WE BELIEVE God eternally exists and is the Creator of the universe. He exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is awesome and powerful but also tender and loving and full of grace. He is Omniscient (All-knowing), Omnipotent (All-powerful) and Omnipresent (everywhere present).\u00a0 [Gen.1:1, 27]<\/p>\n
WE BELIEVE the Bible calls God our Father [Is. 46:8]. God the Father is enduringly patient [I Tim. 1:16] and unconditionally forgiving [Eph.1:7; Is. 43:25]. These two characteristics can be seen in the parable of the Loving Father [Luke 15:11-32].<\/p>\n
WE BELIEVE Jesus Christ is the one and only, virgin born Son of God [Mt.16:16] and is co-equal with God. [Jn.1:1, 14] He was fully human and fully divine from His birth to His death. He is God in human flesh, died on a cross as a substitute for our sins and rose bodily from the dead. We firmly believe He is the only way to God. [Jn.14:6]<\/p>\n
WE BELIEVE the Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son and is present in the world to make men aware of their need for salvation in Jesus Christ. [Jn.15:24; 16:8]. \u00a0The Holy Spirit is given to the believer at the time of his salvation [Eph.1:13-14] and then provides the Christ-follower with guidance and power for living a godly life. [Gal.5:22-23]<\/p>\n
WE BELIEVE the Bible is the divinely inspired, written Word of God, without error in its original language, and sufficient enough for all to know God\u2019s desire for his life. [2 Timothy 3:16-17]<\/p>\n
WE BELIEVE man is by nature a sinner from birth. The Bible is clear that we are all sinners and are in need of salvation [Rom.3:23; 6:23]. Salvation is a free gift, bestowed by God\u2019s grace (unmerited favor) and received by faith. [Eph.2:8-9]. We believe our salvation is secured by Christ alone [Jn.10:27-28] and is not determined by our works. Salvation will produce works which testify of our salvation. [James 2: 17, 21-24]<\/p>\n
WE BELIEVE there were two practices observed in the early church-baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper. Baptism is immersion in water [Acts 8:36-38]; is symbolic of Christ\u2019s death, burial and resurrection [Rom.6:3-4]; and shows a heart of obedience. The Lord\u2019s Supper (Communion) is open to all followers of Christ and reminds us of the price Jesus paid for our sins. We observe the Lord\u2019s Supper weekly.<\/p>\n
WE BELIEVE the church is the Bride of Christ [Eph.5:25-33] and the body of Christ [I Cor.12] on earth and its purpose is to fulfill the last command of Jesus. [Mt.28:18-20]. This purpose serves as the basis for OVCF\u2019s Mission<\/a><\/span> and Vision<\/a><\/span> statements.<\/p>\n WE BELIEVE Jesus Christ will one day return to call His children home where all men will be judged and receive their eternal reward (heaven for the follower of Christ and hell for those who reject Him). He will ultimately set up His kingdom and reign forever as King of kings and Lord of lords [I Thess. 4:13-18]<\/p>\n WE BELIEVE marriage between one man and one woman is Christian marriage by God\u2019s design. [Gen. 2:21-25; Ephesians 5:21-33]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WE BELIEVE God eternally exists and is the Creator of the universe. He exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is awesome and powerful but also tender and loving and full of grace. He is Omniscient (All-knowing), Omnipotent (All-powerful) and Omnipresent (everywhere present).\u00a0 [Gen.1:1, 27] WE BELIEVE the Bible calls God our … <\/p>\n