What We Believe about God
There is one God (Deut. 6:4), Creator of all things (Rev. 4:11), who is infinitely perfect (Matt. 5:48), existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).
What We Believe about Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the true God and true man (Phil. 2:6–11). He was sent by the Father (John 20:21), conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin, Mary (Luke 1:34–38). He died on the cross, the Just for the unjust (1 Pet. 3:18), as a substitutionary sacrifice (Heb. 2:9), and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood (Rom. 5:9). He rose from the dead according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3–4). He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest (Heb. 8:1). He will come again to establish His Kingdom of righteousness and peace (Isa. 9:6–7).
What We Believe about the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine person (John 14:16–18), sent to indwell, guide, teach, gift, empower, and bear His fruit in every believer (John 16:13; 1 Cor. 12:4, 11; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:22–23). He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:7–11).
What We Believe about the Bible
The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for our salvation. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice (2 Pet. 1:20–21, 2 Tim. 3:15–17).
What We Believe about Humanity
Man and woman, created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27), fell through disobedience, incurring both physical and spiritual death (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, everyone is born with a sinful nature (Rom. 5:12), is separated from the life of God (Eph. 4:18), and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:25).
What We Believe about Salvation
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all people (1 John 2:2). Those who repent and believe in Him are justified by grace through faith (Rom. 3:21–24), born again of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4–7), delivered from the dominion of darkness, transferred into the Kingdom of God’s Son (Col. 1:13), granted the gift of eternal life, and adopted as the children of God (Rom. 8:14–16, John 1:12).
What We Believe about Sanctification
It is the will of God that in Christ (Col. 1:27) each believer be sanctified wholly (1 Thessalonians 5:23), being separated from sin, fully dedicated to God (Rom. 6:13), and filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service (Acts 1:8). Positional sanctification occurs at conversion while experiential sanctification follows and involves both decisive points of complete surrender (Rom. 12:1) and a progressive experience (Gal. 5:16, 25) through which Christ is formed in the life of the believer by the Spirit (Gal. 4:19, Rom. 6:1–14).
What We Believe about Healing
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the whole person (Isa. 53:4–5, Matt. 8:16–17). Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures (James 5:13–16) as privileges for the Church in this present age (Acts 4:30).
What We Believe about the Church
The Church consists of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again by the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of His Body (Eph. 1:22–23, Col. 1:18), the Church, which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world making disciples of all peoples (Matt. 24:14, 28:19–20).
The local church is a body of believers in Christ (Eph. 5:30) who are called to love (1 Thess. 3:12) and joined together for the worship of God, edification through the Word of God, prayer, fellowship, proclamation of the gospel through word and deed (Luke 4:18–19), and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:41–47).
What We Believe about Eternity
There will be a bodily resurrection of all people (Acts 24:15). Our Lord Jesus Christ will judge with perfect justice (Acts 17:31, John 5:28–30) as the unrepentant and unbelieving are raised to the conscious anguish of eternal separation from God (Rev. 20:15, 21:8, 2 Thess. 1:9), and repentant believers are raised (John 6:40) to the unending joy of eternal life with God (Ps. 16:11, Rev. 21:1–4).
What We Believe about the Second Coming
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord and King (Rev. 19:16), is imminent (Heb. 10:37, Rev. 22:20) and will be sudden (1 Cor. 15:52), personal, visible, and premillennial[**] (Acts 1:11, Matt. 26:64, Rev. 20:1–7). This is the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which calls us to holy living, intentional witness, and faithful service (Titus 2:11–14).
Endnotes
[*]. Some aspects of this Statement still require final legislative approval at our biannual General Council.
[**]. While historically premillennial, the C&MA extends Christian liberty to those who hold other views.