What We Believe
The Church of God is not just another “denomination” but a movement within the stream of Christianity. Our vision is the unity of all believers everywhere into the oneness of Christ.
Therefore, the Church of God is an open fellowship to all who have joined themselves to God through faith in Jesus Christ. We are evangelical in that we are committed to the authority of Scripture. We accept as our rule of faith and creed, the all-sufficient Word of God.
We believe:
1. In one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – infinite and unchangeable.
2. In the deity of Jesus Christ. That Jesus is fully God and fully Man. He is the Word made flesh, born of a virgin, crucified on a cross, the all-sufficient sacrifice and atonement for sins according to the Scriptures. He arose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven. Presently, He is at the right hand of the Father on high, our advocate and great High Priest.
3. In the Holy Spirit, who is not an influence or power, but a Person, who has come to represent and appropriate Jesus Christ as the means of salvation. The Spirit’s ministry is to glorify Christ.
4. In a sanctifying work of grace subsequent to salvation. The purpose of this second work of grace, is the infilling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer; to indwell in and empower the believer; to superintend the process of growth, self-discovery, and development of the believer for holy living and godly service. The Holy Spirit is the Enabler, gifting the believer and producing the Fruit of the Spirit for the edifying of the Body of Christ.
5. That the Word of God – the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments – is the inspired word of God. Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent.
6. That mankind is created in the image of God, to glorify God. In the Fall, the image was marred and the relationship between God and Man was broken. Jesus came to redeem us from the sin that separates us from God. Only through the Holy Spirit can spiritual life be obtained.
7. That the death of Jesus and His resurrection provide the only grounds for salvation for all who believe and only such as receive Him can become the children of God.
8. We practice three scriptural ordinances: water baptism by immersion in the name of God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; the Lord’s Supper; and Feet Washing. While they are essential, they are not regarded as means of salvation.
9. That the Church is made up of all persons who – through repentance and saving faith in Jesus Christ – have been born again by the Holy Spirit, who baptizes us into the Body of Christ. We become members through new birth, not joining.
10. That the Second Coming of Jesus is for the purpose of:
- Raising the dead.
- Judgement.
- Taking the saints to heaven
11. In the bodily resurrection of the dead. We believe in the immortality of the soul – that hell is the real end for the unbeliever and that heaven is a real place, the eternal home of the believer.
12. In divine healing for the family of God – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually through the prayer of faith. That all healing comes from God.
13. That we are called to holiness. The command is to be holy. That is God’s requirement for everyone. We are to be holy people.
14. That we should preach, teach, and practice the oneness of the Body of Christ, celebrate the unity and diversity of the Body of Christ, and find new ways to embrace ethnic and cultural diversity and unity in practical and visible forms.
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