Doctrine of Faith
The Chinese Christian and Missionary Church holds the APOSTLES' CREED as its basic doctrine. We believe the following:
- There is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), who is infinitely perfect (Matthew 5:48), existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
- Jesus Christ is true God and true man (Philippians 2:6-11). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:36-38). He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust (I Peter 3:18), as a substitutionary sacrifice (Hebrews 2:9), and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood (Romans 5:9). He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures (Acts 2:23-24). He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest (Hebrews 8:1). He will come again to establish His kingdom of righteousness and peace (Matthew 26:64).
- The Holy Spirit is a divine person (John 14:15-18), sent to indwell, guide, teach, empower (John 16:13), and distribute spiritual gifts to believers according to His will (1 Cor 12:11). He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:7-11).
- The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice (II Peter 1:20-21, II Timothy 3:15-16).
- Mankind, composed of male and female, was originally created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27). God also set up an intimate relationship between one male and one female called marriage (Gen 2:20-25). Men fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature (Romans 3:23), are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:20- 23). The portion of the impenitent and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment (Revelation 21:8); and that of the believer, is everlasting joy and bliss (Revelation 21:1-4).
- Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God (Titus 3:4-7).
- It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly (I Thessalonians 5:23), being separated from sin and the world and fully decided to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service (Acts 1:8). This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion (Romans 6:1-4).
- The Church consists of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church (Ephesians 1:22-23), which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Acts 2:41-47).
- There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life (I Corinthians 15:20-23); for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment (John 5:28-29).
- The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent (Hebrews 10:37) and will be personal, visible, and premillennial (Luke 21:27). This is the believer's blessed hope and is vital truth, which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service (Titus 2:11-14).