What We Believe

C3 believes the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired Word of God. It was written by men who were "carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). The Bible is free from errors and without fault in its original writings. The Scriptures are "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning… when the Bible speaks, God is speaking. The Word of God is the story of Creator God redeeming mankind back to Himself for harmony and relationship. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true, trustworthy, and is the final authority for faith and life.

C3 believes that God exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). He is eternal in His existence. He is the One and only one true and living God. He is the Creator of all, He is perfect, holy, just, righteous, Redeemer, and Ruler of the Universe. God is all-present, all-powerful, and all-knowing.

C3 believes that Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He became man without ceasing to be God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary with the purpose of revealing God and redeeming sinful humanity (Luke 1:35). Jesus never sinned. Through complete obedience to the Father, and His substitutionary death on the Cross, He made provision for the redemption of humanity from sin (Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7). He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to many followers for forty days. His resurrection from the dead was proof that God the Father had accepted the sacrifice that Jesus had made on our behalf. He ascended into Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father where He is our Mediator and is constantly making intercession for the believers (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2). Jesus is the only name in Heaven and on Earth by which mankind can be saved (Acts 4:12). One day, He will return in power and in glory to judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1).

C3 believes that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He convicts the world of sin and righteousness (Ephesians 4:30). He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (Romans 8:9-11; Romans 8:14-16; Romans 8:26-27). He also inspired holy men to write the Holy Scriptures, and He also enables believers through illumination to truly understand those Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16). His main ministry is to exalt Christ. He "grows and matures" the believers and bestows spiritual gifts upon them by which they serve God through His church (1 Corinthians 12:3-11; 1 Corinthians 12:13). He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

C3 believes salvation is the gift of God brought to mankind by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed on the cross for the forgiveness of sin (Ephesians 2:8). There is no salvation a part from the saving work of Jesus Christ. Salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. Regeneration is a change of heart brought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15). Justification is God's full graciousness of making humans right with Him (Titus 3:7). It brings mankind into a relationship of peace and favor with God. Sanctification begins with regeneration, by which the believer is "set a part" for God's purposes, and begins maturing spiritually through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13). Growth takes place when the believer begins to resemble His Redeemer more and more everyday. Glorification is the final state of the redeemed, and is the final culmination of salvation for the believer (Revelation 21; Revelation 22:1-5).

C3 believes that the Church is the Body of Christ, which is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again believers (1 Corinthians 12). The establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Hebrews 10:24-25). The local church should be autonomous and free of any external authority and control. To be a member of the local church, you must be a baptized believer. The local church was created by God to spread the Gospel, to disciple the believers, and to serve the world (Matthew 28:19-20). The Church operates under the Lordship of Jesus. He is the Lead Pastor. In the local Church… the office of the eldership is limited to men (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9).

C3 believes that Believer's Baptism and the Lord's Supper are Scriptural means of testimony in the local church. Believer's Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior… as well as, a symbol of the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience where members of the church are reminded of the work of Jesus on the cross and through the resurrection (Luke 22:14-23). It is an opportunity for fellowship and repentance of unconfessed sin (1 Corinthians 11:17-34).

C3 believes God is the source of all blessing, temporal and spiritual. All that we are and have… we owe to Him. As a Christian, we are in debt spiritually to the rest of the world because we are now a trustee of the Gospel (Romans 1:14-15). God has set us free from bondage to serve Him with our time, talents, and material possessions, which have been entrusted to us by God for the use of His glory and for helping others (Malachi 3:8-12). Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, worshipfully, regularly, and liberally for the advancement of the Kingdom (2 Corinthians 9:6-9).