Who are we? Beliefs

For those seeking a NEW church: 

COCO is a loving, simple, practical and unifying family church.  If you have come from another church and want to start by asking a long liust of questions that sound like, 'What do you believe about xyz?" you are probably already in the wrong place.  We seek to follow the bible but we are also diverse.  'Knowledge puffs up , but love builds up'.  1 Cor 8v1. 

HOWEVER, For those seeking a church to be accepted, to learn and grow in  your faith ...welcome!  This is an easy community to be part of and your personality and your giftings will quickly find a place here. 

Although the Church of Christ strongly proclaims that we have,"No Creeds but Christ," we do believe that a basic statement of faith is useful.  (This will be 'updated' for clarity in 2025).  

Therefore:

1. We believe in the existence of God in three persons,God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.We believe God as being the loving creator and ruler of this world, who created humans in His own image to know him personally and enjoy life eternal.  All creation is a gift to be treated with respect and can help us in our contemplation of God's nature. 

2. We believe in the inspiration and final authority of the Bible. “All scripture is God breathed (inspired) and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17) 

3. We believe in Jesus' humanity and divinity, His perfect life, his teaching and miracles, His sacrificial death,His bodily resurrection on the third day, ascension, and future return as King as revealed to us in the New Testament Scriptures. 

4. We believe that all people have sinned and therefore are separated from God and the true life that flows from him.  We are spiritually blind and walk in ignorance.  This sinful nature damages ourselves, our relationships with one another and with our world.  "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rom 3) 

5. We believe in repentance from sins towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as being necessary for salvation. We believe that God offers forgiveness and new life as a result of repentance and faith. Faith is a gift we refer to as Grace:-  “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast”. (Eph. 2: 8-9) 

6. We believe in baptism by immersion as an act of obedience to follow Jesus. "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Rom 6:4).  Whilst baptism is a one off testimony, it is renewed each week at communion and exercised as testimony to others in daily life.  

7. We believe in God the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer in Christ, bears witness to Christ, connects us to God, empowers us for Christian living , teaches us us to pray, and energises the church for witness and growth to maturity in Christ. 

8. We believe that there is a need for humility and unity within the Body of Christ, the Church - Ephesians 4:  'Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ...There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all".  As Jesus prayed; 'That they may be one, even as we are one'. 

9. We believe that prayer should be at the heart and centre of every believer’s life, and therefore should embrace and cover every aspect of Church life. Pray is the central means by which we express our faith in Christ.  'Our Father who is in heaven, may your name be honoured...' (Lord's prayer) or 'Maranatha! (Come Lord Jesus)'.  

10. We believe that faith must be practical.  Good works do not cause us to be right before God and religious works never hold value in themselves, but good works as a practical outworking  of the Holy Spirit within a believer are essential.   Bible knowledge has great value but a child  can understand values such as forgiveness, kindness, mercy, compassion, listening, generosity, saying sorry, treating people as humans, and peacemaking.