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We believe in God.
God
is eternal. God is the beginning of all that is.
"In the beginning God . . ." (Genesis 1:1 KJV).
"God
is spirit; and his worshipers must worship in
spirit and in truth" (John 4:24 NIV). God is not
a physical being. He does not possess human
features. The Bible speaks of God in human terms
(i.e., God's arm, or ear, or eye) to provide a
simpler, more comprehensible understanding. It
does not give an exhaustive description of God.
We believe God is three persons but one
God.
God
is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We often think
of the Father as Creator; Jesus, the Son, as
Redeemer; and the Holy Spirit as Comforter (John
14:26 KJV) or Counselor (NIV). Yet all these are
the acts of the one God, for the Three are One.
This is the doctrine of the Trinity.
That
Jesus is one with the Father is clearly stated
in several places in the New Testament (Titus
2:13 ; 2 Thessalonians 1:12 ). Thomas,
confronted with the risen Jesus, declared: "My
Lord and my God!" (John 20:28 KJV). The Holy
Spirit is the Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2) and
the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; Philippians
1:19 ) present with us. Peter used the terms
Holy Spirit and God interchangeably in Acts when
he said to Ananias, ". . . why has Satan filled
your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? …You have
not lied to men but to God" (Acts 5:3, 4 RSV).
There is only one God. Paul reminds us, "that
there is no God but one. For even if there are
so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth
(as indeed there are many 'gods' and many
'lords'), yet for us there is but one God, the
Father, from whom all things came and for whom
we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus
Christ, through whom all things came and through
whom we live" (1 Corinthians 8:4b-6 NIV). God is
one (Deuteronomy 6:4). The Father is God. Jesus
is God. The Holy Spirit is God. (Ephesians
4:3-6).
We believe God is both unknowable and
knowable.
God
is hidden and revealed, far (transcendent) and
near (immanent). God is the Creator and
Sustainer of all that exists. God is greater
than our minds can comprehend. We are to honor,
respect, and praise God. God is love (1
John1:1-3). As Heavenly Father, he cares in a
personal way about each person. This concept of
God is known as Theism. It is a specific concept
in contrast to Deism, which holds that God is
transcendent but not immanent.
We believe God-Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—is omniscient, omnipotent, and
omnipresent.
God
is omniscient (all-knowing). God has infinite
knowledge. God is the source of all truth.
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: his
understanding is infinite" (Psalm 147:5 KJV;
also Isaiah 40:26; Hebrews 4:13 ).
God
is omnipotent (all powerful). "With God all
things are possible" (Matthew 19:26 KJV; also
Psalm 107; Isaiah 26:4; Revelation 19:6).
God
is omnipresent (all present). God's presence is
infinite—every-where, always. As the Psalmist
declares: "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?
or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If l
ascend to heaven, thou art there! If I make my
bed in Sheol thou art there. If I take the wings
of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts
of the sea, even there thy hand shall lead me,
and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Let
only darkness cover me, and the light about me
be night,' even the darkness is not darkness to
thee, the night is bright as the day; for
darkness is as light with thee" (Psalm 139:7-12
RSV).
We believe in the holiness of God.
To
be holy means to be separated from and opposed
to evil. "For l am the Lord your God; consecrate
yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am
holy" (Leviticus 11:44 RSV). Moreover, to be
holy means to be committed to purity and
wholeness. "But just as he who calls you is
holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is
written, 'Be holy, because I am holy' "
(1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV; also James 1:13).
It
is God's holiness that provides for our
deliverance from the penalty and power of sin.
In this act of deliverance, God's
holiness—separation from and opposition to
evil—is expressed in love. Through the
sacrifi-cial death of Jesus Christ in atonement
for our sin, wholeness is possible for all. God
is holy, therefore committed to wholeness.
We believe the work of God is primarily
creation, grace, justice, mercy.
God's work is creation. "In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth …" (Genesis
1:1 NIV). The full godhead was involved. "In the
beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ] … all
things were made through him, and without him
was not anything made that was made" (John 1:1,
3 RSV; also Hebrews 1:2; Colossians 1:16 ). The
Holy Spirit was involved. "The earth was without
form, and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters"
(Genesis 1:2 KJV).
All
things were created by God. God is the source
and sustainer of all life. The original work of
creation has been finished, but God continues to
supplement that creation throughout history.
This includes the re-creating of human beings
fallen into sin. "… if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation; the old has passed away,
behold, the new has come"
(2 Corinthians 5:17 RSV). Therefore salvation is
a part of the creative work of God.
God's work is grace. Grace is defined as
unmerited, undeserved favor, given simply
because of God's generosity and goodwill toward
us. Grace is the reflection of God's mercy,
extended to all who will receive it. An
individual's response influences the giving of
grace but does not determine it.
God's work is justice. Justice sets things
straight and lines them up with God's will. It
includes fair judgment and the enforcement of
judgment's verdict. "The Lord works
righteousness and justice for all the oppressed"
(Psalm 103:6 NIV).
God's work is mercy. Mercy is the satisfaction
of justice through the forgiveness of sin when
guilty sinners acknowledge their sin, are sorry
for it, and turn from it. "Mercy triumphs over
judgment!"(James 2:13 NIV).
We believe God wants us to know him and
has revealed himself in various ways.
God
is revealed through creation. God is more than
creation, but the orderliness and majesty of
creation reveal God's greatness.
God
is revealed through history, especially Israel
's history. The giving of the Law, the calling
of leaders and prophets, the deliverance of
Israel from various captivities, all reveal
God's persistent involvement in human history
and intention to be in relationship.
God
is revealed most clearly through Jesus Christ.
"In the past God spoke to our ancestors many
times and in many ways through the prophets, but
in these last days he has spoken to us through
his Son. He is the one through whom God created
the universe, the one whom God has chosen to
possess all things at the end. He reflects the
brightness of God's glory and is the exact
likeness of God's own being, sustaining the
universe with his powerful word. After achieving
forgiveness for the sins of mankind, he sat down
in heaven at the right side of God, the Supreme
Power "(Hebrews 1:1-3 TEV). Jesus told Philip
,"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father"
(John 14:9 NIV). Jesus came to acquaint us more
fully with God. To know God we must know Jesus
Christ-his life, teachings, ministry, death, and
resurrection. From Jesus we have learned that
God is a fair but compassionate Father.
God
is revealed through the Holy Spirit. It is the
Holy Spirit who verifies the manifestation of
God presented by Jesus (John 16:13 -15).
God
is revealed through the Church. The Church
reflects and focuses on God's self-revelation.
God's character is demonstrated most clearly
through the Church when its members are holy and
loving.
God
is revealed through the Bible. Paul writes to
Timothy,"… from a child thou hast known the holy
scriptures, which are able to make thee wise
unto salvation through faith which is in Christ
Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness"(2 Timothy 3:15 -16 KJV).
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We
believe In the
pre-existence of
Christ.
Christ was alive
when the world
began. The
Gospel of John
com-mences, "In
the beginning
was the Word,
and the Word was
with God, and
the Word was
God. The same
was in the
beginning with
God" (John 1:1-2
KJV). Paul
speaks of Jesus
Christ as "the
image of the
invisible God,
the first born
over all
creation. For by
him all things
were created:
things in heaven
and on earth,
visible and
invisible,
whether thrones
or powers or
rulers or
authorities; all
things were
created by him
and for him"
(Colossians 1:15
-16 NIV).
God is Father,
Son, and Holy
Spirit. From
before time,
through time,
and after time
shall end, God
always
is—Creator,
Redeemer,
Sustainer,
Empowerer, and
Enlightener. To
speak of the
pre-existence of
Christ, is to
say that God's
redemptive work
has always been
active, flowing
eter-nally from
the loving heart
of the living
God.
We
believe In the
incarnation.
Lncarnation
literally means
becoming flesh.
"And the Word
was made flesh
and dwelt among
us (and we
beheld his
glory, the glory
as of the only
begotten of the
Father), full of
grace and truth"
(John 1:14 KJV).
A central fact
of Christianity
is that God
became flesh in
Jesus Christ
according to the
prophecy of
Isaiah as
recorded in the
Gospel of Mat-thew.
"Behold, a
virgin shall be
with child, and
shall bring
forth a son, and
they shall call
his name
Emmanuel, which
being
interpreted is,
God with us"
(Matthew 1:23
KJV). Christ
came into the
world—the
meaning of
advent—having
been conceived
by the Holy
Spirit (Matthew
1:20 ) and born
of a virgin
(Matthew 1:23 ).
He came as the
Son of God, God
with us.
We
believe Christ's
nature is human
and divine.
Jesus was truly
human.
Physically he
was fashioned in
the womb of a
human mother,
conceived by the
Holy Spirit. The
New Testament's
first glimpse of
Jesus is as a
baby lying in
the manger. Luke
reveals that he
grew up as any
other child of
his day (Luke
2:40 ). Jesus
lived a life of
perfect
obedience to the
old covenant,
thus fulfilling
its requirements
(Matthew 5:17 )
and laying the
foundation for
the new
covenant.
As he matured,
Jesus' humanity
was evident. He
grew tired (John
4:6), slept
(Matthew 4:2),
experienced
hunger (Matthew
21:18 ), was
thirsty (John
19:28 ), felt
sorrow and wept
(John 11:35 ),
and experienced
heartbreak and
anger (Mark
3:5). He died.
All the Gospels
report his death
in detail. Jesus
was wholly
human.
Jesus is wholly
God. Paul wrote
about Jesus,
"who, being in
the form of God,
thought it not
robbery to be
equal with God:
but made himself
of no
reputation, and
took upon him
the form of a
servant, and was
made in the
likeness of men:
And being found
in fashion as a
man, he humbled
himself, and
became obedient
unto death, even
the death of the
cross. Wherefore
God also hath
highly exalted
him, and given
him a name which
is above every
name"
(Philippians
2:6-9 KJV).
John the Apostle
records Jesus'
claim to
divinity when he
said "I and my
Father are one"
(John 10:30 KJV)
and "Whoever
sees me sees
also him who
sent me" (John
12:45 TEV).
We
believe the
characteristics
of
Jesus'divinity
are the very
characteristics
of God.
Even though he
was under the
self-imposed
limitations of
the flesh,
Jesus' divinity
was present and
evident. "Jesus
of Nazareth was
a man accredited
by God to you by
miracles,
wonders and
signs, which God
did among you
through him, as
you yourselves
know" (Acts 2:22
NIV). Or, as
Paul put it,
"For in Christ
all the fullness
of the Deity
lives in bodily
form, and you
have been given
fullness in
Christ, who is
the head over
every power and
authority"
(Colossians
2:9-10 NIV).
These
characteristics
are most
apparent as we
see the Father's
omnis- cience
and omnipotence
flowing through
Jesus. This
omniscience (all
knowledge) was
demonstrated in
his earthly
ministry to the
extent that
Peter stated,
"Lord, thou
knowest all
things" (John
21:17 KJV).
Omnip-otence
(all power) was
demonstrated as
storms were
calmed, all
kinds of
diseases healed,
devils cast out,
and the dead
raised. His own
testimony to his
disciples was,
"All power is
given unto me in
heaven and in
earth" (Matthew
28:18 KJV).
We
believe Jesus is
Savior and Lord.
Jesus is Savior.
"For God so
loved the world,
that he gave his
only begotten
Son, that
whosoever
believeth in him
should not
perish, but have
everlasting
life. For God
sent not his Son
into the world
to con-demn the
world; but that
the world
through him
might be saved"
(John 3:16 -17
KJV). This is
the core of
God's plan for
mankind's
redemption.
Jesus is "the
Lamb slain from
the foundation
of the world"
(Revelation 13:8
KJV). John the
Baptist declared
upon seeing him:
"Behold the
Lamb of God,
which taketh
away the sin of
the world" (John
1:29 KJV). Jesus
Christ is our
Savior through
his obedience to
God and death on
the cross
(Hebrews 12:2).
Jesus is Lord.
"At the name of
Jesus every knee
should bow, in
heaven and on
earth, and every
tongue confess
that Jesus
Christ is Lord"
(Philippians
2:10 -11 NIV).
We acknowledge
Jesus as Lord
when we accept
him as our
Savior and allow
him to be ruler
of our lives.
We
believe in the
resurrection and
ascension of
Jesus.
The resurrection
of Jesus Christ
is historical
fact, attested
to by many
witnesses (1
Corinthians
15:1-8; Acts
2:32 ; Luke 24).
His resurrection
is the basis for
the Christian
hope of eternal
life. It proves
that God
controls life
and death. "And
if Christ has
not been raised,
your faith is
futile; you are
still in your
sins … But
Christ has
indeed been
raised from the
dead, the
firstfruits of
those who have
fallen asleep.
For since death
came through a
man, the
resurrection of
the dead comes
also through a
man. For as in
Adam all die, so
in Christ all
will be made
alive" (1
Corinthians
15:17 , 20-22
NIV; also Romans
14:8-9).
Jesus ascended
into heaven
(Acts 1:9).
Jesus "has gone
into heaven and
is at God's
right hand—with
angels,
authorities, and
powers in
submission to
him" (1 Peter
3:22 NIV). There
Jesus serves as
our advo-cate
before the
Father, and
sends the Holy
Spirit to
comfort,
empower, and
guide our lives
until he returns
(Acts 2:32-33;
Romans 1:4-5).
We
believe in the
second coming of
Jesus Christ.
This same Jesus
who came to
earth as God in
the flesh will
some day come
again to receive
us that we may
be with him
forever (Acts
1:10-11; 1
Thessalonians
4:16-18).
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We believe in the Holy Spirit, who Is God.
