1. We believe that the Bible is the written word of God, that God saw fit to inspire certain men by way of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21), that these inspired writings were circulated and collected by the early Christians (Colossians 4:16; 2 Peter 3:15-16), and that such writings were authoritative and will always be profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
2. We believe that Jesus is the one and only divine Son of God (John 3:16), that He shares in the Father's eternal and divine nature (Philippians 2:6-8; Colossians 1:15-17; 2:9), and that He gave His life on the cross to pay the debt of sin that we all owe (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9; 9:28; 1 Peter 2:21-24; 1 John 2:2; 3:16).
3. We believe that salvation is a gift of God's amazing grace (Ephesians 2:4-10), bountifully offered to all mankind (1 Timothy 2:4; Titus 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9), and accepted through faith in Jesus Christ and according to His conditions, but not merited by any work of man (Romans 4:1-5; 11:6; Galatians 2:16-21; Titus 3:5-7).
4. We believe in striving to grow spiritually, striving to overcome the bondage to sin and worldliness, striving to be less like the world around us and more and more like Jesus (Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:17-32; 2 Peter 1:3-11).
5. We believe in generous giving, not only to the church for its work, but also personally to good works and to those in need (Mark 12:41-44; Luke 6:38; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8-9).
6. We believe in the power of diligent prayer (Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:1-13; 18:1-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 4:14-16; James 5:16) and the peace that comes from trusting in God (Mark 4:35-41; Philippians 4:6-7).
7. We believe that Christ will one day come again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), and that all will stand before the Lord in judgment (Hebrews 9:27; Matthew 25:31-46). Those who are in Christ will enter into eternal life; those who are not in Christ will be cast into eternal punishment (Revelation 20:11-15; 21:1-4, 8).
1. There are congregations of the Church of Christ all throughout the world, but there is no denominational organization that determines what every congregation must believe and practice. Each individual congre-gation is autonomous. We are bound together only informally by our mutual love for the Lord and each other, and by our common beliefs and practices.
2. A group of godly men act as elders or shepherds in overseeing the spiritual needs of our church family (Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4). Servants known as deacons take care of the many physical needs of the congregation (Acts 6:1-6; 1 Timothy 3:8-13). The church family is further served by preachers, teachers, and other ministers.
3. We believe that women of God are of utmost importance (Galatians 3:26-28), and that they are some of the hardest workers in the Lord's kingdom (Romans 16:1ff; Philippians 4:2-3). Nevertheless, we believe in the New Testament instruction for wives to be in subjection to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24), and for women to be silent in the church (1 Corinthians 14:34-35), not taking a teaching or leadership role over men (1 Timothy 2:11-15).
1. We believe that faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son and our Savior is the foundation of salvation (John 1:9-13; 3:14-18; Romans 1:16). As Peter once said, "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
2. We believe that the actual point of salvation occurs when, having believed in Jesus, we allow God to do His work (not our work) of baptism upon us (Colossians 2:12). When we obey God's command to be immersed in water, He does many wonderful things: He forgives and washes away our sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16), He saves us (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21), He adds us to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27), and He raises us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:13).
3. We believe that every baptized believer is given the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39; 5:32; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). The Spirit is a source of peace, hope, and joy (Romans 8:6; 14:17; 15:13), He helps in our prayers to the Father (Romans 8:26-27; Ephesians 6:18), and He helps us as we strive to be more godly (Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 3:16-19). However, we believe that "baptism of the Spirit" (Acts 1:5; 2:4; 10:44; 11:15-16) and the miraculous gifts of the Spirit upon individuals (healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues, etc.) were limited to only a few during the age of the apostles and the infancy of the church (1 Corinthians 13:8-13).
4. We believe and hope that, while some may tragically choose to forsake the Lord and return to a rebellious life of sin (Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31), the vast majority of people who come into a saved relationship with the Lord will forever remain faithful (2 Timothy 1:12; Revelation 2:10), being continuously cleansed by the blood of Christ as they diligently walk in the light (1 John 1:7).