Church of God in Christ - Beliefs - COGIC Doctrine

COGIC Doctrine

COGIC is considered to be a part of the Protestant branch of Christianity, although it is arguable and can be debated whether Pentecostals should be considered Protestants at all since Pentecostals as an organized group did not emerge out of a rejection of Catholicism. However, COGIC teaches and preaches 10 major doctrines of Christianity that include:

• Theology - The Doctrine of God. COGIC is trinitarian and teaches that there is one God eternally existent in three persons expressed as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the creator and sustainer of all life. He is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-present.
• Christology - The Doctrine of Christ. COGIC teaches the deity of Jesus Christ. His virgin birth, sinless life, physical death, burial, and resurrection, his ascension and visible return to the earth. He is the only mediator between GOD and man and there is no salvation in any other. Christ is the head of the church.
• Pneumantology - The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. COGIC teaches that the Holy Spirit is alive and active in the world. He is the agent that equips, empowers, leads, and guides the church until the return of Christ. As a Pentecostal church, COGIC believes that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is an experience subsequent to salvation and can be experienced by all believers who ask for it. When one is baptized in the Holy Spirit, COGIC teaches that the believer will speak in a language unknown by that person by the will of God.
• Angelology - The Doctrine of Angels. COGIC teaches that Angels are messengers sent from God who served during the Creation, throughout the old testament, the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, the establishment of the church and the ministry of the apostles, and are yet at work in the Kingdom of God. They exist primarily in the spiritual realm and organized according to duty and function.
• Demonology - The Doctrine of Demons. COGIC teaches that Demons are real and they are evil or unclean spirits. They are fallen angels who joined Satan in his failed attempt to usurp power in Heaven. They exist today as adversaries to the kingdom, purpose and will of God. As Pentecostals, COGIC believes that Demons can be subdued and subjugated through the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus.
• Anthropology - The Doctrine of Man. COGIC teaches that Man was created perfect and sinless in the image of God as a tripartite being having a body, soul, and spirit. Through the sin of Adam, all men are born in sin and can only be restored through salvation offered only through Jesus Christ. The soul of man is immortal and will spend eternity either in heaven as the redeemed or in hell as the damned.
• Hamartiology - The Doctrine of Sin. COGIC teaches that sin originated in eternity when Satan committed open rebellion against God in heaven. Sin was transmitted to humanity when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, as a result all men have original sin. The result of sin is the depravity of man, broken communion with God, shame and guilt, and physical and spiritual death.
• Sorteriology - The Doctrine of Salvation. COGIC teaches that salvation is the work of redemption to the sinner and his restoration to divine favor and communion with God. Salvation is brought about through faith, repentance, conversion, regeneration, justification, and sanctification. Though COGIC teaches that salvation is a work of grace brought about through faith in Jesus Christ. COGIC does not promulgate nor encourage the doctrine of "eternal security," also known as "once saved, always saved."
• Ecclesiology - The Doctrine of the Church. COGIC teaches that the church is the community of Christian believers who have accepted Jesus Christ and submit to his lordship and authority in their lives. It can be spoken of as the individual and the collective, physical and spiritual. It includes not only those who are members of COGIC, but all believers who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Eschatology - The Doctrine of Last Things. COGIC teaches that according to the Word of God, there will be final events and conditions that address the end of this present age of the world. These events include physical death, the intermediate state, bodily resurrection, the Second Coming of Christ, The Great Tribulation, The Battle of Armageddon, the Millennial Reign, The Final Judgment, the Future of the Wicked, and Life in Heaven.