We, the Mount Vernon Grace Brethren Church, believe the written and spoken Word of God to be the infallible rule of proper life and faith. 

We acknowledge and accept our responsibility to carefully guard and also practice the divine message of the God’s truth.

We present the following 12 articles as a succinct statement of basic Bible truths that every member in our church believes, upholds and practices with conviction.

We believe that...

Article 1: The One True God

  1. There is only One True God and He is One.

  2. The One True God eternally exists as three persons — The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, who are The Holy Trinity.

  3. The triune or three-fold nature of God is clearly expressed in His instruction for baptism.

  4. God’s essence is composed of truth and holiness.

  5. God recently created the heavens, the earth and all their hosts without pre-existing material in 6 literal 24-hour days.

  6. All created beings and creatures come out of The Existing God, Jehovah, and are made to exist in Him.

Article 1 Notes

  1. Isaiah 44:6; Deuteronomy 6:4

  2. Luke 3:21-22; 2 Corinthians 13:14

  3. Matthew 28:18-20

  4. Revelation 3:7; Genesis 2:9

  5. Colossians 1:15-17; Genesis 1:1-2:3; Hebrew 11:3; Exodus 20:8-11

  6. Revelation 4:9-11; Acts 17:22-28

Article 2: The Heavenly Father

  1. Our Father is eternally seated on the throne of grace in heaven.

  2. He is the origin and giver of every good and perfect gift — including life and light.

  3. The Father has a will which directs both the Trinity and true believers.

  4. The Father’s only begotten Son is Jesus Christ, who He delivered up for all mankind.

  5. The Father raised The Son from the dead by His glory.

  6. According to His good pleasure, He predestined believers to be adopted into His family.

Article 2 Notes

  1. Revelation 4:1-6; Hebrews 4:16; Matthew 6:9-10

  2. James 1:16-18; John 5:21 & 26; 1 John 5:11; 1 John 1:1-5; Genesis 1:3; Isaiah 45:7; Isaiah 60:19

  3. 1 John 2:15-17; Luke 11:2; Mark 14:36; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 7:21-23

  4. John 1:14 & 18; John 3:16; John 10:34-36; Romans 8:31-32 

  5. Romans 6:3-4

  6. Ephesians 1:3-6; Romans 8:28-30

Article 3: The Lord Jesus Christ

  1. Our Lord Jesus Christ eternally existed before creation as both God and the Son of God.

  2. The Son is Firstborn over all creation and like His Father, The Son also is both life and light.

  3. Christ entered the world through the conception of the Holy Spirit and a virgin birth.

  4. As the perfect God-Man, Jesus lived a holy and sinless life so that His death could be the perfect substitute for the sins of mankind.

  5. After 3 nights and days in the tomb our Lord arose in bodily form and 40 days later ascended into heaven.

  6. After leaving the earth, He sent the Spirit of Truth as The Helper until Christ comes to earth again.

  7. Christ’s current ministry is as High Priest and Mediator between God and mankind.

  8. Christ is the head of the church, which is His body and will become His bride.

Article 3 Notes

  1.  John 1:1-3; John 8:57-58; John 20:26-28; 1 John 5:20

  2. Colossians 1:15; John 6:27 & 57; John 8:12; Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5

  3. Matthew 1:18-23; John 1:14; Isaiah 7:14

  4. Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38; Romans 1:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21

  5. Matthew 12:38-40; Luke 24:13-51; Acts 1:1-9

  6.  John 14:1-29; Acts 1:10-11

  7. Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Timothy 2:5

  8. Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 1:15-18

Article 4: The Holy Spirit of God

  1. As the third person of the Trinity, The Holy Spirit is God and He gives Life, illumination and guidance.

  2. He convicts the world of sin and unrighteousness and helps and teaches truth to believers.

  3. The Spirit baptizes, indwells, and unifies into one body every believer at the moment of regeneration and later fills those who are yielded to His will.

