Dublin First Church of God exists to be Biblically Based, Mission Minded, and Family Focused.
Biblically Based because we believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. The message of the Bible
is relevant for today and teaches the truths upon which our faith is fixed.
Mission Minded because we believe there is a wider scope to Christianity that reaches beyond our four
walls.
Family Focused because we believe a healthy family is central to a quality life.
THE BIBLE
We believe in, treasure, and cherish the Bible as the written Word of God. We believe that the Old and
New Testaments are necessary for understanding God's revelation in Scripture, both of which are
interpreted in the light of the revelation given to us in Jesus Christ. The Bible is inspired by God, and is
fully authoritative and sufficient for Christian life and practice. We rejoice that the biblical gospel is the
good news of God's love to our world!
SIN, SALVATION, SANCTIFICATION
We acknowledge that all have sinned, thus breaking our relationship with God, self, others, and the
whole created order, but give thanks for God's salvation from sin.
We believe that, through His exemplary life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection, Jesus Christ is
the only sufficient atonement for our sins. God’s work of salvation is all by grace, not by our own
merits. We receive this great salvation when we repent of our sin and believe in Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord. We hold that we are secure in our salvation so long as we remain faithful to Christ.
We are grateful that the same power that raised Christ from the dead raises us up from spiritual death,
saving us from sin to follow Christ in this life and to live with Him eternally.
We believe that it is God's will for us to live in holiness through the second work of grace biblically
called Sanctification. Indeed, it is God who makes us holy. We, however, are called to present
ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God for the sake of God's mission in the world.
We understand the life of holiness to be wholehearted love for God and neighbor. Great is the
salvation of our God!
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
We believe that we experience the Kingdom of God as the presence, love, and power of God in our
lives, in the church, in history, and in the whole created order, now and in future consummation.
We believe that Jesus lived and proclaimed the Kingdom of God, a life of reconciliation and
peacemaking in the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets.
We anticipate the future consummation of the Reign of God, at the time of the one and only return of
our Lord, who will carry out final judgment separating the righteous and the unrighteous.
THE CHURCH AND ITS PRACTICES
We believe the church is the fellowship of the redeemed, the body of Christ, and the people of God,
chosen by God for mission in the world.
At the beginning of time, God created humankind to be partners in mission. The Holy Spirit distributes
a variety of spiritual gifts among all members of the church for accomplishing this mission.
We believe God calls all people to respond in faith to the gospel of Jesus Christ, whereby they
become members of the universal church of God. With Christ as the head, this community is the body
of Christ on earth. We understand the local congregation to be an expression of this universal church,
and that it is God's will for each believer to be a committed member of a local congregation.
In obedience to our Lord, we baptize believers by immersion as a sign of death to sin, resurrection to
new life in Christ, and incorporation into the mission of the people of God. We celebrate the Lord's
Supper as participation in and proclamation of the death and resurrection of our Lord until He comes.
We wash each other's feet, following Jesus who assumed the role of a servant by washing the feet of
his disciples. We anoint with oil in the name of the Lord and pray that people may be healed
We believe that all that repent and confess Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord are part of
the church of God. We seek mutually enriching fellowship with all who share this personal faith. Aware
of racial, cultural, and other diversity around the globe, we are committed to working for the visible
unity of the one church that is rooted in biblical faith.
Our Lord empowers believers to do the work of ministry. Jesus instructed us to model our ministries
and manner of leadership after his example of being a servant rather than seeking positions of power.
We understand that it is the church's responsibility, in response to God's call, to appoint and equip
gifted women and men to a variety of leadership responsibilities for building up the body of Christ.
We praise God for the privilege of participating in the life of the church!
Adopted from We Believe Anderson University School of Theology, Anderson, IN, Warner Press Copyright 2003