We believe there is one true and living God, who eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, equal in divine nature and perfection, yet personally distinct. God is infinite and perfect in being and holiness, possessing all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of himself. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and sovereign Ruler of all things and is worthy of all worship, obedience, and glory.

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Because Scripture is the Word of God, it is our final authority in all matters of faith and life.

We believe God created all things, visible and invisible, and that everything he created was very good. God created humanity, male and female, in his own image and therefore every human being possesses inherent dignity and worth. Humanity was created to know God, glorify him, enjoy fellowship with him, and live in obedience to him.

We believe our first parents sinned against God and fell from their original righteousness and communion with him. As their descendants, all people are born in sin and are by nature corrupted in every part of their being, guilty before God, and subject to death. Apart from God's grace, no one is able to reconcile himself to God or rescue himself from sin and its consequences.

We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, truly God and truly man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived in perfect obedience to God, and was without sin. As the only Mediator between God and humanity, he gave himself as a substitute for sinners, bearing God's judgment for sin through his death on the cross. He was buried, rose bodily from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven, and now reigns at the right hand of the Father as Lord and King.

We believe salvation is entirely the work of God's grace and cannot be earned by human works or merit. God saves sinners through Jesus Christ, granting repentance and faith. All who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ alone are forgiven, declared righteous before God solely on the basis of Christ's righteousness, adopted as God's children, and given eternal life.

We believe the Holy Spirit is fully and eternally God, together with the Father and the Son. He gives spiritual life to sinners, brings them to repentance and faith in Christ, indwells all believers, assures them of their adoption as God's children, produces holiness in them, equips them for service, and preserves them in faith.

We believe the universal church consists of all who truly belong to Christ. A local church is a congregation of believers who gather together under the authority of Christ and his Word for worship, fellowship, prayer, the preaching and teaching of Scripture, and the observance of the ordinances Christ has given to his church.
Christ has given the church two ordinances: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is for those who profess repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ and is properly administered by immersion in water. The Lord's Supper is given to the church for the remembrance and proclamation of Christ's death and for the spiritual nourishment of believers.
Christ is the head of his church, and every local church is responsible to order its life according to his Word.

We believe those who have been saved by grace are called to live in grateful submission and obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord. Good works do not earn or contribute to our justification before God, but they are the necessary fruit of genuine faith. Believers are called to pursue holiness, love God and neighbor, serve one another, resist sin, and live for the glory of God in every area of life.

We believe Jesus Christ will return personally, visibly, and bodily in glory to consummate his kingdom. God will raise the dead and judge all people through Jesus Christ. Those who belong to Christ will enter everlasting life and joy in the presence of God, while those who remain in their sin will receive everlasting punishment. God will bring his purposes to completion in the new heavens and new earth, where his people will dwell with him forever.

We hold to the biblical teaching (Genesis 1:27) that God created humans with a biological sex of male or female consistent with their gender identity and this gift from God should not be altered. Rejecting one’s biological sex rejects God’s created design and is sin.

Marriage is a covenantal relationship between one man and one woman as delineated in Scripture as a single, exclusive union (Genesis 2:18-25). Marriage between one man and one woman, for life, uniquely reflects Christ’s relationship with his Church (Ephesians 5:21-33). Sexual intimacy is moral only within a heterosexual, monogamous marriage (Genesis 2:24, Malachi 2:14-15, Matthew 19:4-6, Mark 10:6-8, I Corinthians 7:39, Romans 7:2-3, Ephesians 5:31, Hebrews 13:4).  Premarital sex violates the exclusive claims of one’s future spouse and is immoral (I Thessalonians 4:1-8). Any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, or use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

Sexual temptations of all kinds are to be resisted. God’s established boundaries for sexual behavior should not be changed based upon culture, laws, or personal preference. River Valley employees and members shall agree with and abide by this Statement of Marriage and Sexuality.  

River Valley Church will show respect, dignity, compassion, love, and kindness by encouraging, discipling, and assisting individuals repenting of sin and fighting sexual temptation. There is a difference between temptation and unrepentant sin. Forgiveness, redemption, and restoration are available to all who confess and repent of their sin and by faith seek the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Jesus in the Gospel.

In no way is our affirmation of the Bible’s teaching on sexuality grounds for bigotry, harassment, intimidation, or hateful speech or action.

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in his image (Genesis 1:27, Genesis 9:6). God endows all human life with inherent dignity at every stage of development, and it must be respected and protected from conception to natural death (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-16, Genesis 9:6, I Corinthians 3:16-17). Thus, unjustified intentional taking of human life before or after birth is sinful and offensive to God (I Corinthians 3:16-17).

In no way is our affirmation of the Bible’s teaching on the sanctity of human life grounds for shaming, harassment, intimidation, bigotry, or hateful speech or action.