What We Believe
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - A.W. Tozer
We believe Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord. He teaches us how to live an abundant life, full of joy in service and in fellowship with God. We strive to put the risen Christ at the center of everything we do.
We believe the Bible is the Word of God. Scripture reveals God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ. It teaches us how to live, serve and become His disciples. With Christ as our guide, example and interpreter of scriptures, we need no other mediator between us and God. Each day, through prayer and personal Bible study, we strive to deepen our relationship with God and our understanding
of His purpose for us.
We believe Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are symbolic celebrations of grace. Believer’s Baptism celebrates new life in Christ. The Lord’s Supper celebrates Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross.
We believe the Church is the body of Christ on earth. A local congregation is a fellowship of believers, not a building or institution. Each individual congregation is autonomous, yet part of the larger body of Christ with many expressions and locations. Believers achieve oneness in Christ that transcends all human limitations, including the differences that exist between denominations.
We affirm historic Baptist distinctives, including:
(Walter Shurden, The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 1993.)
Our relationships with other Baptist groups:
Vinton Baptist Church relates to the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association (RVBA), the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV), the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia (CBF VA), and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF).
We believe the Bible is the Word of God. Scripture reveals God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ. It teaches us how to live, serve and become His disciples. With Christ as our guide, example and interpreter of scriptures, we need no other mediator between us and God. Each day, through prayer and personal Bible study, we strive to deepen our relationship with God and our understanding
of His purpose for us.
We believe Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are symbolic celebrations of grace. Believer’s Baptism celebrates new life in Christ. The Lord’s Supper celebrates Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross.
We believe the Church is the body of Christ on earth. A local congregation is a fellowship of believers, not a building or institution. Each individual congregation is autonomous, yet part of the larger body of Christ with many expressions and locations. Believers achieve oneness in Christ that transcends all human limitations, including the differences that exist between denominations.
We affirm historic Baptist distinctives, including:
- Bible Freedom – the freedom for all to interpret the Bible under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Bible transforms our lives, supersedes any form of creed, and frees the individual to interpret scripture as the Holy Spirit leads.
- Soul Freedom – the belief that a person’s faith is personal, experiential, and voluntary. A person is responsible for making up his or her own mind about God and spiritual matters.
- Church Freedom – the belief that local churches are free under the Lordship of Christ to determine their membership and leadership, to order their worship and work, and to ordain whom they perceive as gifted for ministry. No one—no pastor, no civil magistrate, no convention of churches—can dictate to the local church.
- Religious Freedom – defined as “a free church in a free state” — the separation of church and state.
(Walter Shurden, The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. Macon, GA: Smyth and Helwys, 1993.)
Our relationships with other Baptist groups:
Vinton Baptist Church relates to the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association (RVBA), the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV), the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Virginia (CBF VA), and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF).