What We Believe

What We Believe: Statement of Faith

Bible - We believe the Holy Bible to be the inspired word of God and our standard for faith and practice.(1)We believe it is the standard by which all subsequent revelation is to be evaluated.

God- We believe in the one triune God revealed in the Bible (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). He is the Creator, Redeemer, and Sovereign Ruler of creation.  He is the Author of truth, love, and faith.

  • Father - We believe in God, the Father Almighty, whose basic nature is one of love and compassion. He has demonstrated His love and compassion for all mankind in allowing His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die for their sins and releasing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct believers in the path of righteousness and convict sinners of their waywardness.(2)
  • Jesus Christ - We believe in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who was crucified and died substitutionally for man’s transgressions, was buried and then raised from the dead on the third day, and ascended to God the Father. (3)The scriptural evidence that one has repented from sin and put his faith in Jesus Christ includes public confession of Christ our Lord and baptism in water.(4)
  • Holy Spirit - We believe that Jesus dwelt among man, revealing the will of His Father, and that after His ascension He sent the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) to abide with and in His followers forever. We also believe that God desires each of us to enter into an empowering experience with His Holy Spirit, so that we might have a bold and effective witness and manifest the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.(5)This experience is referred to in Scripture as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Sin - We believe that man was created in the image of God. Through disobedience, mankind is separated from God, and without God he is without hope. Man’s salvation is totally the work of God, whereby He solemnly binds Himself to all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord, to bring them from the state of separation and sin to the state of reconciliation and glory through faith in Christ. (6)

Church - We believe the nature and purpose of God is revealed in His Church. The Church is Christ’s Body in the earth. We believe the Church Universal consists of believers baptized and joined together, practicing the new covenant in a specific area.  Since the Church is one as God is one, the Church Local must seek to walk in harmony with the Church Universal. Our continual prayer is to see God’s people walk together in peace. We believe that a strong church is made up of strong families. The family is the basic God-given unit of each local church. The well-being or health of the church is directly proportional to the spiritual health of the individual families. We teach the principles of family life to parents and children, and we also encourage them to create a setting in which these principles can be effectively lived out. Hence, much of our activity is built around the family and home life. Healthy singles will be involved with healthy families and may someday be called to have families of their own. We believe that healthy families produce healthy citizens.

We believe that Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of the Church, has established government and ministry in the Church; apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are set in the Church by the Lord to mature it and inspire it to do His work in the earth.(7)We believe the scriptural norm calls for the local church to have a plurality of elders or pastors with one pastor presiding. We recognize, however, the validity of variety in church governments as the Lord may lead other Christian groups. We believe the Lord sets His people under pastoral care in the Church for maturing of character and developing of ministry.(8)

Marriage and Sexuality - We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that in order to preserve the function and  integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this Statement on Marriage and Sexuality and conduct themselves accordingly. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the church. For more details, you can request a copy of CMCC’s Church Policy Statement on Marriage and Human Sexuality.

Salvation - We believe that forgiveness of sins and eternal life come only through God’s divine Son, Jesus Christ, who purchased our redemption by His death on the cross. We believe that salvation and eternal life are free gifts of God’s grace.(9)We believe that when people truly turn from their sins and turn to Christ in faith through conviction of the Holy Spirit, He forgives their sins and imparts eternal life. This personal experience is absolutely essential to come into the kingdom of heaven and inherit eternal life.(10)

Evangelism - We believe in world evangelism. We accept the commission of Jesus Christ, to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them, and to teach them to observe His commandments. We accept this as a personal commission, as well as a commission for the entire Church. (11)

Tithes & Offering - We believe the Church should be supported by the tithes and offerings of those committed to its mission. We further believe that when people serve God with a free spirit, there is financial abundance to accomplish God’s purpose. (12)

Christ’s Return- We believe in the visible return of Jesus Christ to manifest His government in the earth. We believe Christians should lovingly look for His appearing, giving full attention to obedience while He tarries. We believe that the righteous who have died will be resurrected at His appearing. We believe all Christians that are alive at His coming will be “caught up” with Him and will be with Him forever. (13)

Judgment- We believe in a final judgment at the end of the age. The righteous and the wicked shall stand before Him and be judged. The righteous in God’s eyes will be rewarded and enjoy His eternal blessings.(14) The wicked will be eternally punished.(15)

Conclusion: These principles of our faith are foundations for God’s continuing leadership in our lives. We realize that our statement of faith does not relieve us of the responsibility to live by faith. We gratefully acknowledge those who serve Jesus Christ now, whose doctrinal expressions may be different from our own. We desire to walk with them as brothers and sisters. Our statements are not to be construed as walls, but as doors through which others may communicate with us and we with them.

 

   Scripture References

 

(1) 2 Timothy 3:16 (2)John 3:16 ; John 16:7-8 (3) I Corinthians 15:3-4

   (4) Romans 10:9; Acts 2:38 (5) Acts 1:4-5, 8 (6) Romans 6:23;

2 Corinthians 5:21 (7) Ephesians 4:11-14 (8) Ephesians 4:11-14;

Colossians 1:28 (9) Ephesians 2:8-9 (10)John 3:5-8

(11) Matthew 28:19 (12) Malachi 3:10; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

(13) Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17 (14) John 5:24;

2 Corinthians 5:21 (15) John 5:29