STATEMENT OF FAITH
From the CCC Constitution
ARTICLE III
Doctrine
We believe the Gospel of Christ and the Word of God to be the only rule of faith and practice. This is the foundation and basis of all that follows.
Section 3.1 - The Word of God
We believe that the entire Bible, composed of the Old and New Testaments, is inspired by God and is without error in the original manuscripts, and that it is the supreme and final authority in faith and life (II Tim. 3:16-17).
Section 3.2 - The Godhead
We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are equal in nature, power, and glory (Matt. 28:19). We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Divine Trinity, and that He was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and that He is true God and true man and is the only sufficient mediator between God and man (John 1:14; Col. 2:9). We believe in the personality of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Divine Trinity, and that His ministry is to reveal Christ to men and to regenerate and sanctify those who believe (John 16:8-13; Tit. 3:5).
Section 3.3 - Man
We believe that humanity was created in the image of God and that therefore, all human beings from conception to death possess inherent worth and deserve to be treated with dignity and honor. We believe that in Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and incurred spiritual death and eternal condemnation. We believe that man, of himself, is entirely unable to remedy his lost condition (Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3).
Section 3.4 - Salvation
We believe that God by His grace provided for the salvation of men through the sinless life and substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins and that He bodily rose again from the dead victorious over death (I Cor. 15:3-4; II Cor. 5:21). Therefore, we believe that salvation is the free gift of God, entirely apart from works, and is possessed by all who have repented of their sin and turned in faith to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior (Eph. 2:8-10; Acts 20:21). We believe that one ministry of the Holy Spirit is to grant a confident assurance of salvation to be enjoyed by all those who are truly in Christ (Rom. 8:15-16, 38-39).
Section 3.5 - Sanctification
We believe that even though salvation is not by works, true faith will be accompanied by good works, the fruit of the Holy Spirit's activity in one's life (Gal. 5:22-24). It is expected therefore that every believer in Christ will put off the old self with its sinful practices and walk in newness of life and will present his body as a living sacrifice to God, walking in humble obedience to God's will (Eph 4:22-24; Rom. 12:1-2). Those who do not follow this path will experience the chastening hand of God (Heb. 12:5-11).
Section 3.6 - The Church
We believe that all followers of Christ have been made members of the Church, the body of Christ, by the baptism of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 12:13). This spiritual baptism is symbolized by water baptism through which the believer identifies with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection and expresses publicly a desire to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:1-4). Therefore, we practice believer's baptism by immersion. We believe that Communion, the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup, is an ordinance of the Church to be observed periodically in remembrance of Christ and His death for us (I Cor. 11:23-26). We also believe the practice of Footwashing and Love Feast should be observed periodically in accordance with the Lord's example (John 13:1-17). We believe that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to all the members of the Church for the edification of the body of Christ and that each member has a responsibility to actively participate in the life of the Church for the good of the whole (I Cor. 12:12-27). We believe that God intends for His people to gather regularly, ‘not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.’ (Heb. 10:25) It is therefore our intent to keep the doors of our church open for all who wish to pray and worship regularly and in times of crisis. We further believe that no earthly authority has the power to dictate when God’s people shall or shall not meet nor to dictate the terms of their meeting or the manner of their worship.
Section 3.7 - Eschatology
We believe in the personal, visible return of Christ a second time to this earth in glory (Acts 1:11). We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men; the saved to everlasting blessedness, the lost to everlasting conscious punishment (John 5:25-29).
Section 3.8 – Marriage & Sexuality
We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes reflect the image and nature of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.
We believe that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman (Gen. 2:18-25), and that intimate sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union as delineated in Scripture (1 Cor. 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb. 13:4). We believe that all forms of sexual immorality, including the lustful desires that give rise to them are sinful and offensive to God (Matt. 15:18-20; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).
We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of CCC as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to its members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by CCC in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality (Matt. 5:16; Phil. 2:14-16; 1 Thess. 5:22).
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration through the gospel to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11).
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with the gospel.