  4. He bestows upon each Christian one or more spiritual gifts for the edification, unification and perfection of the church body, although even in the early church His apostolic sign-gifts were not for all believers.

  5. He empowers the godly and frees them to perform righteous deeds.

Article 4 Notes

  1. Acts 5:3-4; John 6:63; 2 Corinthians 3:5-6; Joel 2:28-29; John 16:13-15

  2. John 16:7-15; John 14:16-17

  3. Acts 1:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 4:1-5; Ephesians 5:18

  4. 1 Peter 4:10-11; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 & 28-30; 1 Corinthians 13:8-10

  5. Judges 14:5-6 & 19; 1 Samuel 16:13; Ephesians 3:14-16; Acts 1:6-8; Galatians 5:16-26

Article 5: The Word of God

  1. Jesus Christ is The Word of God.

  2. The Word of God is the only source needed for life, faith, regeneration, sanctification and equipping.

  3. As God’s verbally inspired and written word, the Bible is composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, and is completely without error as originally given by God.

  4. God’s spoken Word can be revealed by any Person of the Trinity or through a God-called messenger including: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers, and angels.

  5. God’s Word is eternally living and supremely powerful.

  6. New truth and fresh revelation should be expected and are revealed by the Spirit of God.

Article 5 Notes

  1. John 1:1-17

  2. Deuteronomy 8:3; Romans 10:17; Titus 3:3-7; James 1:18-25; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Acts 1:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21

  3. Deuteronomy 4:12 & 33 & 36; Ephesians 4:11-15; 1 Kings 19:11-12; Romans 1:1-2; Hosea 1:1-2; 1 Timothy 3:1-2;

  4. Acts 8:26-40; Luke 1:11-20

  5. 1 Peter 1:22-25; Hebrews 4:12

  6. Isaiah 42:9; Isaiah 48:3-8; Leviticus 20:25 with Acts 10:9-20; John 16:13-15

Article 6: Man

  1. Mankind is created in the image of God, therefore human life is valuable and very good.

  2. The first man Adam fell into sin resulting in spiritual death for all men, and a curse upon the earth, therefore man needs a second birth for spiritual salvation.

  3. Marriage is a sacred union between man and woman.

  4. God’s design of proper order is showcased in men and women’s distinct roles in marriage, in the household and in the church.

Article 6 Notes

  1. Genesis 1:26-28 & 31; Genesis 9:6; Psalm 139:13-16

  2. Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12-15; John 3:3-8

  3. Genesis 2:23-24; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 19:3-9; 1 Corinthians 7:2-4; Hebrews 13:4

  4. Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Corinthians 14:40

Article 7: Salvation

  1. Before the foundation of the world, true believers are predestined for salvation and their names are written in the Lamb’s book of Life.

  2. The gift of salvation is made possible only by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s broken body and shed blood.

  3. A complete and eternal salvation is received only by God’s grace and the believer’s faith.

  4. Genuine salvation is forever secure through God, but salvation can be forfeited, rejected or despised by the believer, whose name is then forever blotted out of the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Article 7 Notes

  1. Ephesians 1:3-6; Revelation 17:8

  2. Hebrews 10:10-14; Luke 22:17-20; 1 Peter 1:18-19 

  3. Titus 3:4-7; Ephesians 2:8-9

  4. John 10:27-30; Hebrews 10:23 & 26-39; Romans 2:3-12; Hebrews 6:4-6; Psalm 69:27-28; Revelation 3:3-6

Article 8: The New Man

  1. Genuine salvation and true faith will result in good works which are required to maintain good standing with The Holy God.

  2. The new man is called to obey Christ’s specific commands to be baptized by trine immersion and to participate in the threefold communion service which consists of: 1. Washing the Saint’s Feet  2. The Lord’s Supper  3. The Eucharist.

  3. True believers are to be separate from the world and live righteously by putting on the new man, renewing their minds and speaking the truth.

