AboutUs - Erwin Church of God

CHURCH OF GOD DECLARATION OF FAITH

We believe:*
1. In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.
2. In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely the Father, son, and Holy Ghost.
3. That Jesus Christ is the only begotten son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the virgin Mary, that Jesus was crucified, buried and raised from the dead. That He ascended into heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as intercessor.
4. That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for the forgiveness of sin.
5. That justification, regeneration, and the new birth, are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
6. In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ: through the word, and by the Holy Ghost.
7. Holiness to be God's standard of living for His people.
8. In the baptism with the Holy Spirit subsequent to a clean heart.
9. In the speaking with other tongues as the spirit gives the utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
10. In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
11. Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.
12. In the Lord's supper and the washing of the saints feet.
13. In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
14. In the bodily resurrection; eternal life of the righteous, and eternal punishment of the wicked.

Erwin Church of God has ministered in the Valley Beautiful, Erwin, Tennessee since 1923. We have a vast and varied history, always with the inphasis on winning the lost for Christ.

As members of the Church of God (www.churchofgod.cc) we ascribe to all of the foundational doctrines of the Church of God. That is to say that we are:

1) CHRISTIAN: We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the savior of the world, and the Head of the Church.

2) PROTESTANT: We believe that a) salvation is a free gift of God, provided not because of human merit or works, but by the Grace of God and through faith in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. b) The priesthood is not reserved as a special calling for a few, it is the inheritance of all christians. We are all ministers of the Gospel of Christ. c) The scriptures alone are to determine the course of our life and doctrine, not church traditions or any other source.

3) EVANGELICAL: We are commited to bringing all to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our doctrine is conservative in nature, reflecting the the fundamental tenants of evangilism: a) the 66 books of the bible are inspired by God and are without error. b) the virgin birth of Christ is a historical fact. Jesus was supernaturally born of the Virgin Mary. c) The death of Christ was not martyrdom, it was atonement, that is to say He was dying for the sins of mankind inorder to bring salvation and redemption. d) Jesus was literally and bodily resurected from the grave on the third day. This historical event is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.

4) HOLINESS: Our heritage is deeply rooted in the Holiness Revival of the 19th century. This revival brought a growing awareness of the need for purity within the Church. We believe in a life of holiness before Christ that can be seen in the lifestile of the believer.

5) PENTECOSTAL: We believe in the present work of the Holy Spirit as is stated in the book of Acts. We encourage believers to be filled with the Spirit and expect and accept the fruits (Galatians 5:22,23) and gifts (I Corinthians 12) of the Holy Spirit which include speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, devine healing, etc.

6) PEOPLE OF GOD: We believe that God is at work in the 21st century. We are committed to unity within the Body of Christ. We should endeavor to maintain the unity of the Spirit with all true believers in Christ, recognizing them as our brothers and sisters in Christ. We believe that an open and loving relationship with other Christians is beneficial to everyone and will advance the Kingdom of God on Earth.

For more information about the Church of God visit our Intenational office website at www.churchofgod.cc or the Church of God Tennessee State Executive office at www.cogtn.org. For more information about Erwin Church of God, contact Pastor Edwards at erwincog@emarqmail.com or 799 10th St. Erwin, TN 37650.