Identity and Mission
Identity and Mission
Veritas is a church, which means we are a local community of people who have been changed by the Gospel (good news) of Jesus. Now, we live under, with, and for King Jesus, with the help of His Spirit, and according to His book, the Holy Bible.
Jesus determines our identity and mission. We are his church on his mission. So every true church, though they may articulate it differently, has this same identity and mission. To emphasize this, we talk about “holding our identity and mission in a closed hand.” This is not “up for grabs,” we don’t vote on it, and it doesn’t change with the times. It is what Jesus has already told us we are (see Matthew 16:18; Acts 9:31; 1 Corinthians 12:25; 16:19).
Below is the Veritas Member Doctrinal Statement. For a more extensive affirmation of faith you can click here to read the Veritas Elder Doctrinal Statement.
I. The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31-32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32
II. The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
Genesis 1:1, 26; John 1:1, 3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19-20; Ephesians 4:5-6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Romans 15:16; Ephesians 1:3-14
III. God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself righteously in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Luke 10:21-22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1-2; 2:5-6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6; Proverbs 15:29; Acts 2:23-24; Daniel 4:34-35
IV. Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His substitutionary atoning death, and that our justification is made sure by His conquering of death through His literal and physical resurrection from the dead. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ then ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He is our Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate, until He personally and visibly returns to earth.
Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23, 24; John 20:30-31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9-10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24, 28; I Timothy 3:16; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5; Romans 8:34; I John 2:1-2
V. The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26
VI. Depravity of Man and Salvation
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, thus becoming alienated from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. Man, by himself, is totally unable to remedy his lost condition. We believe that those who repent of and forsake their sin and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord, Savior, and Treasure are saved and regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life.
Genesis 1:26-27; 5:2; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ecclesiastes 2:11; Romans 5:12; John 5:24; John 5:30; 8:12; 10:26; Romans 3:10, 23; Psalm 51:7; 58:3; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 9:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19; 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1
VII. Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh.
John 6:37-40, 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5; Romans 13:13-14; Philippians 1:3-6; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15
VIII. The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe in the autonomy of the local churches, free of any external authority and control. We believe the primary concern of the church is to bring honor and glory to God, reflecting His glorious character to the world, through the declaration and the demonstration of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25; Acts 13:1-4, 15:19-31, 20:28; Romans 16:1, 4; I Corinthians 3:9, 16, I Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; I Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 28:18-20
IX. Christian Conduct
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the wellbeing of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.
I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15, 23-24; I John 2:3-6; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 1:9-10
X. The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of the believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26
XI. The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.
Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15
