What We Believe – Affirmation of Faith
Nine Articles Defining What Mountain Veteran Ministries Believes — Grounded in Scripture, Confessed in Community, and Lived in Every Season
A statement of faith is not a substitute for Scripture, and it is not a wall to keep people out. It is a window — a plain declaration of what a community of believers has received from God’s Word and confesses together as the foundation of everything it does. These nine articles represent the doctrinal commitments that shape MVM’s teaching, its pastoral care, and its mission to troubled souls, especially veterans, who are looking for something solid to stand on.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” — 2 Timothy 3:16
Nine Articles of Faith
Article One
The Word of God
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the authoritative and powerful Word of God, verbally inspired by God, and without error in the original manuscripts. We believe that God’s intentions, revealed in the Bible, are the supreme and final authority in testing all claims about what is true and what is right. In matters not addressed by the Bible, what is true and right is assessed by criteria consistent with the teachings of Scripture.
2 Timothy 3:16 · 2 Peter 1:20–21; 3:16 · 1 Corinthians 2:13 · John 8:31–32; 14:26; 16:13–14; 17:17 · Matthew 22:29; 24:35 · Psalm 19:7–10; 119:9–16
Article Two
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — and that these are the same divine essence, 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 · Deuteronomy 6:4 · John 1:1, 3 · Matthew 28:19 · John 4:24 · Romans 1:19–20 · Ephesians 4:5–6 · 1 Peter 1:2
Article Three
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns himself mercifully 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 · 1 Timothy 1:1–2; 2:5–6 · 1 Peter 1:3 · Revelation 1:6
Article Four
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s unique and eternal Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.
Matthew 1:18–25 · Luke 1:26–38 · John 1:1; 20:28–31 · Romans 3:21–26; 5:6–8 · 2 Corinthians 5:21 · 1 John 2:1–2 · 1 Peter 2:21–23 · Acts 1:11 · Hebrews 9:28
Article Five
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit sent into the world by God to glorify the Son of God. We believe that He convicts people of their sin and need for salvation, and that without His work no one would come to faith. We believe that His work in regeneration is not the result of water baptism or any outward ritual. We believe He indwells everyone who trusts in Jesus, providing guidance and power, and helps them make progress in overcoming sin and in becoming more like Jesus in thought, deed, and love for God the Father.
John 14:16–17, 26; 15:26–27; 16:9–14 · Titus 3:5–7 · Romans 8:9 · 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19 · Galatians 5:22–26 · 1 Peter 1:2
Article Six
The Human Condition and Salvation
We believe that humanity was created by God in His own image and for His glory; but that we sinned and fell short of God’s glory, and thus incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal separation from God. We believe that all humans are born with a sinful nature, and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. We reject justification based on any human effort, and we believe that only those who have been born again — and thus trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, by virtue of His atoning death on the cross, submitting to Him as Lord, and embracing Him as the supreme Treasure of their lives — are adopted, delivered from condemnation, and receive eternal life. We believe that this faith leads to a heartfelt turning from sin. The Christian life involves growth in grace through persevering, Spirit-empowered resolve to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ.
Genesis 1:26–27; 3 · Jeremiah 17:9 · Romans 3:19; 5:19; 6:11; 8:1 · John 3:16; 5:24 · Philippians 3:7–8 · 2 Corinthians 5:17 · 1 Corinthians 15:1–2 · Hebrews 3:12–14; 10:39 · Romans 3:28
Article Seven
Marriage and Sexuality
We believe that marriage joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, lifelong union, and that God designed and directs sexual intimacy exclusively for one man and one woman married to each other. Any form of sexual immorality — including adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, or any attempt to change or disagree with one’s biological sex — is sinful and offensive to God.
Genesis 1:27–28; 2:23–24 · Matthew 19:4–6; 5:27–30 · Ephesians 5:24–32 · Leviticus 18:6–7, 23 · 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, 11, 18–20; 7:2 · Romans 1:18–32; 5:8 · 1 John 4:8–9
Article Eight
The Church, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper
We believe in one holy, universal Church made up of all who trust Jesus Christ as Savior, Lord, and supreme Treasure of their lives. We believe that God calls us to unite with other believers in local churches to help each other to value Jesus above all else, to praise Him together, to make disciples, to grow in our love and knowledge of Him, and to stir each other up to good works. We believe that Christians should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and regularly share in the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus until His return.
Ephesians 1:22–23 · Acts 15:36, 41; 16:5 · 1 Corinthians 16:1; 11:23–26 · Galatians 1:1–3 · Matthew 28:18–20 · Hebrews 10:24–25 · Romans 6:3–4 · Revelation 1:4, 10–11
Article Nine
The Last Things and Two Destinies
We believe in the personal, visible, and bodily return of Jesus to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment of all people, the eternal happiness of the righteous in God’s presence, and the eternal misery of the wicked.
Matthew 16:27 · Mark 14:62 · John 14:3 · Acts 1:11 · Philippians 3:20 · 1 Thessalonians 4:15–18 · 2 Timothy 4:1 · Titus 2:13 · 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15 · 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10 · Revelation 20:11–15
These nine articles are not the ceiling of what we study or the boundary of what we engage — they are the floor on which everything else we do is built. They represent convictions held with confidence, tested against Scripture, and confessed in community.
They are also convictions held with humility. We know in part. We teach plainly. And we trust the God who revealed these truths to make them clear and fruitful in the lives of the people who receive them.
If you have questions about anything in this statement, or if you want to dig deeper into any of these doctrines, the posts across this site are here for exactly that purpose. The door is open.
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” — Isaiah 40:8
Explore the Doctrines Behind These Articles
Each article in this statement connects to full posts in MVM’s theology and apologetics series:
- Why Should We Believe the Bible? — eight reasons Scripture is trustworthy (Article One)
- The Trinity — doctrine, history, and meaning across the church’s most important councils (Article Two)
- Who Is Jesus? — nine Christian leaders answer the question at the center of Article Four
- The Holy Spirit — eight roles of the Spirit in the believer’s life (Article Five)
- What Is Christianity? — the five foundations of the faith, mapped to Articles Three through Six
- Why Did Jesus Have to Die? — the atonement in depth — the heart of Article Six
- The Elect — three traditions on election and salvation (Article Six)
- Subscribe to get new posts delivered straight to your inbox — gospel-rooted, plain-spoken truth for the week ahead.
“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” — 1 Corinthians 2:2