 |
Statement of Beliefs«Return to Church Directory | Return to Quick Links
Purpose:
Following are the Statement of Beliefs of the Intercontinental Church of God.
Printer Friendly | PDF Version
Following is the Statement of Beliefs for the Intercontinental Church of God.
1. GOD
God is the supreme creator and sustainer of the entire universe who is
eternal, all present, and all powerful. God is a single spirit family
presently consisting of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. God is a
loving, kind, and merciful being who is sharing His magnificent and eternal
existence by reproducing Himself through mankind.
2. BIBLE
The entire Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God which contains His
plan of salvation, and the record of His participation in history. The Bible
is God's method of revealing knowledge that man cannot discover for himself;
the foundation of knowledge and the guidebook of life. God's written Word,
is revealed in two parts, the Old and New Testaments. Together, they form
the basis of Christianity as taught by the church and as practiced by the
true Christian.
3. JESUS CHRIST
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God and the Son of man. He is
the Messiah who was prophesied in the Old Testament and described in the New
Testament as being fully human and fully divine. He has existed throughout
eternity as the "Word" and is the second member of the God family. He
divested Himself of His power and His majesty, to become a human being in
order to live a perfect life, thereby re-qualifying for eternal life, but
then died anyway as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind as our loving
and merciful Savior. He was then resurrected and ascended to heaven to
become our Lord and High Priest. Jesus Christ will return to earth to
establish the Kingdom of God where He will rule as King of kings with His
saints as co-rulers forever.
4. THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the spiritual extension of God, containing the essence,
power and mind of God. God uses His Holy Spirit to beget Christians as His
sons and daughters. The Holy Spirit spiritually strengthens Christians,
converting their minds to be more like God's mind. The Holy Spirit also
serves as an earnest or guarantee of future eternal life.
5. MANKIND
Humans have no inherent immortality as flesh and blood physical beings;
however, they can receive eternal life as a free gift from our loving and
merciful creator God. Although mankind was created by God as flesh and
blood, He did so in His own image. He added a spiritual component to
mankind's brain to create the human mind.
6. ANGELIC REALM
The angels were created by God as powerful spirit beings then used by God as
His agents and messengers. These spirit beings also function as ministering
spirits, helping mankind attain salvation and have done so since man's
creation. Like mankind, angels also have free moral agency. Although angels
were created to help God, some of them, led by Satan the devil, rebelled
against God and His government. Their rebellious acts caused them to be
transformed into demons.
7. SALVATION
The penalty for sin is death, but salvation is the means by which God saves
mankind from the penalty of sin so that he may be given eternal life.
Working through His Son, Jesus Christ, the salvation process includes one's
calling, repentance, baptism, justification, receiving of the Holy Spirit,
then living a life of faith and obedience, and finally, birth into God's
Kingdom as a spirit being. Salvation is a gift freely given through grace by
God, with our ultimate reward given according to our works.
8. FAITH
Faith is the absolute knowledge that God exists and that He can and will
fulfill His promises. Faith is necessary for salvation, of which, the basic
elements are courage, action, and risk.
9. REPENTANCE
Repentance is the act of acknowledging one's sins, and then resolving to
fully obey God and then is manifested by positive change. It begins when God
opens a person's mind to see himself in comparison with God and His law.
True repentance is the first step toward reconciliation with God, and
therefore ultimate salvation.
10. BAPTISM
Baptism is a ceremony, symbolizing 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 person living with Christ's mind and following in His
footsteps. The ceremony can only take place after true repentance and
acceptance of Christ's sacrifice, then by full immersion in the symbolic
watery grave. After this ceremony, and as a result of all these actions, one
receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.
11. LAYING ON OF HANDS
The laying on of hands is an act performed for the receiving of God's Holy
Spirit after baptism, at ordinations, anointing of the sick, or for other
special purposes.
12. KINGDOM OF GOD
The Kingdom of God is the government of God ruled by the family of God. It
will be the world ruling government set up by Jesus Christ upon His return.
Jesus Christ will be the King of Kings and will rule for all eternity with
the resurrected spirit-composed saints ruling with Him. In the New
Testament, the Kingdom of God is referred to as a "mystery". It was first
preached and explained by Christ, then by His church. The Kingdom of God
will be established on earth for a thousand years following Christ's return.
It shall be complete when New Jerusalem and God the Father come down out of
heaven to dwell on the New Earth.
