Statement of Beliefs

God is the eternal, all-powerful, supreme creator and sustainer of the entire universe. God is one, composed of spirit and comprising a family presently consisting of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. God is a loving, kind, merciful being who wants to share His magnificent existence by reproducing Himself through man.

Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Son of Man. He was the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament, and is described in the New Testament as being fully human and fully divine. As the second member of the God family, He has existed throughout eternity as the "Word."

He divested Himself of this power and His majesty, and became a human being to die for the sins of all mankind as our loving and merciful Savior. He was then resurrected, and ascended to heaven to become our High Priest. Jesus Christ shall return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and rule as King of Kings with His saints forever.

The Holy Spirit is the essence, power, mind, and spiritual extension and presence of God. God begets Christians as His sons and daughters through this Spirit. It strengthens a Christian spiritually, converts his mind, and serves as an earnest or guarantee of eternal life.

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 as taught by the church and as practiced by the Christian.

Prophecy is God's testimony to his people, revealing His purpose and plan for mankind. God boldly states that He has a definite plan and purpose — He declares the end from the beginning and will accomplish His purpose. God's people are called upon to be faithful and honest with the Word of God, "rightly dividing the word of truth."

Fulfilled prophecy, or prophecy in progress of being fulfilled, builds faith in God and His Word. The majority of the prophecies in the Bible are good news, not bad news.

Humans are physical beings with no inherent immortality, but they can receive eternal life as a free gift from God. Man was created by God to be wholly flesh and blood, yet in God's image, and with a spiritual component added to his brain to compose the human mind.

When God formed man from the dust of the ground, man was also given a spirit that made him far superior to the animal world. The human mind, coupled with the human spirit, gives man intelligence far above the animal kingdom. When a human is converted and is given the Holy Spirit from God, that Spirit combines with the human spirit to begin the formation of a new spiritual creature.

Scripture clearly speaks of two types of spirit a man can have: the spirit of man "which is in him," and the Spirit of God, which is given to him during the conversion process.

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, with our ultimate reward given according to our works.

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.

Repentance is the act of acknowledging one's sins, and resolving to fully obey God. It begins when God opens one's mind to see himself in comparison with God and His law. True repentance is the first step toward reconciliation with God, and thereby toward ultimate salvation.

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, 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.

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.

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 in the lake of fire, all sin can be completely forgiven by God, who desires that all men be saved. God forgives sin upon repentance of the individual who accepts the shed blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ as payment in full for the penalty of his sins.

Forgiveness is the state of being whereby one's sins are removed, blotted out, or covered. Sin is a condition that separates us from God. Forgiveness comes to us in two spheres: forgiveness from God towards us, and forgiveness from us to each other. The forgiveness we obtain from God depends largely on the forgiveness we offer to others.

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.

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 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.

Both testaments record that God made certain promises in the form of specific contracts or agreements with man, called "covenants." The New Covenant, established on "better promises," makes God's law even more relevant by expanding it to include one's mental attitude and spiritual intent.

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. It shall be established on earth for a thousand years following Christ's return.

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. It includes the message of what Jesus has done, is doing, and shall do. The primary purpose and commission of the church is to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations."

The time of one's judgment is the time of his opportunity for salvation, extending from one's calling by God until his death. Those who shall qualify for God's Kingdom — the overwhelming majority — shall inherit eternal life, and those who deliberately reject God's way shall be consumed in the lake of fire.

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; (2) the first resurrection of the saints at Christ's return; (3) the resurrection of all who died without having understood God's way; (4) the resurrection of the incorrigibly wicked to be consumed in the lake of fire.

The seventh-day Sabbath is to be taught and kept holy in accordance with biblical instruction. Instituted at creation, reaffirmed to Israel as part of the covenant at Sinai, and taught by Jesus Christ, who is the Messenger of the New Covenant, the observance of the Sabbath is basic to a Christian's relationship with God.

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.

The Church of God International uses the Hebrew calendar to establish God's holy days. The New Testament affirms that the Jews were entrusted with the "oracles of God," which included not only the Old Testament Scriptures, but the maintenance of the calendar given by God. This calendar is designed to deal with the lunar-solar nature of the heavens and God's holy days.

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. Each individual has the responsibility to "honor the LORD with his substance and with the firstfruits of all his increase." Tithing is a method by which the message of Jesus Christ is proclaimed to the world.

Biblical dietary laws, including the prohibitions of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, are among the many health laws God gave to Israel. Jesus, the apostles, and the early New Testament church observed them, and they remain in effect today.

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.

The Church has a mandate to continue with the witness and message of Jesus Christ initiated through His life, teachings, and sacrifice for every person and all nations. Living as new creatures in Christ, a devoted membership will carry on the work begun by Jesus to announce "in all the world" that the "Kingdom of God is at hand."

The ministry of Jesus Christ and the New Testament church is a ministry of service to God and His people. The ministry has the responsibility of teaching, edifying, and overseeing the Church of God. The ministry of Jesus Christ is a team effort and not subject to one-man rule.

Fellowship is a necessity and requirement of the believer. It connotes: communion, sharing in common, communication, partaker, partnership, and contribution. Fellowship with the Father and the Son produces the ability to fellowship with members of Christ's church, even across regional and national boundaries.

A true Christian is one in whom the Holy Spirit dwells.

God has created powerful spirit beings as His agents and messengers. Since man's creation, these spirit beings have functioned 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.

Man's awesome destiny is revealed in the very first chapter of Genesis. Unlike the animals, man was made in the image and after the likeness of God. When He made man, God began His plan of reproducing Himself. Man was made with the potential of building the right character so that he could eventually be changed at the resurrection into spirit as a son of God.

Man's spiritual relationship with God begins with repentance and faith. The tool of communication with God is nourished through four basic components: prayer, Bible study, meditation, and fasting. As we use these, a warm personal relationship is established that gives us peace of mind, spiritual confidence, and faith.

We are a family — we all have the same roots. As a family we need to live in peace with one another as much as is possible. Jesus Christ gave us the principal discipline: to love our fellow man as ourselves. Scripture urges us to consider the needs of others and offer help to those in need when possible.

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 roles are defined, men and women have equal spiritual potential before God.