, boys and girls who have made this personal commitment to Jesus Christ make up the
worldwide Church. The apostle Paul describes the Church as "the Body of Christ;" each Christian is a part of the Body and the Lord
Jesus Himself is the head. This universal Church is represented around the world by numerous local congregations of believers,
which are also called "churches."At this point we should briefly mention the ordinances of the Church. An ordinance is a symbolic
practice initiated by the Lord Jesus during His life on earth for the lasting benefit of His Church. We believe that He has given us two
ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper, or Communion. Baptism is a symbol of the believer's sharing in the death, burial and
resurrection of Christ and is a pledge which publicly identifies the believer with Christ (Romans 6:3-4; I Peter 3:21). In accordance with
New Testament practice, we baptize only those who have already made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We also baptize by
immersion, which not only agrees with the meaning of the word "baptize," which is "to dip," but also with the symbolic meaning of
baptism. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic remembrance of the Lord's death on our behalf, His broken body and His shed blood (I
Corinthians 11:23-26). Here at Mid-Valley we observe the Lord's Supper monthly, usually the first weekend of the month, and also on
other special occasions throughout the year such as Good Friday and Christmas Eve.
The Future
The Bible offers two promises to the believer about the future. First, someday the Lord Jesus will return for His Church.
1Thessalonians 4:15-17 tells us: "According to the Lord's own Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming
of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep" (which is the polite way for referring to those who have died). "For
the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air ..." For believers who do die before the Lord comes, the promise is just as wonderful. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8:
"Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord." Those who die
having put their faith in Christ pass immediately into the presence of the Lord and the joys of Heaven, where all tears will be dried and
there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. In either case, the ultimate result is the same, "... And so we will be with the
Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17)." Second, the Bible promises that when He appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as
He is. (1 John 3:2) Like a bride awaiting the return of her husband from a long tour of duty away from home, our eager expectation of
His return encourages us to live pure and devoted lives and to serve Him faithfully until He comes. And so we pray, "Even so, come
quickly Lord Jesus."
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