Brief Statement of Beliefs

GOD

God can refer to either the God the Father or the Son, the two beings which currently comprise the family of God. In the old testament, the term usually refers to Christ.  Christ came to reveal the Father.

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus is the God of the Old Testament as per the book of John.  He created all that we see and was the being which formed man out of the dust of the earth.  He divested Himself of all His glory to save mankind through his sacrifice.

BIBLE

The whole Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God containing His plan of salvation, and the record of His participation in history. The Bible is God's revelation of knowledge that man cannot discover for himself. It is the foundation of knowledge, and the guidebook of life. The Old and New Testaments comprise God's written Word, which forms the basis of Christianity.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is the essence, power, mind, and spiritual extension of God. God begets Christians as His sons and daughters through this Spirit. It strengthens a Christian spiritually and converts the human mind to become more Christ like.

MANKIND

Humans are physical beings created in the image of God.  Man has no inherent immortality.  Upon death, all remain in the grave without knowledge or thought of any kind.  There is a spirit in man which returns to God at death, but that spirit, apart from the flesh, is without cognizance.  Man has the opportunity to receive eternal life as a free gift from God at the resurrection from the dead.

ANGELIC REALM

God has created powerful spirit beings as His agents, and messengers. Since man's creation, these spirit beings function as ministering spirits to help mankind attain salvation. Like man, angels have free moral agency. Although created to help God, some of them--led by Satan the devil-rebelled against God's government, transforming themselves into demons.

SALVATION

Salvation is the means by which God, through Christ, saves man from the penalty of sin and gives him eternal life.  This process includes one's calling, repentance, baptism, justification, receiving of the Holy Spirit, life of faith and obedience, and final birth into God's Kingdom as a spirit being. Salvation is a freely given gift from God through grace and God's loving mercy. The magnitude of our reward is based on our works done in faith.

FAITH

Faith is the sure knowledge that God exists, and that He will accomplish those things He has promised. Faith is necessary for salvation. The basic elements of faith are courage, action, and risk.  Faith is also an element that is tried for the purpose of discovering the character of man.  Faith leads to obedience and when properly understood is one of the most key principles in Christianity.

REPENTANCE

After God chooses to grant knowledge of His ways and expectations, repentance is the first step toward reconciliation to God.  Repentance is the act of acknowledging one's sins, and resolving to obey every word of God. It begins when God opens one's mind to see himself in comparison with God and His law.  Unless we can come to repentance, everything else is meaningless.  No one can be intellectually converted toward salvation.

BAPTISM

The ceremony of water baptism is performed by immersion, for the forgiveness of sins, upon true repentance and acceptance of Christ's sacrifice. After this ceremony, and as a result, one receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. Baptism symbolizes the renunciation of the past sinful way of life, the burial of the old man in a watery grave, and the emergence of a new, Spirit-led man living with Christ's mind and following in His footsteps.

LAYING ON OF HANDS

The laying on of hands is an act performed on special occasions, such as for the receiving of God's Holy Spirit after baptism, at ordination, anointing of the sick, or for other special purposes.

KINGDOM OF GOD

The Kingdom of God is the family of God ruling as the government of God. It is a future world-ruling government to be set up on earth by Christ at His return, with Jesus as King and the resurrected spirit-composed saints in positions of co-rulership with Him. The Kingdom of God referred to as a mystery in the New Testament was first preached and explained by Christ, then by His church; it shall be established on earth for a thousand years following Christ's return, and shall be completely fulfilled when New Jerusalem and God the Father come down out of heaven to dwell on the New Earth.

GOSPEL

The gospel is the message preached by Christ and by His church about God's coming Kingdom, the restoration of His government on earth, and how mankind can enter that Kingdom and government. It includes the message of what Jesus has done, is doing, and shall do and ultimately is the message of the entire Old and New Testaments.  The primary purpose and commission of the church is to "Go ye therefore, and teach [make disciples of] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

RESURRECTIONS

The hope of all mankind and the promise to the Christian is the resurrection from the dead. The Bible refers to (1) the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the firstborn from the dead and the pioneer of our salvation; (2) the resurrection of the saints called the first resurrection at the return of Christ; (3) the resurrection back to physical life of all who have ever died without having understood God's way, for their first opportunity for salvation

LAW OF GOD

The law of God as revealed in the Bible is a good, right, and perfect system of eternal directives and principles that reflects God's character and serves as a means of expressing His love toward man. God's law teaches man how to properly worship God, how to love his fellowman, how to live life abundantly, and, at the same time, how to prepare for an eternal spiritual life in the family of God. The law of God is represented in both the Old and the New Testaments.  Much of the law contains both physical and spiritual applications.

