We believe the one Godhead is from everlasting to everlasting and consists of three persons: Jehovah, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
We believe every person is created in the image of God and has a soul that will live eternally.
We believe the Bible is the verbal inspired word of God.
We believe in salvation by grace. God gave his Son and Jesus gave his life on the cross for our sins.
We believe man must respond to God’s plan of salvation by believing Jesus is his Son, by confessing that belief, by repenting of sins, and by being baptized (immersed) for the remission of sins.
We believe Christians must be obedient children of God and live faithful and holy Christian lives unto death.
We believe Christians should worship God by praying, giving, taking communion, singing and hearing and respecting the word of God as it is preached.
We believe in one second coming, one resurrection, one judgment, and one eternity in either heaven or hell.
The things listed above is not our creed. They are just some of the things we believe. Our only creed is the Holy Bible.
Concerning the church, no Christian in the New Testament ever became a member of a denomination. Modern day denominations came into existence many centuries later. Millions of people today around the world have simply become Christians and have become members of the church which was built by Jesus.
The church of Christ that you read about in your New Testament was distinct from modern institutions. The congregations throughout the Roman Empire were autonomous (self-ruling) congregations. They had no earthly headquarters. They followed the apostles’ doctrine (Acts 2:42). Members of the church were known as “Christians” (Acts 11:26), “children of God” (Galatians 3:26), and “saints” (1 Corinthians 1:1-2). The church was only called by a name that gave glory and honor to the Godhead. She was called, “church of God” (1 Corinthians 1:2), “churches of Christ” (Romans 16:16), “body of Christ” (Ephesians 1:22, 23), “house of God” (1 Timothy 3:15), “kingdom of God’s dear Son” (Colossians 1:13), etc.
In the New Testament, the church had no man made creed, manual, discipline or articles of faith. The words of the first century prophets and apostles directed them in matters that pertained to “life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). The Bible is the Word of God revealed to those inspired men (2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Church creeds are barriers to unity. They are not necessary. If a creed contains less than the Bible, it says too little. If it contains more than the Bible, it says too much. If a creed says the same thing the Bible says, then it is not needed, because we already have the Bible. The Bible alone should be our rule-book (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and we should reject creeds (Matthew 15:9).
As already noted, the churches of Christ in the New Testament were self-ruling. They belonged to no earthly headquarters. Instead, each individual congregation consisted of elders, deacons, and saints (Philippians 1:1). The authority of the elders did not extend beyond their home congregation, and they did not enact practices or teach doctrines which the Lord had not already authorized (Galatians 1:6-9; 1 Corinthians 4:6). They were to ensure that their congregation followed the apostles’ doctrine, and to make decisions in areas of opinion.
The worship of the church of Christ was simple. It consisted of the following items: a-Capella singing (Colossians 3:16-17); praying (Acts 2:42; 16:13, 16); teaching (Acts 2:42; 20:7); the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7); and a collection (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). No other worship practices are found in the New Testament.
With more than 3,000 different religions in the United States, our distinctive plea in churches of Christ is based upon the religious unity for which Christ prayed in John 17. It can be achieved by returning to the “old paths” (Jeremiah 6:16), and abandoning our own. We hope you, along with us, will strive for this noble plea. Join us returning to the Lord’s church that we read of in the New Testament. Let us strive to teach exactly what they taught, and do exactly what they did, not adding to and not taking away from the Word of God.