The Word of God

We believe the Holy Bible was written by men supernaturally inspired; that it has truth without any admixture of error for its matter and therefore is, and shall remain to the end of the age, the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions should be tried. We believe that God has and will preserve His inspired Word that it might be available to all generations. II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21, Psalm 12:6-7, 119:89.

By the Holy Bible we mean that collection of sixty-six books from Genesis to Revelation which, as originally written, does not only contain and convey the Word of God, but is the very Word of God.

By inspiration we mean that the books of the Bible were written by holy men of old, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, in such a definite way that their writings were supernaturally and verbally inspired and free from error, as no other writings have ever been or ever will be inspired.

By preservation we mean that God has, by means of His providential care, ensured that His Word is available to every generation.  We believe that the act of inspiration took place one time upon each human author of Scripture and only once.  His means of ensuring the trustworthiness of copies and versions has been His general providence.  A trustworthy translation of trustworthy manuscripts may rightly be called “The Word of God”.

Being persuaded that the King James Version is trustworthy in its textual source and translation technique, the KJV is the standard Bible version used in Village Light Project public ministry.  We are persuaded that the Masoretic Text of the Old Testament and the Received Text of the New Testament are trustworthy representatives of the original autographs.

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that They are equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct, but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. Matthew 3:16-17, I John 5:7.

God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary, a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men; that He is both the Son of God, and God the Son. Matthew 1:18f, Romans 1:3f, 10:13.

God the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with God the Father and God the Son, and of the same nature and essence. It is He who convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He is the Restrainer of the Evil One until God’s purpose is fulfilled. He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel and is the agent in the new birth, baptizing all true believers into the Body of Christ. I John 5:7, John 14:16f, Ephesians 1:1f (especially v.13).

Man

We believe that man was created in the image and after the likeness of God, but by voluntary transgression, fell from his sinless and happy state. The consequences of his actions are that men are born sinners, not by constraint, but by choice; and, therefore, all men under the just condemnation of God, without excuse or defense. Genesis 1:26, 3:1f, Romans 5:12-17.

Atonement

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood. John 1:29, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 9:12, I Cor.15:1

Salvation

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace through faith, and that Jesus is the only way of salvation. We believe that the Gospel makes the blessings of salvation free, and that nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner but his own inherent depravity and voluntary rejection of the Gospel. John 3:16, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:13, Revelation 22:17.

Security

We believe that those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior are eternally secure. Our security rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ. We believe that all the redeemed are kept by God’s power, and are thus secure in Christ forever. John 10:28, 17:12; We Peter 1:3-5.

Christ’s Resurrection

We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there as High Priest and Advocate. Matthew 28:1-9, Acts 1:9, Hebrews 4:15, I John 2:1.

Second Coming

We believe in “The Blessed Hope,” the personal, pre-tribulational and pre-millennial, imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when the Church will be gathered together unto Him. Titus 2:13, I Thessalonians 4:14-18, Revelation 3:10, 19:1f.

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishment of the lost. We believe that these represent two separate resurrections. II Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20:11-15.

Scriptural Ordinances

We believe that the Scriptural ordinances of the church are baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that they are to be administered to believers only as a symbol of their belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and as a testimony to the world of that belief. We believe the ordinances are to be administered by the local church. Acts 2:41, Romans 6:3-4, I Corinthians 11:13f.

The Church

We believe that the church is a congregation of baptized believers practicing New Testament principles, believing its doctrines, observing its ordinances and exercising its autonomy. We believe it is the responsibility of the church to propagate the Gospel to the world, baptize her converts and train them in the doctrines of Christ. Matthew 28:18-20.

Present Trends in Doctrine & Practice

We take a stand against any trend in doctrine and practice, which leads to discrediting the Bible and undermining the fundamentals of the faith. These include, but are not limited to Neo-orthodoxy, Neo-evangelicalism, the Ecumenical Movement, the Tongues Movement and the modern Charismatic Movement. II Corinthians 6:14f, II John 7f.

Human Sexuality

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a 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 (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8,9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4).

Abortion

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. We believe that abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life; therefore, abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well being of the mother are acceptable (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

The Grace of Giving

We believe that God's method of financing His earthly work of spreading the Gospel to all nations, the care of the churches and the support of the ministry, is by the tithes and offerings of God's people. We believe that they are to be given to the Lord through His church, or storehouse, and are to be distributed as directed by the leadership of the Holy Spirit as the need arises. We believe that the time to tithe is upon the first day of the week. We also believe that everyone is accountable to the Lord for a minimum standard of giving of one tenth of his income and that offerings are to be given above the tithe as God has prospered the individual (Mal 3:8-10; I Corinthians 16:2).

Lawsuits Between Believers
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing lawsuits against other Christians to resolve personal disputes. We believe the local church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between fellow believers. Therefore, neither GPM nor any other party covered by this constitution and bylaws will sue, or threaten to sue, one another (I Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-31).