The Church of God (Cleveland, TN) was founded in 1886 and adopted the following 14 statements as our Declaration of Faith in 1948.
We Believe:
Why Do We...?
Why Do We Stand When We Sing?
"And the Levities, ...of the children of the Korhites, stood to praise the lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high". 2 Chronicles 20:19
Why Do We Clap Our Hands?
"O clap your hands all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph." Psalm 47:1
Why Do We Lift Our Hands?
"I will bless You while I live: I will lift up my hands in Your name" Psalm 63:4
"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord." Psalm 134:2
"I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" 1 Timothy 2:8
Why Do We Have Audible Praise?
"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless His holy name." Psalm 103:1
"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth" Psalm 34:1
"And when they heard this, they lifted their voice to God..." Acts 4:24
Why Do We Speak In Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues?
"For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also" 1 Corinthians 14:14,15
"Wherefore Brothers, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues." Corinthians 14:39
"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal...To another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" 1 Corinthians 12:7,10
Why Do We Sing Choruses as Well as Hymns?
"..be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, sining and making melody in your heart to the Lord" Ephesians 5:18,19
"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing on another Psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, sining with grace in your hearts to the Lord" Colossians 3:16
Why Are Musical Instruments a Part of the Worship Service?
"Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with the stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals; Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals" psalm 150:3-5
"And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps." Revelation 14:2
Why Do We have Corporate Prayer for Specific Needs?
"and when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou are God, which hath made heaven and earth..." Acts 4:24
Why Do We Anoint With Oil and Pray For the Sick?
"Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up and if has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." James 5:14,15
- In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.
- In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
- That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
- That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
- That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
- In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost.
- Holiness to be God's standard of living for His people.
- In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.
- In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
- In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
- Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.
- In the Lord's Supper and washing of the saints' feet.
- In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
- In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.
Why Do We...?
Why Do We Stand When We Sing?
"And the Levities, ...of the children of the Korhites, stood to praise the lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high". 2 Chronicles 20:19
Why Do We Clap Our Hands?
"O clap your hands all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph." Psalm 47:1
Why Do We Lift Our Hands?
"I will bless You while I live: I will lift up my hands in Your name" Psalm 63:4
"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord." Psalm 134:2
"I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" 1 Timothy 2:8
Why Do We Have Audible Praise?
"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless His holy name." Psalm 103:1
"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth" Psalm 34:1
"And when they heard this, they lifted their voice to God..." Acts 4:24
Why Do We Speak In Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues?
"For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also" 1 Corinthians 14:14,15
"Wherefore Brothers, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues." Corinthians 14:39
"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal...To another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" 1 Corinthians 12:7,10
Why Do We Sing Choruses as Well as Hymns?
"..be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, sining and making melody in your heart to the Lord" Ephesians 5:18,19
"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing on another Psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, sining with grace in your hearts to the Lord" Colossians 3:16
Why Are Musical Instruments a Part of the Worship Service?
"Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with the stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals; Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals" psalm 150:3-5
"And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps." Revelation 14:2
Why Do We have Corporate Prayer for Specific Needs?
"and when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou are God, which hath made heaven and earth..." Acts 4:24
Why Do We Anoint With Oil and Pray For the Sick?
"Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up and if has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." James 5:14,15