The limitations of a doctrinal statement

Doctrinal statements like this are limited in expressing the fullness of Christian
beliefs.

The entire Bible really contains our “doctrinal statement,” so creating a small, selective list of verses from the Bible to represent what a church believes is not an easy thing to do. In reality, you could have dozens of pages about specific beliefs. This short statement only represents some of the central beliefs of Vintage Faith Church.

Simply "knowing" doctrine is not what changes our heart or actions.

Jesus criticized the religious leaders of his day for being hypocrites and legalists. They were very familiar with the Bible and knew a lot of doctrine, but they didn’t let that doctrine seep into their hearts and impact their lives. We can know doctrine intellectually, but if it doesn’t impact us on a deeper level, the knowledge is almost useless. What Jesus cares most about is whether or not our lives are being changed by the Spirit as we put saving faith in Him (Romans 10:9)  and whether the doctrine we learn expands our love for God and for people (Matthew 22:36-40).  That kind of transformation produces in us the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)