Index : About : Faith

While many people have worked on this project, special thanks go to John Wimber out of whose calling and vision the Vineyard movement has emerged and matured.  Also, to John McClure, senior pastor of Vineyard Christian Fellowship Newport Beach, California, who has shepherded the process along over this decade, and to Dr. Don Williams, senior pastor of Coast Vineyard in La Jolla, California, who rewrote our original statements into the cogent, biblical kingdom framework that follows.

As evangelicals, the Bible is our final authority for faith and practice.   Therefore, the statements that follow reflect our best attempt to understand and live out biblical precepts.  Upon further reflection, greater biblical insight, or increased wisdom through experience, these statements could be revised.  Until such a time, The Association of Vineyard Churches Board of Directors formally adopts this document as our official statement of faith as of the board meeting in November 1994.

We now commend this for use by all our pastors in all our churches with the prayer that God will bless our sincere desire and humble attempt to be ambassadors of the rule and reign of His kingdom through our lives, that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven.

--Todd Hunter, National Coordinator
--Association of Vineyard Churches, Anaheim, California
--December 1994

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WE BELIEVE that God is the Eternal ¹ King ². He is an infinite ³, unchangeable ⁴ Spirit ⁵, perfect ⁶ in holiness ⁷, wisdom ⁸, goodness ⁹, justice ¹⁰, power ¹¹ and love ¹². From all eternity ¹³ He exists as the One ¹⁴ Living ¹⁵ and True ¹⁶ God in three persons ¹⁷ of one substance ¹⁸, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit ¹⁹, equal in power and glory ²⁰.

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WE BELIEVE that God's kingdom is everlasting ²¹. From His throne ²², through His Son, His eternal Word ²³, God created ²⁴, upholds ²⁵ and governs ²⁶ all that exists ²⁷: the heavenly places ²⁸, the angelic hosts ²⁹, the universe ³⁰, the earth ³¹, every living thing ³² and mankind ³³. God created all things very good ³⁴.

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WE BELIEVE that Satan, originally a great, good angel, rebelled against God, taking a host of angels with him ³⁵. He was cast out of God's presence and, as a usurper of God's rule, established a counter-kingdom of darkness ³⁶ and evil on the earth ³⁷.

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WE BELIEVE that God created mankind in His image, male and female ³⁸, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth ³⁹. Under the temptation of Satan ⁴⁰, our original parents fell from grace ⁴¹, bringing sin ⁴², sickness ⁴³ and God's judgment of death to the earth ⁴⁴. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation ⁴⁵. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin ⁴⁶. Human beings are born in sin ⁴⁷, subject to God's judgment of death ⁴⁸ and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness ⁴⁹.

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WE BELIEVE that God did not abandon His rule over the earth ⁵⁰ which He continues to uphold by His providence ⁵¹. In order to bring redemption, God established covenants ⁵² which revealed His grace to sinful people ⁵³. In the covenant with Abraham, God bound Himself to His people Israel, promising to deliver them from bondage to sin and Satan and to bless all the nations through them ⁵⁴.

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WE BELIEVE that as King, God later redeemed His people by His mighty acts from bondage in Egypt ⁵⁵ and established His covenant through Moses, revealing His perfect will and our obligation to fulfill it ⁵⁶. The law's purpose is to order our fallen race ⁵⁷ and to make us conscious of our moral responsibility ⁵⁸. By the work of God's Spirit ⁵⁹, it convicts us of our sin ⁶⁰ and God's righteous judgment against us ⁶¹ and brings us to Christ alone for salvation ⁶².

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WE BELIEVE that when Israel rejected God's rule over her as King ⁶³, God established the monarchy in Israel ⁶⁴ and made an unconditional covenant with David ⁶⁵, promising that his heir would restore God's kingdom reign over His people as Messiah forever ⁶⁶.

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WE BELIEVE that in the fullness of time ⁶⁷, God honored His covenants with Israel and His prophetic promises of salvation ⁶⁸ by sending His only Son ⁶⁹, Jesus, into the world ⁷⁰. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary ⁷¹, as fully God and fully man in one person ⁷², He is humanity as God intended us to be ⁷³. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit ⁷⁴, inaugurating God's kingdom reign on earth ⁷⁵, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation ⁷⁶, preaching the good news of salvation ⁷⁷, healing the sick ⁷⁸, casting out demons ⁷⁹ and raising the dead ⁸⁰. Gathering His disciples ⁸¹, He reconstituted God's people ⁸² as His Church ⁸³ to be the instrument of His kingdom ⁸⁴. After dying for the sins of the world ⁸⁵, Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day ⁸⁶, fulfilling the covenant of blessing given to Abraham ⁸⁷. In His sinless, perfect life ⁸⁸ Jesus met the demands of the law ⁸⁹ and in His atoning death on the cross ⁹⁰, He took God's judgment for sin ⁹¹ which we deserve as law breakers ⁹². By His death on the cross He also disarmed the demonic powers ⁹³. The covenant with David was fulfilled in Jesus' birth from David's house ⁹⁴, His Messianic ministry ⁹⁵, His glorious resurrection from the dead ⁹⁶, His ascent into heaven and His present rule at the right hand of the Father ⁹⁷. As God's Son and David's heir ⁹⁸, He is the eternal Messiah-King ⁹⁹, advancing God's reign throughout every generation and throughout the whole earth today ¹⁰⁰.

