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Church of God
In Christ
Doctrine
THE BIBLE We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and contains one
harmonious and sufficiently complete system of doctrine. We believe in
the full inspiration of the Word of God. We hold the Word of God to be
the only authority in all matters and assert that no doctrine can be
true or essential, if it does not find a place in this Word.
THE FATHER
We believe in God,
the Father Almighty, the Author and Creator of all things. The Old
Testament reveals God in diverse manners, by manifesting his nature,
character, and dominions. The Gospels in the New Testament give us
knowledge of God the "Father" or "My Father", showing the relationship
of God to Jesus as Father, or representing Him as the Father in the
Godhead, and Jesus himself that Son (St. John 15:8, 14:20). Jesus also
gives God the distinction of "Fatherhood" to all believers when he
explains God in the light of "Your Father in Heaven" (St.
Matthew 6:8).
THE SON
We believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God, the Second person in the Godhead of the
Trinity or Triune Godhead. We believe that Jesus was and is eternal in
his person and nature as the Son of God who was with God in the
beginning of creation (St. John 1:1). We believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin
called Mary according to the scripture (St.
Matthew 1:18), thus giving rise to our fundamental belief in the
Virgin Birth and to all of the miraculous events surrounding the
phenomenon (St. Matthew 1:18-25). We believe
that Jesus Christ became the "suffering servant" to man; this
suffering servant came seeking to redeem man from sin and to reconcile
him back to God, his Father (Romans 5:10). We believe that Jesus Christ is standing now as mediator
between God and man (I Timothy 2:5)
THE HOLY GHOST
We believe the Holy
Ghost or Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, proceeds from
the Father and the Son, is of the same substance, equal to power and
glory, and is together with the Father and the Son, to be believed in,
obeyed, and worshipped. The Holy Ghost is a gift bestowed upon the
believer for the purpose of equipping and empowering the believer,
making him a more effective witness for service in the world. He
teaches and guides one into all truth (John 16:13; Acts 1:8, 8:39).
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST
We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is an experience
subsequent to conversion and sanctification and that tongue-speaking
is the consequence of the baptism in the Holy Ghost with the
manifestations of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; Acts
10:46, 19:1-6). We believe that we are not baptized with the Holy
Ghost in order to be saved (Acts 19:1-6; John 3:5). When one receives
a baptismal Holy Ghost experience, we believe one will speak with a
tongue unknown to oneself according to the sovereign will of Christ.
To be filled with the Spirit means to be Spirit controlled as
expressed by Paul in Ephesians 5:18-19. Since the charismatic
demonstrations were necessary to help the early church to be
successful in implementing the command of Christ, we therefore,
believe that a Holy Ghost experience is mandatory for all men today.
MAN
We believe that man was
created holy by God, composed of body and soul. We believe that man,
by nature, is sinful and unholy. Being born in sin, he needs to be
born again, sanctified and cleansed from all sins by the blood of
Jesus. We believe that man is saved by confessing and forsaking his
sins, and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that having become a
child of God, by being born again and adopted into the family of God,
he may, and should, claim the inheritance of the sons of God, namely
the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
SIN
Sin, the Bible teaches,
began in the angelic world (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-20), and is
transmitted into the blood of the human race through disobedience and
deception motivated by unbelief (I Timothy 2:14). Adam's sin,
committed by eating of the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge
of good and evil, carried with it permanent pollution or depraved
human nature to all his descendants. This is called "original sin."
Sin can now be defined as a volitional transgression against God and a
lack of conformity to the will of God. We, therefore, conclude that
man by nature, is sinful and that he has fallen from a glorious and
righteous state from which he was created, and has become unrighteous
and unholy. Man, therefore, must be restored to his state of holiness
from which he has fallen by being born again (St. John 3:7)
SALVATION
Salvation deals with
the application of the work of redemption to the sinner with his
restoration to divine favor and communion with God. This redemptive
operation of the Holy Ghost upon sinners is brought about by
repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ which
brings conversion, faith, justification regeneration, sanctification,
and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Repentance is the work of
God, which results in a change of mind in respect to man's
relationship to God. (St. Matthew 3:1-2, 4:17; Acts 20:21). Faith
is a certain conviction wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to
the truth of the Gospel and a heart trust in the promises of God in
Christ (Romans 1:17, 3:28; St. Matthew 9:22; Acts 26:18).
Conversion is that act of God whereby He causes the regenerated
sinner, in his conscious life, to turn to Him in repentance and faith
(II Kings 5:15; II Chronicles 33:12-13; St. Luke 19:8, 9; Acts 8:30).
Regeneration is that act of God by which the principle of the
new life is implanted in man, and the governing disposition of soul is
made holy and the first holy exercise of this new disposition is
secured. Sanctification is that gracious and continuous
operation of the Holy Ghost, by which He delivers the justified sinner
from the pollution of sin, renews his whole nature in the image of God
and enables him to perform good works (Romans 6:4;5:6; Colossians
2:12; 3:1).
ANGELS
The Bible uses the term
"angel" (a heavenly body) clearly and primarily to denote messengers
or ambassadors of God with such scripture references as Revelations
4:5, which indicates their duty in heaven to praise God (Psalm
103:20), to do God's will (St. Matthew 18:10) and to behold his face.
But since heaven must come down to earth, they also have a mission to
earth. The Bible indicates that they accompanied God in the Creation,
and also that they will accompany Christ in His return in Glory.