13. GOSPEL
The gospel is the message preached by Jesus Christ and His church about the
history of Jesus Christ and the future coming Kingdom of God to be
established by Jesus Christ, the restoration of God's government on earth,
and how mankind can enter that Kingdom and government. It includes the
message of what Jesus Christ has done in the past, is doing now, and shall
do. Ultimately, it is the message of the entire Old and New Testaments. The
primary purpose and commission of God's church is to "Go ye therefore, and
teach [make disciples of] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. "
14. RESURRECTIONS
The hope of all mankind and the promise to the Christian is that they will
be resurrected from the dead. The Bible refers to four resurrections. (1)
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the firstborn of God and man from the dead
to become the pioneer of our salvation; (2) the resurrection of the saints
at the return of Jesus Christ when the true believers shall become
spirit-composed members of God's family. This is called the "first
resurrection" (3) the resurrection of all who have ever died without having
understood God's way, back to physical life for their first opportunity for
salvation; (4) the resurrection of those who have refused to repent and have
rejected God's way and are called the incorrigibly wicked, to be consumed in
the lake of fire. This is called the "second death".
15. JUDGMENT
The time of a person's judgment is the time of his opportunity for
salvation. That begins from when a person is called by God until his death
changed into spirits upon Jesus Christ's return. The overwhelming majority
shall qualify for God's Kingdom and will inherit eternal life, but those
who deliberately reject God's way shall suffer the second death and be
consumed in the lake of fire.
16. LAW OF GOD
The law of God is a perfect expression of God's love toward man. It is a
good, right, and perfect system of eternal directives and principles that
reflects God's character and love. God's law teaches mankind how to properly
worship God, how to love his fellowman, how to live an abundant life, and
how to prepare for an eternal spiritual life as a full member of the family
of God. The law of God is taught in both the Old and the New Testaments. It
requires both physical actions and spiritual convictions.
17. BIBLICAL COVENANTS
Both the Old and New Testaments record that God made certain specific
"contracts" or promises called "covenants" with mankind. These covenants
define the terms of God's relationship with individuals and groups in
various circumstances and eras throughout mankind's history. The best known
covenants were made with the physical nation of Israel. That covenant was
re-established as the New Covenant with "better promises" and will be fully
confirmed with spiritual Israel after the return of Jesus Christ. The New
Covenant makes God's law even more relevant by expanding it to include one's
mental attitude and spiritual intent. It also applies to the New Testament
church from the time of the original apostles.
18. TEN COMMANDMENTS
The Ten Commandments were revealed by God to Moses who then codified them.
They were then ratified and magnified by Christ, are the perfect expression
of God's love. They are the foundation of all biblical teaching and much of
man's law. They show mankind how to express love toward God and his
fellowman, and are consequently the focal point of Christian life.
19. SABBATH
The seventh-day Sabbath was instituted at creation. It is to be taught and
kept holy in accordance with the biblical instruction. The Sabbath was
reaffirmed to Israel as a part of the covenant at Sinai, and taught by Jesus
Christ, who is the Messenger of the New Covenant. The keeping of the Sabbath
is fundamental to a Christian's relationship with God.
20. ANNUAL HOLY DAYS
The seven annual holy days or "appointed feasts" depict God's plan of
salvation for mankind. They are ordained by God and were kept by the ancient
Israelites. Keeping the holy days have been continued by the early New
Testament Christians and are still kept today by modern day Christians.
21. TITHING
Tithing is a private matter between the individual and God because it is an
act of worship. It is not the job of the church to "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 and free will offerings are the
method by which the gospel is proclaimed to the world.
22. SIN
Sin is the transgression of God's law. It is failing to meet the standards
set by the character of Jesus Christ. The penalty for sin is death in the
lake of fire, but all sin can be completely forgiven by God, who desires
that all men be saved. God forgives sin upon the repentance of the sinner.
God therefore accepts the shed blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ as
payment in full for the penalty of a person's repented of sins.
23. THE CHRISTIAN
A true Christian is one who has repented of past sins, was baptized and in
whom the Holy Spirit now dwells.
24. THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY
The core of a stable society is the family and the marriage relationship is
the basis of the family. Although men and women's roles are clearly defined
in the Bible, both have equal spiritual potential before God. The husband,
wife and children form the family that is the primary physical analogy of
God's plan for mankind. Therefore, marriage, child rearing and the family
are given a preeminent place in the teachings of the Bible and the church.
25. HEALING
Divine healing is a miracle and gift of God. He may bestow it in His mercy
and love upon those who call upon Him in time of need, but often, according
to their faith. The healings of Jesus Christ described in the Bible depict
and represent His power to express compassion, to forgive sin, and
ultimately, to resurrect the dead and eventually to establish the Kingdom of
God here on earth.
26. THE CHURCH OF GOD
The church is the spiritual body of Christ. Physically, it is 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 people
scattered all over the world.
|
|
 |
|
