Oneness Pentecostals (UPCI)
Assyrian Church of the East
Affirms

Justification by faith, baptism, and prayer encounter; Arminian with sanctification emphasis

The Cherubim and Seraphim Church teaches that salvation comes through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, coupled with water baptism and prayer encounter with the Holy Spirit. Salvation is understood not merely as forensic justification but as holistic renewal — regeneration of the entire person to live in righteousness and purity before God. The church emphasizes the necessity of a conscious, lived conversion experience rather than nominal Christianity.

In some branches of the C&S, baptism is understood as more than symbolic — it is viewed as an ordinance through which God's grace is channeled and the convert is initiated into the church community and spiritual protection. Prayer, especially all-night vigils and intercessory prayer, is integral to the salvation journey and ongoing sanctification. Salvation is conditional on continued faithfulness and holy living; the church teaches that one can lose salvation through grave sin, reflecting an Arminian soteriology.

The C&S frames salvation not only as individual redemption but as deliverance from the power of evil spirits and protection under God's spiritual authority. Converted believers are expected to live visibly transformed lives marked by moral uprightness, prayer discipline, and separation from worldly practices.

Key Distinctions

Justification means:
faith, prayer, and baptism; Spirit encounter integral
Election type:
conditional — response to gospel; prayer activates grace
Baptismal regeneration:
affirmed in some branches; grace operates through the ordinance
Eternal security:
rejected — ongoing faithfulness required; grave sin can result in loss of salvation

Scripture References

Sources

  • Cherubim and Seraphim Church Doctrine on New Birth
  • Peel, J. D. Y. 'Religious Encounter and the Making of the Yoruba' — academic study of Aladura Christianity