  4. Saints are not to engage in carnal strife in personal relationships, in the world or in war but are commanded to love their enemies and to turn the other cheek.

  5. Christians are called to pray, and during sickness have the privilege of calling for the elders of the church to pray and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

  6. Saints are to settle differences between brethren in accordance with the Word of God.

  7. The new man is instructed to exhort the brethren and attend a local church which is God’s house and truth.

Article 8 Notes

  1. James 2:14-26; Hebrews 10:24-25; Titus 3:1-3 and 8; Revelation 22:14-15; Matthew 5:42-48

  2. John 13:1-17; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; Jude 12; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

  3. Ephesians 4:17-25; Romans 12:1-3; James 5:12

  4. Romans 12:17-21; Matthew 5:38-48; John 18:35-36

  5. Ephesians 6:18; Philippians. 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; James 5:13-18

  6. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Matthew 18:15-20

  7. Hebrews 10:23-25; 1 Timothy 3:14-15

Article 9: The Church

  1. The one true church is composed of all true believers from Pentecost until the coming of the Lord.

  2. God calls and appoints men to be pastors, who must meet His qualifications to lead His church.

  3. The church appoints deacons and deaconesses, who must meet Biblical qualifications, to serve the body.

  4. Christ set saints in a local church, empowers each member and gives them gifts to unify, equip, establish and perfect His church.

  5. Confession of faith and baptism by trine immersion are the two essential scriptural requirements to become a member in the local church.

  6. Each local church determines its own additional membership requirements as well as the discipline of its members.

Article 9 Notes

  1. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Acts 2:1-47; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

  2. 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 2 Timothy 1:8-11

  3. 1 Timothy 3:8-13; Acts 6:1-7

  4. 1 Corinthians 12:18-28; Ephesians 4:4-16

  5. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38

  6. Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 5:3-5

Article 10: The Second Coming of Christ

  1. Christ will personally and imminently return to remove His church.

  2. The tribulation will be a 7 year period composed of 2 sections of 3 1/2 years.

  3. After the tribulation Christ will descend with His saints to establish His 1,000 year kingdom upon the earth, literally fulfilling His covenant promises to ethnic Israel.

Article 10 Notes

  1. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

  2. Daniel 9:24-27, Revelation 11:1-3; Daniel 7:25; Revelation 12:1-6

  3. Revelation 19:11-20:6; Jeremiah 33:14-26; Ezekiel 36:16-28; Ezekiel 40-48; Romans 11:22-32

Article 11: Satan

  1. Lucifer was created perfect, fell into iniquity because of pride and now Satan is the great adversary of God and His people.

  2. His nature is to destroy life, he murders, lies, deceives, accuses and opposes.

  3. The Adversary will be chained during Christ’s 1,000 year reign, briefly released and allowed to deceive and make war, then cast into the lake fire for all eternity.

Article 11 Notes

  1. Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:3-21

  2. Revelation 9:11; John 8:44; Revelation 12:9; Job 1:6-12; Zechariah 3:1-2

  3. Revelation 20:1-3 & 7-10; John 12:31

Article 12: The Eternal State of Existence

  1. The soul and spirit continue existing after death and are conscious of pleasure or pain.

  2. Believers will be resurrected to life and unbelievers will be resurrected to condemnation.

  3. Unbelievers will be judged, condemned and eternally punished.

  4. Believers will be judged, rewarded and live eternally.

  5. The eternal state of the believer includes rest, fullness of joy, abundant life and light in God’s presence and the removal of the curse: pain, darkness and death.

Article 12 Notes

  1. James 2:26; Luke 16:19-31; Psalm 16:10-11; Philippians 1:21-23; Revelation 14:9-11

  2. John 5:28-29

  3. Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 25:45-46

  4. Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; John 3:14-21

  5. Hebrews 4:8-11; Acts 2:25-28; John 10:10; Revelation 21:3-5 & 22-25; Revelation 22:1-6