Core Values
“The Bible is our rule of faith and Christ alone is Lord.”
This lyric summarizes the core belief of Church of God people. We have not issued any official belief statements, and we have no formal creed. Yet, the following statements reflect the heart of the Church of God, our core values:
1. Jesus is Lord
The singularity, the exclusivity, the divinity of the one Lord Jesus is central to who we are. He is the Bread of Life. The Water of Life. The Lamb of God. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. The one Mediator between God and humankind. The Lord of lords, the King of kings. The Son of Man. The Son of God. The Word that became Flesh. The Name at which every knee shall bow. Jesus is the subject (Acts 2:36).
2. The Supremacy of Scripture
We are a people of the Bible—the Old and New Testaments, supernaturally inspired, preserved across time, cultures, and continents, delivered to us, useful for reproof and instruction, for righteousness. The Scripture is our backstop, the ultimate field of inquiry and judgment, the measure of conduct, faith, and practice. Whatever the question, whatever the test, whatever comes before us, in the end, it is the Scripture, above all other disciplines, that informs and defines us. All other sources of knowledge fall beneath its shadow (2 Tim 3:14–17).
3. Holiness
The Person, the work, and the power of the Holy Spirit is fundamental to who we are as a people. We unabashedly own the truth that the Spirit transforms us, possess us, equips us, and empowers us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us, make us holy, set us apart for sacred service, and seal us for eternity’s sake. It is the Spirit who convicts us of sin and enables us to overcome sin. It is the Holy Spirit who breathes supernatural gifts into us, for Jesus’ sake. He is the Comforter promised by Jesus and the witness of our redemption (Gal 5:22–23).
4. The Great Commandments and Great Commission
Love God with your whole self. And, love your neighbors as yourself. The Scripture tells us this is the sum of the Law and the Prophets. To go and make disciples is the divine privilege and responsibility given to each of us. We champion the work of evangelism and discipleship in our own neighborhood, as well as the sending of international and home missionaries to places beyond our individual reach (Luke 10, Matt 28:19–20).
5. Unity
We are a people uniquely called by God to be a catalyst for Christian unity, believing that the division of the body of Christ is not His will and thwart heaven’s ends in this world. We are convinced that the splintering of the body is the work of the enemy; we believe hell trembles at the prospect of a people united, redeemed by the blood, and possessed by the Spirit (John 17:21, Eph. 4:3).
All we are equal in His sight when we obey His word;
No earthly master do we know, to man-rule will not bow,
But to each other and to God eternal trueness vow”