Statement of Faith (C&MA)
- There is one God, who is infinitely perfect, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- Jesus Christ is true God and true man.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He
died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust, as a substitutional
sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of
His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He
is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High
Priest. He will come again to establish His Kingdom of righteousness
and peace.
- The Holy Spirit is a divine person, sent
to indwell, guide, teach and empower the believer, and to convince the
world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
- The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as
originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete
revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the
divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.
- Man was originally created in the image
and likeness of God. He fell through disobedience, incurring thereby
both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful
nature, are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only
through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The prospect of the
impenitent and unbelieving person is existence forever in conscious
torment, and that of the believer in Christ is everlasting joy and
bliss.
- Salvation has been provided through
Jesus Christ for all men, and those who repent and believe in Him are
born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and
become the children of God.
- It is the will of God that each believer
should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being
separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of
God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.
This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life
of the believer subsequent to conversion.
- Provision is made in the redemptive work
of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for
the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are
privileges for the Church in this present age.
- The Church consists of all those who
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and
are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the
Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as
a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations.
The local church is a body of believers in Christ
who are joined together for the worship of God, edification through the
Word of God, prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and
observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper.
- There shall be a bodily resurrection of
the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life,
for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.
- The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ is imminent and will be personal, visible, and premillennial.
This is the believer's hope and is a vital truth that is an incentive
to holy living and faithful service.
(General Councils 1965, 1966, 1974, 1994)
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