The belief is that the bible is the eternal word of God and that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, King James Version). The bible is the highest authority and contains the will of God and instructions for Godly living. Their moral and ethical bearings are derived from the scriptures and the teachings of the Holy Spirit. COG Christians do not believe in any doctrine apart from the bible. However, there are church traditions and customs such as wearing hats and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, but such should never be misconceived as biblical doctrine. It is important to note they believe in human or government authorities as the word of God instructs in Romans 13:1-5, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God...” It is believed the scriptures are final and do not change meanings despite changing times and cultures. COG Christianity requires selflessness, charity, compassion, faith, humility and most of all, love for all of mankind while bringing others to the truth of Christ. Believers are cautioned to refrain from adopting the ideology of religion but rather it promotes a relationship with Christ through faith. …show more content…
The scriptures unfold in every aspect of reality and those with true understanding and revelation from God actually use it as a basis of confirming its authenticity. COG Christians does not condemn nor shut out people who have not yet come to understanding neither do they live in a fairytale world of perfection. Instead, they look to the life of Jesus as a paragon and seek to share their testimonies of Jesus’ love. They understand that things are not as perceived with natural eyes, but in fact a spiritual battle underneath. Only with personal knowledge and understanding of Christ can this be fully explained as to not be misconstrued as a believer’s distorted view of reality. To others, it may appear so. For some Christians, yes, Christianity is a false ideology. For example, some refuse to believe that the earth is more than 2,000 years old despite apparent scientific evidence that proves otherwise. Personally, I could care less if it existed 10 billion years ago or yesterday. Probably due to laziness to study or lack of interest in this particular science. Even Christians describe this attitude as ignorant and provide a plethora of scriptures proving God wants us to be knowledgeable and not ignorant. Some quickly lash out at me with Hosea 6:9, about God’s people being destroyed for lack of knowledge. However, this is the same stance I take on debates concerning the ten commandments and the ‘race’ of Jesus. Titus 3:9 says, “But