What We Believe
COGS Articles of Faith
It is the testimony of both the Old and New Testaments and of the Christian Church that God is both One and Triune. The biblical revelation testifies that there is only one God and that He is eternally existent in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God The Father
God the Father is the creator and sustainer of all things, and He created the universe in love. He created man in His own image for fellowship and called man back to Himself through Christ after the rebellion and fall of man.
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​Isaiah 64:8; Acts 17:24-28; Mark 1:11; I Peter 1:3; Isaiah 63:16; Galatians 3:26
God The Son
Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning, and through Him all things were made. For man’s redemption, He left heaven and became incarnate by the Holy Spirit through the virgin Mary; henceforth, He is forever one Christ with two natures, God and man in one person.
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Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2
God The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost. He empowers the saints for service and witness, cleanses man from the old nature and conforms us to the image of Christ. The baptism in the Holy Spirit, subsequent to conversion, releases the fullness of the Spirit and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
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Genesis 1:26; Psalm 51:11; Matthew 1:18; Matthew 3:11; Matthew 12:32; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:2,5,8; Acts 2:4; Acts 8:17; Romans 15:13
The Holy Bible
We affirm that the Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, is alone the only infallible, inspired Word of God, and that its authority is ultimate, final and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source of all doctrine, instruction, correction and reproof. It contains all that is needed for guidance in godliness and practical Christian conduct.
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II Timothy 3:16, 4:3; II Peter 1:21; John 17:17; Psalm 119:160; I Timothy 1:10; 4:6,16; 6:1,3; Titus 1:9, 2:1; 2:7, 10
Atonement Through Jesus
Christ’s vicarious death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world, but its benefits are only applicable to those who receive Jesus as personal Savior. Healing body, soul and spirit and all of God’s provisions for His saints, are provided for in the atonement, but these must be appropriated.
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I John 2:2; Galatians 3:13; Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:16; Hebrews 7:27
The Word of God declares clearly that salvation is a free gift of God, based on the merits of the death of His Son and is appropriated by faith. Salvation is affected by personal repentance, belief in the Lord Jesus (justification) and personal acceptance of Him into one’s life as Lord and Savior (regeneration). The new life in Christ includes the privileges of adoption and inheritance in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Salvation is an act of free will in response to God’s personal love for mankind. It is predestined only in the sense that God, through His omniscience, foreknew those who would choose Him. It is secure in the eternal, unchanging commitment of God who does not lie and is forever the same. Salvation should produce an active lifestyle of loving obedience and service to Jesus Christ our Savior.
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John 3:36; Romans 5:12-21; Galatians 2:15-16; Ephesians 2:8-10
Salvation Through Jesus
The Church
The goal of the Church is to make disciples of all nations and to present the saints complete in Christ. The five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4 governs the Church, the offices of elder and deacon, as well as other offices mentioned in scripture. Church policy is a balance between congregational and eldership authority, emphasizing the final authority of the Church leadership. It is essential to the life of the Church that scriptural patterns of discipline are practiced and that oversight for Church discipline, individual and corporate, is exercised by the leadership of the Church.
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Acts 19:39; Matthew 16:18, 18:17; I Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 5:25-27; Colossians 4:16; Philippians 4:15; I Corinthians 1:2; Matthew 18:19; Colossians 4:15; Philippians 1:2; Romans 16:5
The Ordinances
The Word of God enjoins on the Church two perpetual ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first, baptism, is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life and is a testimony to all that the person now belongs to Jesus. It is identification with Jesus and is affected in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the death of the Lord and is done in remembrance of Him until He comes again; it is a sign of our participation in Him Both institutions are restricted to those who are believers.
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Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:11-12; I Corinthians 11:23-25; Mark 14:25; Acts 20:7