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PREAMBLE
The following are statements regarding the fundamental beliefs of the United Church of God, an International Association. This is not intended to be a comprehensive statement of the beliefs of the Church. Questions about doctrine and belief will be addressed by a process adopted by the Council of Elders (Council) and approved by the General Conference of Elders (General Conference).
FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS
We believe in one God, the Father, eternally existing, who is a Spirit, a personal Being of supreme intelligence, knowledge, love, justice, power and authority. He, through Jesus Christ, is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He is the Source of life and the One for whom human life exists. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who is the Word and has eternally existed. We believe that He is the Messiah, the Christ, the divine Son of the living God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born in the human flesh of the virgin Mary. We believe that it is by Him that God created all things and that without Him was not anything made that was made. We believe in the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of God and of Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the power of God and the Spirit of life eternal.
We believe that Scripture, both the Old and the New Testament, is God's revelation,
and His complete, expressed will to humanity. Scripture is inspired in thought
and word, infallible in the original writings, is the supreme and final authority
in faith and in life, and is the foundation of all truth.
We believe that Satan is a spirit being who is the adversary of God and the
children of God. Satan has been given dominion over the world for a specific
period of time. Satan has deceived humanity into rejecting God and His law.
Satan has ruled by deception with the aid of a host of demons who are rebellious
angels, spirit beings, who followed Satan in his rebellion.
We believe that humanity was created in the image of God with the potential
to become children of God, partakers of the divine nature. God formed humanity
of flesh, which is material substance. Human beings live by the breath of life,
are mortal, subject to corruption and decay, without eternal life, except as
the gift of God under God's terms and conditions as expressed in the Bible.
We believe that God placed before Adam and Eve the choice of eternal life through
obedience to God, or death through sin. Adam and Eve yielded to temptation and
disobeyed God. As a result, sin entered the world, and through sin, death. Death
now reigns over all humanity because all have sinned.
We believe that sin is the transgression of the law. The law is spiritual, perfect,
holy, just and good. The law defines God's love and is based upon the two great
principles of love toward God and love toward neighbor, and is immutable and
binding. The Ten Commandments are the ten points of God's law of love. We believe
that breaking any one point of the law brings upon a person the penalty of sin.
We believe that this fundamental spiritual law reveals the only way to true
life and the only possible way of happiness, peace and joy. All unhappiness,
misery, anguish and woe have come from transgressing God's law.
We believe God so loved this world of helpless sinners that He gave His only
begotten Son, who, though in all points tempted as we are, lived without sin
in the human flesh. That Son, Jesus Christ, died as a sacrifice for the sins
of humanity. His life, because He is the Creator of all humanity, is of greater
value than the sum total of all human life. His death is, therefore, sufficient
to pay the penalty for every human being's sins. In paying this penalty He has
made it possible, according to God's plan, for each person and humanity as a
whole to have their sins forgiven and to be released from the death penalty.
We believe that the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead after His body
lay three days and three nights in the grave, thus making immortality possible
for mortal man. He thereafter ascended into heaven, where He now sits at the
right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
We believe that all who truly repent of their sins in full surrender and willing
obedience to God, and who by faith accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior,
have their sins forgiven by an act of divine grace. Such individuals are justified,
pardoned from the penalty of sin, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which
literally abides within them and supplies the divine love that alone can fulfill
the law and produce righteousness. They are baptized by the Spirit into the
body of Christ, which is the true Church of God. We believe in a true change
in life and attitude. Only those who have the indwelling presence of and are
being led by the Holy Spirit are Christ's.
We believe in the ordinance of water baptism by immersion following repentance.
Through the laying on of hands, with prayer, the believer receives the Holy
Spirit and becomes a part of the spiritual body of Jesus Christ.
We believe that the seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord our God.
On this day we are commanded to rest from our labors and worship God, following
the teachings and example of Jesus, the apostles and the New Testament Church.
We believe in observing the New Testament Passover on the night of the 14th
of Abib, the anniversary of the death of our Savior.
We believe in the commanded observance of the seven annual Holy Days given to
ancient Israel by God and kept by Jesus Christ, the apostles and the New Testament
Church. These Holy Days reveal God's plan of salvation.
We believe that those meats that are designated "unclean" by God in
Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 are not to be eaten.
We believe that Christians are forbidden by the commandments of God from taking
human life, directly or indirectly, and that bearing arms is contrary to this
fundamental belief. Therefore, we believe that Christians should not voluntarily
become engaged in military service. If they are involuntarily engaged in military
service, we believe they should refuse conscientiously to bear arms and, to
the extent possible, to refuse to come under military authority.
We believe in God's enduring righteousness. That righteousness is demonstrated
by God's faithfulness in fulfilling all of the promises He made to the father
of the faithful, Abraham. As promised, God multiplied Abraham's lineal descendants
so that Abraham literally became the "father" of many nations. We
believe that God, as promised, materially prospered Abraham's lineal descendants
Isaac and Jacob (whose name He later changed to Israel). We believe that God,
through Abraham's Seed, Jesus Christ, is making salvation available to all humanity
regardless of their physical lineage. Salvation is not therefore a right of
birth. It is freely open to all whom God calls, and those who are regarded as
descendants of Abraham are those of the faith, heirs according to the promises.
We believe that the knowledge that God has fulfilled and continues to fulfill
the physical promises made to Abraham and his children, and is fulfilling the
spiritual promise through Jesus Christ, is critical to understanding the message
of the prophets and its application to the world in which we live.
We believe God's purpose for mankind is to prepare those whom He calls, and
who elect through a life of overcoming sin, developing righteous character,
and growing in grace and knowledge, to possess the Kingdom and to become kings
and priests reigning with Christ on this earth after His return. We believe
that the reason for mankind's existence is literally to be born as spirit beings
into the family of God.
We believe that the Church is that body of believers who have received, and
are being led by, the Holy Spirit. The true Church of God is a spiritual organism.
Its biblical name is "The Church of God." We believe that the mission
of the Church is to preach the gospel (good news) of the coming Kingdom of God
to all nations as a witness, and to help reconcile to God such people as are
now being called. We believe that it is also the mission of the Church of God
to strengthen, edify and nurture the children of God in the love and admonition
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe in tithing as a way of honoring God with our substance and as a means
of serving Him in the preaching of the gospel, the care of the Church, attending
the festivals and helping the needy.
We believe that the only hope of eternal life for mortal humans lies in the
resurrection through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We believe that at the
return of Jesus Christ a resurrection to spirit life will take place for all
who have been God's faithful servants. We believe that after Jesus Christ has
ruled on this earth for 1,000 years, there will be a resurrection to physical
life of the vast majority of all people who have ever lived. We believe that
after these people have had an opportunity to live a physical life, if they
become converted, they too will receive eternal life. We also believe that those
who reject God's offer of salvation will reap eternal death.
We believe in the personal, visible, premillennial return of the Lord Jesus
Christ to rule the nations on earth as King of kings and to continue His priestly
office as Lord of lords. At that time, He will sit upon the throne of David.
During His thousand-year reign upon the earth, He will restore all things and
establish the Kingdom of God forever.
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