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What We Believe

The Church of God stands now, as it has always stood, for the whole Bible rightly divided and for the New Testament as the only rule for government and discipline. The General Assembly meets biennially to search the Scriptures and to determine the direction of the church. Occasionally there are amplifications, but the basic doctrines of the church have remained constant since the inception of the church.
Included in this document are those statements of faith and guiding principles which are the results of searching the Scriptures from time to time. A study of the document, along with the Scriptural references, will reveal that those teachings and doctrines which we have held dear through the years have been strengthened and preserved, not only for this generation but also for posterity.

We believe it is the responsibility of every member and minister of the Church of God to be fully informed and versed in the doctrines and teachings of the church. Therefore, we are calling upon the entire constituency of the Church of God to review this material and to use it as a basis for Christian living and practice.

Declaration of Faith

We believe:

  1. In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.
  2. In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
  3. That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
  4. That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
  5. That justification, regeneration and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
  6. In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word and by the Holy Ghost.
  7. Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people.
  8. In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.
  9. In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost.
  10. In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
  11. Divine healing is provided for all in the Atonement.
  12. In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
  13. In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous and eternal punishment for the wicked.
           

Examples of Practical Commitments:

Loyalty to God and Commitment to the Church – the life of Christian discipleship calls for the fulfillment of our duties to the body of Christ. We are to unite regularly with other members of the church for the purpose of magnifying and praising God and hearing His Word (Matthew 18:20; John 4:23; Acts 2:42, 46, 47; 12:24; Hebrews 10:25). Sunday is the Christian day of worship. As the Lord’s Day, it commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Matthew 28:1) and should be employed for worship, fellowship, Christian service, teaching, evangelism and proclamation (Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5, 6; 1Corinthians 16:2; Colossians 2:16, 17).

Priority of the Family – the family is the basic unit of human relationship and as such is foundational to both society and the church (Genesis 2:18-24). The divine origin of the family, along with its foundational character, makes it imperative that we give priority to ministry to the family, both from a personal and corporate standpoint. The practice of Christian disciplines and virtues should begin in the home (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7). Therefore, our families should establish some pattern for family devotions and should endeavor to provide a Christian environment in the home (1Timothy 3:3, 4; 5:8).
Being Good Citizens – as Christians we are members of the kingdom of God as well as a social order of this world. Obedience to God requires us to act in a responsible manner as citizens of our country (Mark 12:13-17; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Therefore, we should support civil law and order; hold our leaders in respect and pray for them; participate in school, community and governmental activities; exercise our voting rights; and speak out on clear-cut moral issues. God’s law is supreme, but we are to obey the laws of our country in so far as they are not in conflict with obedience to God (Acts 5:29). When it becomes necessary to disagree with practices and requirements of government, we should do so out of a concern for the promotion of righteousness and not out of delight in discord and controversy