Our Common Beliefs

Any attempt to set down the beliefs of the Monmouth Church of Christ must begin with the explanation that individual Christians might honestly differ on what should be included in such a summary. However, in spite of any differences, we strive to maintain the unity of the Spirit, through our common faith in Jesus Christ, committed to God’s Word as the only reliable source for growth towards a unity of understanding. With this in mind, the following are some of our common convictions:

• We believe in one God, whose fullness the scriptures describe as God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

• We believe Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, came to earth to reveal the loving nature of God the Father, died as the complete sacrifice for sin, and was raised from the dead by the power of God’s Spirit for the purpose of bringing salvation to all who put their faith in him. We believe that Jesus is the only source of eternal salvation.

• We believe sin is universal, every person sins and this sin separates man from God. Because each human being is personally accountable to God for his or her sin, we believe God calls in love and desires everyone to learn about and receive salvation through his son, Jesus. Because of this, our fellowship is dedicated to teaching the good news about Jesus and the grace of God.

• We believe that we are saved by God’s grace through faith. This means that salvation is God’s free gift to anyone who will believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and put their trust in him for eternal salvation. Salvation is not attainable by human effort or merit, but is received as God’s free gift based on faith.

• Receiving God’s free gift of salvation involves a personal faith, which shows itself through obedience. Those who have accepted God's grace through faith will openly confess their faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, turn from their life of sin, be baptized into Christ, and continue on their journey of becoming like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

• We believe God adds believers in Jesus to the church; collectively referred to as the family of God, a royal priesthood, or the body of Christ. As such, we accept as members into our fellowship all those who have so received God’s free gift of salvation and been added by him to his church. We believe it is wrong to make exclusions in our fellowship on the basis of race, ethnicity, education, wealth, gender, etc., and we continually strive to become "one in Christ".

• We believe in the authority and inspiration of the Bible as God’s Word. We understand the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, points us to Jesus and reveals spiritual truth, enabling us to understand God’s Word as we study and incorporate it into our daily lives. The Holy Spirit indwells, comforts, and guides believers and is God’s seal of salvation.

• We believe Jesus is the head of his church, and earnestly desire his headship of the Monmouth fellowship. He must be Lord and head over every aspect of a believer’s life. We believe Christians are to lead holy, upright lives, as described in scripture, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Evidences of this will include faith expressing itself in love and service towards one another, increased understanding of spiritual truth, and a deepening worship and prayer life. In recognizing our personal on-going battle with sin, we strive to hold ourselves accountable to each other and God’s Word.

• We believe every Christian receives spiritual gifts from God’s Holy Spirit, which are to be used to build up and serve the church.

• We believe Jesus will return at God’s appointed time to claim his bride, the church. Both the living and dead in Christ will be raised to give an account of their lives and receive their reward.