Doctrinal Statement

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R.O.C.K. Church of Livingston

A CHURCH OF THE R.O.C.K. CHURCH CORPORATIONS

Doctrine

CHURCH CANON Article II: Doctrinal Beliefs ROCK Church Corporation (Southern Region)

I. Theology Proper (The Nature of God)

We believe in one eternal, omnipotent, uncreated God, who is indivisible in essence and sovereign over all things. This one true God has revealed Himself through three eternal titles—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—not as three persons, but as three divine manifestations of the one divine Being. This sacred Oneness affirms that the fullness of the Godhead is revealed in Christ Jesus, “in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9, KJV). We reject the later Latin and scholastic articulation of the Trinity as three co-equal persons, upholding instead the ancient confession preserved in the sub-apostolic Church and reaffirmed in the Oneness tradition. We affirm the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of A.D. 381 without the Filioque clause (“and the Son”), recognizing the clause as an unauthorized addition that distorts the Spirit’s true procession from the Father alone, in harmony with John 15:26.

II. Christology (The Person and Work of Jesus Christ)

Jesus Christ is the eternal Logos of God, begotten before all ages, who became incarnate through the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Ghost. He is fully God and fully man, united without confusion or division. Though tempted as we are, He remained sinless in thought and deed, accomplishing perfect obedience to the Father’s will. His atoning death on the cross was not for all humanity universally but was a substitutionary sacrifice specifically for the elect, whom the Father foreknew and predestined before the foundation of the world. He rose bodily on the third day, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father in glory. We reject the false doctrine of a secret rapture and affirm the bodily Second Coming of Christ after the seven-year tribulation. At that time, the dead will be raised, the world judged, and Christ will establish His visible Kingdom for one thousand years before delivering it up to the Father.

III. Pneumatology (The Holy Spirit) The Holy Ghost is the active presence of God within His Church, proceeding from the Father and fully revealed in Christ. At salvation, the believer receives the Holy Spirit as the indwelling seal of redemption. We affirm the Baptism of the Holy Ghost as a separate and empowering experience, evidenced by spiritual gifts such as tongues, prophecy, healing, miracles, interpretation of tongues, wisdom, and discernment (1 Corinthians 12). These gifts operate within the boundaries of order, reverence, and doctrinal soundness. We affirm Holy Unction—anointing with oil accompanied by prayer and laying on of hands—as a sacrament of healing and empowerment (James 5:14–15). The Spirit empowers believers to walk in holiness, equips the saints for ministry, and produces fruit in the life of the sanctified.

IV. Soteriology (Salvation)

Salvation is wholly the work of God’s sovereign grace, initiated by divine election and accomplished through the drawing power of the Spirit. The elect are chosen from the foundation of the world and called by God at His appointed time. Upon repentance and faith, they are baptized for the remission of sins and receive the indwelling Spirit. We affirm that salvation must be accompanied by baptism, confession, Eucharist, and submission to the Church. We reject the doctrines of “faith alone” and “once saved, always saved,” instead teaching that faith must be active through works, obedience, and sacramental living. Believers may fall away, and apostasy is a real and terrifying possibility. Therefore, we labor with reverence, knowing that the one who endures to the end shall be saved (Matthew 24:13). Salvation is not merely forensic but transformative, leading toward Theosis—the participation in the divine nature.

V. Hamartiology (Doctrine of Sin)

We believe that all humanity has inherited a fallen nature as a result of Adam’s disobedience, though not his personal guilt. This fallen condition distorts the image of God (Imago Dei) in every person and renders mankind incapable of choosing righteousness apart from divine grace. Sin is not simply the violation of law but the distortion of human nature and purpose. We reject the notion of an “age of accountability,” holding that all—infants included—require sanctification through baptism. The remedy for sin is found in the regenerative work of Christ, applied through the sacraments, and sustained by the Spirit.

VI. Eschatology (Doctrine of the End)

We reject the popular teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture and instead affirm the ancient faith: that Christ will return once, bodily and visibly, after the great tribulation. This Second Coming marks the end of the world as we know it. The righteous will be resurrected and reign with Christ during the literal thousand-year Millennium, while the wicked are judged and cast into eternal separation. After the Millennium, the present heavens and earth shall pass away by fire, and a new creation shall descend—the New Jerusalem wherein God dwells with His people forever (Revelation 20–21). Hell is eternal, conscious separation for the unrepentant, and heaven is the eternal inheritance of the elect.

VII. Sacramentology (The Holy Mysteries)

We affirm seven sacraments as divine ordinances instituted by Christ and administered by the Church: Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Unction. Baptism is by full immersion in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), and is required for salvation. Infants and children may be baptized under the spiritual authority of believing, baptized parents (1 Corinthians 7:14). Chrismation follows baptism and involves anointing with holy oil, sealing the believer with the Spirit. The Eucharist is the literal Body and Blood of Christ, not symbolic, and is received weekly in reverence. Confession is required of all members and is administered in privacy and purity by trained priests. Marriage is a sacrament between one man and one woman and must be blessed by the Church. Holy Orders are limited to baptized and chrismated men who have been trained, examined, and approved by the bishop. Holy Unction, the anointing with oil for healing and empowerment, is sacred and never performed casually. Foot washing, though often neglected in modernity, is also upheld as a sacrament of humility and is especially observed during Holy Week.

VIII. Ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church)

The Church is the visible, sacramental Body of Christ on earth, governed by the authority of bishops, pastors, and deacons. The Southern Region is under the oversight of an Archbishop, who supervises bishops appointed in each state. These bishops, in turn, oversee the pastors of local churches. Salvation is to be lived out within the life of the Church, in submission to her doctrine, discipline, and sacraments. We reject the notion of an invisible church or unaffiliated believer. We affirm the Orthodox liturgical calendar, with its cycles of fasting, feasting, Lent, Holy Week, and Pascha. We affirm worship that includes both solemn liturgy and joyful music, including the use of stringed instruments. We teach tithing as a holy obligation, with 10% or more given to the Church for its work among the poor, addicted, and broken.

IX. Angelology and Demonology

We affirm the existence of holy angels—created, immortal spirits who minister before God and serve as messengers and guardians (Hebrews 1:14). We also affirm the existence of fallen angels, known as demons, who rebelled against God and now work to deceive and destroy humanity. Though believers may be oppressed by demonic forces, they cannot be possessed. Exorcism is a sacred act and must only be performed by a bishop after spiritual discernment, prayer, and fasting. We reject the emotionalism and theatricality common in modern deliverance ministries and affirm instead the ancient path of sobriety, preparation, and apostolic order.

X. Mariology and Iconography

We venerate the Holy Virgin Mary as Theotokos—the God-bearer—set apart by her obedience and purity. Though she was not sinless, she resisted sin more faithfully than any human and was chosen by God to bear the incarnate Christ. We reject the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, holding that only Christ is sinless. Mary is not to be worshiped but is rightly honored in prayer, song, and iconography. We venerate icons as windows into heaven, not objects of worship. Statues are rejected, as is any use of graven images that confuses representation with deity. Icons serve to instruct, inspire, and sanctify the senses in the life of devotion.

R.O.C.K. Church of Livingston

A CHURCH OF THE R.O.C.K. CHURCH CORPORATIONS

Doctrine

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