THE BIBLE

• The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the final authority in life and doctrine. [Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17]
• It was written by human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and is without error. [Proverbs 30:5; 2 Peter 1:20-21]
• Its content reveals God’s character, our purpose, and life’s meaning. [John 20:31]
• The Bible’s principles are true for all people, for all places, and for all times. [Psalm 119:160]

GOD

• God is the Creator and sovereign Ruler of the universe and all that is in it. [Genesis 1:1, 26, 27]
• He eternally exists in three distinct personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three co-exist as the one and only God. [Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20]

JESUS CHRIST

• Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to earth to save us from our sins. [Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10; John 3:16]
• He lived a sinless life, even though He was tempted in every way, and willingly offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men and women by dying on a cross. [Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 4:14-15]
• He demonstrated His power over sin and death by rising from the dead after three days. [1 Corinthians 15:3-4]
• Shortly after His resurrection, Jesus ascended into Heaven and promised to return. [Acts 1:9-11; 1Thessalonians 4:13-18]
• Salvation can come only through Jesus Christ. [Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15-23]

THE HOLY SPIRIT

• The Holy Spirit lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. [Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 1:13-14]
• The Holy Spirit provides the Christian with understanding of spiritual truth and guidance in doing what is right. [Romans 8:9-17; Galatians 5:22-26]

HUMAN BEINGS

• Men and women are made in the spiritual image of God. [Genesis 1:27]
• When God created us, He gave us freedom of choice. Unfortunately, we often use our freedom to disobey God, which is sin. This sin separates us from God, placing us in need of a Savior – Jesus Christ. [Isaiah 53:6; Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 3:23]

SALVATION

• Salvation is a free gift of God. It cannot be achieved through good works or self-improvement because the death of Jesus Christ is the only payment for our sins. [John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 9:26-28]
• All people have sinned, but all people can be saved. [Acts 2:39; Romans 3:23]
• Salvation from sin is available to all who obey the teachings of Jesus Christ. [Matthew 19:17; Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 11:28; John 14:23]

SALVATION - HOW DO I RECEIVE IT?

• I need to hear God's word [Romans 10:17] and believe that Christ has the power to save [John 3:16; Acts 16:31-33]. Based on what I have learned, I confess Jesus as Lord and is risen from the dead [Romans 10:9-10]. In order to follow Jesus, I repent of my sins [Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Acts 17:30] and am baptized, participating in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ [Romans 6:3-4], to receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. [Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-29; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Peter 3:21]
• Being a disciple of Jesus means that I will live faithfully by God's standards [Romans 14:7-8; Ephesians 4:1; 2 Peter 3:11-12a; 1 John 2:24-25].

ETERNITY

• Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence. [Matthew 10:28; Philippians 2:10]
• We can live forever with God in Heaven, a place of ultimate joy, by doing His will, or we can be eternally separated from God in Hell, a place of extreme torment, by refusing to obey Him. [Matthew 7:21; 1 John 5:11-13; Revelation 20:15]

THE CHURCH

• Jesus Christ established His church for the purpose of spreading His message of hope through word and deed, encouraging Christians to persevere in their faith. [Matthew 16:18; Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18, 24]
  God adds people of faith to His church at baptism. [Acts 2:41,47]
• Every Christian is a minister and every Christian is encouraged to find a place of service at FCOC. [Romans 12:3-8; 1 Peter 2:9]
• Each congregation of Christ’s church is designed to be self-governing and ministered to by shepherds, also called shepherds, elders or overseers, who are men that encourage the spiritual growth of each member and guard the church from teachings that are contrary to the God's written word. [1 Timothy 3:1-13; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Peter 5:1-4]