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WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church at Pentecost in power ¹⁰¹, baptizing believers into the Body of Christ ¹⁰² and releasing the gifts of the Spirit to them ¹⁰³. The Spirit brings the permanent indwelling presence of God to us ¹⁰⁴ for spiritual worship ¹⁰⁵, personal sanctification ¹⁰⁶, building up the Church ¹⁰⁷, gifting us for ministry ¹⁰⁸, and driving back the kingdom of Satan ¹⁰⁹ by the evangelization of the world through proclaiming the word of Jesus ¹¹⁰ and doing the works of Jesus ¹¹¹.

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WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ ¹¹² and that He is our abiding Helper ¹¹³, Teacher ¹¹⁴, and Guide ¹¹⁵. We believe in the filling or empowering of the Holy Spirit ¹¹⁶, often a conscious experience ¹¹⁷, for ministry today ¹¹⁸. We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit ¹¹⁹ and in the exercise of all of the biblical gifts of the Spirit ¹²⁰. We practice the laying on of hands for the empowering of the Spirit ¹²¹, for healing ¹²², and for recognition and empowering of those whom God has ordained to lead and serve the Church ¹²³.

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WE BELIEVE that the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Holy Scripture ¹²⁴ so that the Bible is without error ¹²⁵ in the original manuscripts. We receive the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments ¹²⁶ as our final, absolute authority, the only infallible rule of faith ¹²⁷ and practice ¹²⁸.

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WE BELIEVE that the whole world is under the domination of Satan ¹²⁹ and that all people are sinners by nature ¹³⁰ and choice ¹³¹. All people therefore are under God's just judgment ¹³². Through the preaching of the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom of God ¹³³ and the work of the Holy Spirit ¹³⁴, God regenerates ¹³⁵, justifies ¹³⁶, adopts ¹³⁷ and sanctifies ¹³⁸ through Jesus by the Spirit ¹³⁹ all who repent of their sins ¹⁴⁰ and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord ¹⁴¹ and Savior ¹⁴². By this they are released from Satan's domain and enter into God's kingdom reign ¹⁴³.

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WE BELIEVE in the one ¹⁴⁴, holy ¹⁴⁵, universal Church ¹⁴⁶. All who repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit ¹⁴⁷ and form the living Body of Christ ¹⁴⁸, of which He is the head ¹⁴⁹ and all are members ¹⁵⁰.

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WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: water baptism ¹⁵¹ and the Lord's Supper ¹⁵². Both are available to all believers.

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WE BELIEVE that God's kingdom has come in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ ¹⁵³, that it continues to come in the ministry of the Spirit through the Church ¹⁵⁴, and that it will be consummated in the glorious, visible and triumphant appearing of Christ ¹⁵⁵ - His return to the earth as King ¹⁵⁶. After Christ returns to reign ¹⁵⁷, He will bring about the final defeat of Satan and all of his minions and works ¹⁵⁸, the resurrection of the dead ¹⁵⁹, the final Judgment ¹⁶⁰ and the eternal blessing of the righteous and eternal conscious punishment of the wicked ¹⁶¹. Finally, God will be all in all ¹⁶² and His kingdom, His rule and reign ¹⁶³, will be fulfilled in the new heavens and the new earth ¹⁶⁴, recreated by His mighty power, in which righteousness dwells ¹⁶⁵ and in which He will forever be worshipped ¹⁶⁶.