DEMONS
Demons denote unclean or
evil spirits; they are sometimes called devils or demonic beings. They
are evil spirits, belonging to the unseen or spiritual realm, embodied
in human beings. The Old Testament refers to the prince of demons,
sometimes called Satan (Adversary) or Devil, as having power and
wisdom, taking the habitation of other forms such as the serpent
(Genesis 3:1). The New Testament speaks of the Devil as Tempter (St.
Matthew 4:3) and it goes on to tell the works of Satan, The Devil, and
Demons as combating righteousness and good in any form, proving to be
an adversary to the saints. Their chief power is exercised to destroy
the mission of Jesus Christ. It can well be said that the Christian
Church believes in Demons, Satan, and Devils. We believe in their
power and purpose. We believe they can be subdued and conquered as in
the commandment to the believer by Jesus. "In my name they shall cast
out Satan and the work of the Devil and to resist him and then he will
flee (WITHDRAW) from you." (St. Mark 16:17).
THE CHURCH
The Church forms a
spiritual unity of which Christ is the divine head. It is animated by
one Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. It professes one faith, shares one
hope, and serves one King,. It is the citadel of the truth and God's
agency for communicating to believers all spiritual blessings. The
Church then is the object of our faith rather than of knowledge. The
name of our Church, "CHURCH OF GOD IN
CHRIST" is supported by I Thessalonians 2:14 and other
passages in the Pauline Epistles. The word "CHURCH"
or "EKKLESIA" was first
applied to the Christian society by Jesus Christ in St. Matthew 16:18,
the occasion being that of his benediction of Peter at Caesarea
Phillippi.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We
believe in the second coming of Christ; that He shall come from heaven
to earth, personally, bodily, visibly (Acts 1:11; Titus 2:11-13; St.
Matthew 16:27; 24:30; 25:30; Luke 21:27; John 1:14, 17; Titus 2:11)
and that the Church, the bride, will be caught up to meet Him in the
air (I Thessalonians, 4:16-17). We admonish all who have this hope to
purify themselves as He is pure.
DIVINE HEALING
The Church of
God in Christ believes in and practices Divine Healing. It is a
commandment of Jesus to the Apostles (St. Mark 16:18). Jesus affirms
his teachings on healing by explaining to His disciples, who were to
be Apostles, that healing the afflicted is by faith (St. Luke
9:40-41). Therefore, we believe that healing by faith in God has
scriptural support and ordained authority. St. James' writings in his
epistle encourage Elders to pray for the sick, lay hands upon them and
to anoint them with oil, and that prayers with faith shall heal the
sick and the Lord shall raise them up. Healing is still practiced
widely and frequently in the Church of God in Christ, and testimonies
of healing in our Church testify to this fact.
MIRACLES
The Church of God in
Christ believes that miracles occur to convince men that the Bible is
God's Word. A miracle can be defined as an extraordinary visible act
of Divine power, wrought by the efficient agency of the will of God,
which has as its final cause the vindication of the righteousness of
God's word. We believe that the works of God, which were performed
during the beginnings of Christianity, do and will occur even today
where God is preached, Faith in Christ is exercised, The Holy Ghost is
active, and the Gospel is promulgated in the truth (Acts 5:15; 6:8;
9:40; Luke 4:36, 7:14-15; 5:5-6; St. Mark 14:15).
THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH
It is generally admitted that for an ordinance to be valid, it must
have been instituted by Christ. When we speak of ordinances of the
church, we are speaking of those instituted by Christ, in which by
sensible signs the grace of God in Christ, and the benefits of the
covenant of grace are represented, sealed, and applied to believers,
and these in turn give expression to their faith and allegiance to
God. The Church Of God In Christ recognizes three ordinances as having
been instituted by Christ himself and therefore, binding upon the
church practice.
A. THE LORD'S SUPPER (HOLY COMMUNION)
The
Lord's Supper symbolizes the Lord's death and suffering for the
benefit and in the place of His people. It also symbolizes the
believer's participation in the crucified Christ. It represents not
only the death of Christ as the object of faith which unites the
believers to Christ, but also the effect of this act as the giving of
life, strength, and joy to the soul. The communicant by faith enters
into a special spiritual union of his soul with the glorified Christ.
B. FEET WASHING
Feet
Washing is practiced and recognized as an ordinance in our Church
because Christ, by His example, showed that humility characterized
greatness in the Kingdom of God, and that service, rendered to others
gave evidence that humility, motivated by love, exists. These services
are held subsequent to the Lord's Supper; however, its regularity is
left to the discretion of the Pastor in charge.
C. WATER BAPTISM
We
believe that Water Baptism is necessary as instructed by Christ in St.
John 3:5
"UNLESS MAN BE BORN AGAIN OF WATER AND OF
THE SPIRIT…" However, we
do not believe that water baptism alone is a means of salvation, but
is an outward demonstration that one has already had a conversion
experience and has accepted Christ as his personal Savior. As
Pentecostals, we practice immersion in preference to "SPRINKLING",
because immersion corresponds more closely to the death, burial, and
resurrection of our Lord (Colossians 2:12). It also symbolizes
regeneration and purification more than any other mode. Therefore, we
practice immersion as our mode of Baptism. We believe that we should
use the Baptismal Formula given us by Christ for all "…IN THE NAME
OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST…" (St.
Matthew 28:19)
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