Statement Of Faith

We believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who is one God eternally existent and revealed in three distinct persons.

We believe God the Father “is love” and has demonstrated His love for all people by sending His Son to die for the sins of the world. He is the creator of all that is or ever will be and that He has made mankind in his image. We believe it is the will of the Father that everyone would be granted eternal life through the acceptance of His Son, Jesus Christ.

We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully man and fully God. He is the prophesied messiah; was born of a virgin; attested to by a multitude of signs and wonders; falsely accused, arrested and crucified in accordance with the predictions of the Scriptures; was buried; raised from the dead; was seen by over five-hundred witnesses; was taken up into the presence of God the Father to be seated at His right hand; and will come again to receive the church unto himself and pass eternal judgment on the living and the dead.

We believe the Holy Spirit to be fully God. The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son to vitalize life, communicate God’s truth, apply his salvation to people and enable them to obey God’s will (or word). It is by the Holy Spirit that all the provisions of God come alongside the believer to grace and gift the believer for service in his Church. We believe the full expression of spiritual gifts are available to the local church as each member is gifted and empowered to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

We believe in the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both the Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written Word of God. We believe that the scriptures are without error and represent the only infallible rule of faith and practice for all of mankind. We believe that the bible has been miraculously preserved down through the ages and today represents a more than sufficient transmission of the original manuscripts. Finally, we believe the Bible to be unchangeable in its central purpose of recording God’s interaction with man and revealing and exalting the life and ministry the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe all of mankind is, both by nature and action, sinful and therefore precluded from fellowship with God and entrance into God’s heaven. We believe that God has made a way through a relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ, for sinful mankind to be reconciled to Himself and guaranteed entrance into His heaven. This way is freely given by God and is known as “salvation”. This gift of salvation is received by faith in an individual’s life only after this individual acknowledges a need to be saved and calls upon Jesus Christ as Lord and Risen Savior. There is no other way for mankind to enjoy restored fellowship with God outside of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

We believe every believer should be baptized by total immersion in water into the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost: The Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that water baptism does not save a person, but rather provides every believer with a vital point of identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe the church is God’s sovereign creation; the specific object of Christ’s love and His exclusive instrument to advance the Kingdom of God in the earth. Its function and organization are clearly put forth in the pages of Scripture and represents structure and grace for dispensing spiritual provision, oversight, instruction, discipline and protection of God’s people. We also affirm the role of the local church as the platform for the most vital ministries mentioned in the New Testament. Finally, we believe the church will be purified by God and one day be presented to Christ as a perfect bride.

We believe in the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment of all people before God’s throne. We believe in a literal heaven and hell. Hell is the final, eternal state of all persons who have not received the redemption of Jesus Christ. Hell will to be place of unceasing torment and anguish where the flame does not go out and the worm is never satisfied. We believe there will be a new heaven and a new earth where God’s dwelling will be among all believers for eternity. We believe this to be a wonderful paradise beyond present comprehension.

We believe Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and that all Church leaders are obligated to exercise their responsibilities in conformance with the character and example of Jesus Christ. We believe in the five gift ministries mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-12 and that these offices are given to the Church for the edification and equipping of all church members.

We further believe the local church is governed by local elders as described in the scriptures. These elders are to be set in office at the local level and are ultimately responsible for the entire oversight of the local church. We believe the eldership must endeavor to maintain accountable relationships with others who occupy positions representing the gift ministries referred to above and appeal to such ministers as required for encouragement, insight and instruction.

We affirm the office of Deacon as one of service in the day-to-day operation and life of the local church. Deacons should be recognized and released to assume operational responsibility over specific functions within the church as designated by the local eldership. Deacons, because of the qualifications established in Scripture, are more than suited to work hand in hand with the eldership in many areas of ministry within the local church.

We affirm the biblical application of Church discipline in the life of an unrepentant member of the local church. This discipline must be administered carefully, judiciously, in the spirit of love and without favoritism according to the guidelines found in the Scriptures. The ultimate goal of church discipline is restoration of the disciplined person to the fellowship of believers (1Co. 5:1-13, 1Ti. 5:20-21; Ga. 6:1).

We believe the regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper (Communion) as we remember the bruised body and shed blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe this ordinance should be observed only after careful examination of one’s heart before God and in a spirit of reverence and thanksgiving before the Lord.

We believe counseling from the Bible to be a normal and natural function of all members of the Christian faith as they obey Christ’s commission to “make disciples” of all nations. We further believe that biblical counseling is not and should not be limited to the purview of specially trained “professionals”. The counseling ministry of CCC does not represent itself to be associated with any private, professional, academic or governmental licensing authority. We affirm the Bible in its complete sufficiency to equip Christians with the information and skill necessary to address every condition of the human soul. We do not charge any fee, directly or indirectly, for any counseling that takes place by any member or staff.

We believe the institution of marriage to be exclusively defined in the Bible as a covenant relationship, witnessed by God, and solely between a man and a woman. Modification of such union, regardless of the source of such modification, is not recognized or sanctioned by the leadership or congregation of Coweta Community Church.