TEN COMMANDMENTS

The Ten Commandments, as revealed by God, codified by Moses, and ratified and magnified by Christ, are the perfect expression of God's love. They are the foundation of all biblical teaching, showing man how to express love toward God and fellowman, and are consequently the focal point of Christian life.

SABBATH

The seventh-day Sabbath is to be taught and kept holy in accordance with the ten commandments. Instituted at creation, reaffirmed to Israel as a part of the covenant at Sinai, taught by Jesus Christ and shown to continue in the soon coming Kingdom, the observance of the Sabbath is basic to a Christian's relationship with God.  God gave the Sabbath as a gift to man to enjoy His relationship with God and with family & brethren.  It is a day to cease from livelyhood work, relax, and have the opportunity to worship.   Christ dealt often with the problem of over zealous Jews who missed the point and placed unreasonable & unscriptural restrictions on the people. In essence, Christ removed the burdensome traditions of men to re-establish His gift of rest to us.

ANNUAL HOLY DAYS

The annual holy days were ordained by God, kept by the ancient Israelites, and continued by the early New Testament Christians. These seven annual appointed feasts picture God's plan of salvation for man.

TITHING

Tithing is an act of worship; it is a private matter between the individual and God. The church does not enforce or police tithing, but simply teaches the responsibility to tithe to the organization of their choice.

SIN

Sin is the transgression of God's law, the falling short or missing the mark of the character of Jesus Christ. Although the penalty for sin is death, all sin can be completely forgiven by God, who desires that all men be saved.  God forgives sin upon the repentance of the individual who accepts the shed blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment in full for the penalty of his sins.

THE CHRISTIAN

A true Christian is one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells; one who has repented of sin, been baptized, received the Spirit of God which begets him as a “new creature in Christ.  The Christian is one who seeks to live by every word of God; to follow the example of Jesus Christ; to allow Jesus Christ to live His perfect life within the Christian; one who exemplifies Christian character, such as goodness, meekness, gentleness, faith, against which there is no law.

THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY

The marriage relationship is the basis of the family, which in turn is the core of a stable society.  As the primary physical analogy of God's plan for mankind, marriage, child rearing, and the family are given a preeminent place in the teachings of the Bible and the church. Although some may feel that roles are defined, men and women have equal potential before God.

HEALING

Divine healing is a miracle that God in His mercy and love may extend to those who call upon Him in time of need, according to faith.  The healings of Jesus Christ demonstrate and represent His power to express compassion, to forgive sin, and ultimately, to resurrect the dead and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

DIET

Not all things were created for consumption.  There are many poisonous plants we should not eat.  And there are many scavenger type animals God wants us to avoid.  It is because of His love and concern for our health that he has made these commandments.

THE CHURCH OF GOD

The church is the spiritual body of Christ, a group of persons called out by God and impregnated with His Holy Spirit.  As a spiritual body, the church is made up of baptized, Spirit-led individuals who are scattered around the world and in many organizations or may be independently meeting. As such, there cannot be "one true church" - it is not our place to judge - that is Christ's. Although Christians may attend among different groups, they are joined directly to Christ through the Spirit.

CHURCH LEADERSHIP

God places individuals in the Church with different abilities that make up the body.  As our physical body does not have different parts pulling 'rank', neither does the Church of God.  The hand does not tell the ear that it outranks it and the ear must bow down and neither should this occur in the Church.  All are family, all are of the same body, each with different abilities.  As abilities among the brethren surface, the Church or body is in agreement as to the acceptance of a members ability.  When a member shows the character needed for positions like Elder, Deacon, Minister, he in fact rises to greater servitude and not a position of an overlord.  The character for such positions becomes self evident and the talent is from God.