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1.   Deuteronomy 33:27 & Romans 1:20
2.   Psalms 95:3 & Isaiah 43:15
3.   Psalms 143:5 & Job 11:7-9
4.   James 1:17
5.   John 4:24
6.   Matthew 5:48
7.   Isaiah 6:3 & 1 Peter 1:15-16
8.   Psalm 104:24 & Proverbs 2:6 & Isaiah 28:29
9.   Exodus 33:19 & Psalm 63:2 & Psalm 31:19
10.   Psalm 33:5 & Psalm 89:14 & Isaiah 30:18
11.   Exodus 15:6
12.   1 John 4:8
13.   Isaiah 43:13
14.   Isaiah 45:5 & I Corinthians 8:4
15.   Psalm 42:2 & Psalm 84:2
16.   Jeremiah 10:10
17.   John 1:18 & John 10:30 & John 14:9 & John 14:16-17 & John 14:26 & John 15:26 & II Corinthians 3:17-18
18.   John 1:1 & John 1:14 & II Corinthians 3:17
19.   Matthew 28:19-20 & II Corinthians 13:14 & Revelation 1:4
20.   Revelation 5:13 & Ephesians 3:14-21

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21.   Psalm 45:6 & Psalm 145:13 & Daniel 4:3
22.   Psalm 93:1-2
23.   John 1:1-3 & I Corinthians 8:6 & Colossians 1:15-16 & Hebrews 1:1-2
24.   Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 95:3-5
25.   Colossians 1:17 & Hebrews 1:3
26.   Psalm 103:19 & Psalm 104:24-29
27.   Psalm 96:4-6
28.   Psalm 89:11
29.   Psalm 103:20-21
30.   Colossians 1:16-17
31.   Psalm 104:5
32.   Psalm 103:22
33.   Psalm 22:28 & Psalm 47:8
34.   Genesis 1:31

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35.   Revelation 12:7-9
36.   II Corinthians 11:14 & Colossians 1:13-14 & Ephesians 6:12
37.   Mark 3:22-26 & Ephesians 2:1-2 & I John 5:19

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38.   Genesis 1:26-27
39.   Genesis 1:26
40.   Genesis 3:1 & Revelation 12:9
41.   Genesis 3:8 & Romans 1:21 & Romans 5:16
42.   Romans 5:12
43.   John 5:14
44.   I Corinthians 15:22
45.   John 8:44 & I John 5:19
46.   Romans 8:20-23
47.   Psalm 51:5
48.   Ezekiel 18:4 & Romans 2:5 & Romans 2:12 & Hebrews 9:27
49.   Galatians 1:3-5 & Galatians 4:8-9 & Colossians 1:13

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51.   Psalm 24:1 & Psalm 96:10 & Isaiah 40:22 & Hebrews 1:3
52.   Romans 9:4
53.   Ephesians 2:12
54.   Genesis 17:3-8 & Genesis 12:2-3 & Genesis 15:4-6 & Romans 4:3-5 & Romans 4:16 & Romans 4:20-25 & Galatians 3:6-9 & Galatians 3:13-14

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55.   Exodus 15:3-18
56.   Exodus 19:3-6 & Exodus 24:3-4 & Exodus 24:7 & Romans 8:3-4 & Romans 8:12-14
57.   Deuteronomy 5:1-3 & Deuteronomy 30:15-18 & Galatians 3:23-25
58.   Psalm 25:8-10 & Romans 7:7
59.   John 15:26 & John 16:8-11 & II Corinthians 3:14-17 & Romans 7:13 & Galatians 3:19 & Galatians 3:21-22
60.   Romans 2:1-11
61.   Galatians 3:24 & Philippians 3:8-9

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63.   I Samuel 8:6-8
64.   I Samuel 8:21-22 & I Samuel 9:15-16 & I Samuel 10:1 & I Samuel 10:24 & 2 Samuel 7:11-16 & Psalm 89:34-37
65.   Isaiah 9:6-7 & Isaiah 11:1-5 & Jeremiah 23:5-6 & Ezekiel 34:23

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67.   Mark 1:15 & Galatians 4:4
68.   Romans 1:2-4
69.   John 1:14
70.   John 1:17-18
71.   Luke 1:30-35
72.   John 1:14 & Philippians 2:5-7
73.   Romans 5:19 & I Corinthians 15:22 & I Peter 2:22 & II Corinthians 5:21 & Romans 8:29
74.   Luke 3:21-22 & Luke 4:16-21
75.   Mark 1:14-15 & Luke 11:20 & Luke 17:20-21
76.   Luke 4:1-13
77.   Luke 4:43
78.   Luke 4:40
79.   Luke 4:41
80.   Luke 7:14-17
81.   Mark 1:16-17
82.   Mark 3:13-15
83.   Matthew 16:18
84.   Luke 9:1-2 & Luke 10:1-17
85.   John 1:29 & John 6:51 & John 4:9-10
86.   Mark 8:31 & I Corinthians 15:3-5
87.   Galatians 3:13-14
88.   Acts 3:14-15 & Hebrews 4:15
89.   Romans 5:18-19
90.   I Peter 2:24
91.   Galatians 3:13 & II Corinthians 5:21
92.   Romans 1:18 & Romans 1:32 & Romans 2:12 & II Thessalonians 1:6-10
93.   Colossians 2:13-15
94.   Matthew 1:1
95.   Luke 1:68-72 & Luke 2:10-11 & Matthew 9:27
96.   Acts 2:24-28
97.   Acts 2:29-36
98.   Romans 1:1-4
99.   Hebrews 1:1-3
100.   I Corinthians 15:24-26 & Ephesians 1:19-23 & Revelation 5:5