As a person in the Godhead, the Spirit is co-eternal, co-equal, co-powerful, and co-operative with the Father and the Son (Genesis 1:2; Acts 5:3-4). Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19 NIV).
The Holy Spirit is a person who teaches (John 14:26 ), commissions (Acts 13:2-4), directs (Acts 16:6-7), intercedes (Romans 8:26 -27), and feels (Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 4:30 ).
We believe that the Holy Spirit was active in the old covenant.
The Spirit of God was active at creation, moving upon the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2) and creating human beings (Job 33:4). After the Fall, the same spirit of God enabled Bezalel to build the tabernacle (Exodus 31:3), and equipped special people to be prophets (Ezekiel 37:1), judges (Judges 3:10 ), or kings (2 Samuel 23:2). God promised the Israelites that "I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring" (Isaiah 44:3 NIV).
The Holy Spirit was also instrumental in the conception of Jesus (Luke 1:35 ). The Spirit descended in the form of a dove upon Jesus at his baptism (Luke 3:22 ) and led him into the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan (Luke 4:1). In the power of that same Spirit (Luke 4:14 ), the Savior commenced and completed his ministry of reconcilia-tion, casting out demons by the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28 ) and promising to send the Counselor, the Spirit of truth (John 15:26 ).
We believe the Holy Spirit came into the world in a new way on the day of Pentecost.
On the day of Pentecost (Acts2:1), the church was born. A new era of the Holy Spirit was ushered in—the new covenant in which persons are placed by the Holy Spirit through the new birth into the family of God, the body of Christ, the Church. Appearing as "a rushing mighty wind" and "tongues like as of fire" (Acts 2:2-3 KJV), the Holy Spirit embarked upon a new ministry of sanctification. Peter interpreted this event as a fulfill- ment of Joel's prophecy (Joel 2:28 -32) and of the promise given by his Master (Acts 2:33 ).
We believe the Holy Spirit can be known and experienced.
In his Pentecost sermon, Peter said, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38 -39 NIV).
At the time Christ is received, the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit to give spiritual rebirth (John 3:3-6); the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5-6); the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39); entrance into the kingdom of God (John 3:3); and immersion into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This is what John the Baptist meant when he said that Jesus "… will baptize with the Holy Spirit" (John 1:33 NIV; also John 1:29-34).
This baptism of the Spirit has been experienced by every Christian. "For we were all baptized by one spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one spirit to drink" (1 Corinthians 12:13 NIV).
To bring persons to accept this relationship with God through Christ, the Holy Spirit convicts persons of their sin (John 16:9), Christ's right- eousness (John 16:10 ), and judgment on evil (John 16:1 1).
We believe the Holy Spirit endows the followers of Christ with the "unity of the Spirit."
The "unity of the Spirit" is a special communion that exists in the fellowship of persons who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (Ephesians 4:3). In that relationship God's love flows from believer to believer to mold the followers of Christ into a functioning body of love as the family of God, the Church (Ephesians 4:15-16; 1 John 4:13-21).
We believe the Holy Spirit enables believers to grow spiritually.
The Holy Spirit works in the lives of individual members of God's family, giving guidance, instruction, and power for the Christian lifestyle. Jesus said, "… the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26 NIV).
At work in Christ's followers, the Holy Spirit's power produces life- building fruit that makes them effective witnesses before the watching world (Acts 1:8). "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22 -23 NIV). This fruit is the essential evidence of the presence of the Spirit in the life of the believer (Matthew 7:16 ). It is the process of sanctification.
We believe the Holy Spirit dispenses spiritual gifts for the upbuilding of the Church.
The Holy Spirit works in the collective body of Christ, the Church. According to his wisdom and will, spiritual gifts are distributed among Christians for the upbuilding of the Church (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthi- ans 12:7-11,25-30; Ephesians 4:11 -13). "The Spirit's presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all. …lt is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person" (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11 TEV). The Spirit knows what gifts are needed and which persons should receive them. These gifts come as the Holy Spirit chooses, for the good of the Church.
For this reason, the Churches of God encourages its members to exercise faith and submission in discovering the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit bestows upon each one. We trust the Holy Spirit to know what the Church needs and which members should be used to supply those needs.
One Christian's gifts should not be considered higher or lower than another's. "God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be … so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (1 Corinthians 12:18, 25 NIV). "There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men" (1 Corinthians 12:6 NIV).
As Christians discover and exercise their spiritual gifts, "the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" (Ephesians 4:16 NIV). Thus, the God of all the ages accomplishes his will in history and brings abundant life to his people, "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit" (Zechariah 4:6 KJV). |
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For
more information on the Church of God beliefs in
other areas of ministry, feel free to visit
their website located on the "Other Websites"
link on the home page. |
Boiling
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