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101.   Acts 1:8 & Acts 2:1-4
102.   I Corinthians 12:13
103.   I Corinthians 12:4-7
104.   John 14:16-17
105.   Romans 12:1 & Ephesians 5:18-20
106.   Romans 8:3-4
107.   I Corinthians 14:12 & I Corinthians 14:26
108.   Romans 12:4-6
109.   Luke 11:20 & I John 3:8
110.   Ephesians 6:10-20
111.   John 14:12-13 & Romans 15:18-19 & I Corinthians 4:20

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112.   Romans 8:9-10
113.   John 16:7
114.   John 14:26
115.   John 16:13-15 & Romans 8:14
116.   Luke 24:49 & Acts 4:31
117.   Acts 8:18-19 & Acts 19:1-2
118.   I Corinthians 2:4-5 & II Corinthians 4:7 & II Corinthians 6:4-7
119.   Joel 2:28-29 & Acts 2:15-17
120.   I Corinthians 12:7-11 & I Corinthians 14:1 & I Corinthians 14:5 & I Thessalonians 5:19-21
121.   Acts 8:14-17 & Acts 19:6
122.   Mark 1:41 & Luke 6:18-19 & Mark 16:18
123.   Acts 13:1-3 & I Timothy 4:14 & II Timothy 1:6

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124.   II Timothy 3:16-17 & II Peter 1:20-21 & I Corinthians 2:12-13 & John 14:26
125.   Psalm 19:7-9 & Psalm 119:11 & Psalm 119:30 & Psalm 119:43 & Psalm 119:89 & Matthew 5:17-18 & John 3:34 & John 10:35 & I Thessalonians 2:13 & Revelation 22:6
126.   Luke 24:44 & II Peter 3:15-16 & Revelation 22:18-19
127.   Isaiah 40:8 & Matthew 24:35
128.   Matthew 7:21 & Matthew 7:24 & Luke 1:38 & James 1:22-25

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129.   Luke 4:5-7 & I John 5:19
130.   I Corinthians 15:22 & Ephesians 2:1-3
131.   Romans 1:21-23 & Romans 1:32
132.   Romans 1:18 & Romans 2:5 & II Corinthians 5:10 & Ephesians 5:6
133.   Mark 1:14-15 & Acts 8:12 & Acts 28:31 & Ephesians 5:5
134.   John 16:7-11
135.   John 3:5-8
136.   I Peter 1:23
137.   Romans 5:1-2 & Romans 5:9
138.   Romans 8:15 & Galatians 4:6
139.   Ephesians 5:25 & Hebrews 13:12 & I Peter 1:1-2
140.   Acts 2:38
141.   Romans 10:9
142.   I John 4:13-15
143.   Colossians 1:13-14 & Philippians 3:20

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144.   John 17:20-21 & Ephesians 4:3-6
145.   I Corinthians 3:16-17
146.   Matthew 16:17-18 & I Corinthians 1:2 & Ephesians 2:18-19 & I Peter 2:9-10
147.   Titus 3:4-7
148.   Romans 12:4-5
149.   Ephesians 1:22 & Ephesians 5:23
150.   I Corinthians 12:27

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151.   Matthew 28:19-20
152.   I Corinthians 11:23-26

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153.   Daniel 7:13-14 & Matthew 4:23 & Matthew 12:28
154.   Matthew 6:10 & Matthew 10:7-8 & Matthew 24:14 & Mark 13:11 & John 15:26-27 & Romans 14:17-18
155.   Mark 13:26 & Acts 1:9-11 & II Thessalonians 2:8
156.   Revelation 19:11-16
157.   Matthew 25:31-32 & I Corinthians 15:23-25
158.   Revelation 20:10
159.   I Corinthians 15:51-52
160.   John 5:28-30 & Revelation 20:11-15
161.   Matthew 25:31-46
162.   I Corinthians 15:24-48
163.   I Timothy 6:13-16
164.   II Peter 3:13 & Revelation 21:5
165.   Revelation 21:27
166.   I Timothy 1:17 & Revelation 7:9-12

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