Faith, repentance, and baptism by immersion are all necessary for salvation
The ICOC teaches, in line with the broader Churches of Christ tradition, that salvation requires: (1) hearing and believing the gospel, (2) genuine repentance, (3) a verbal confession of Jesus as Lord, and (4) baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sins. Baptism is not a work that earns salvation but is the divinely appointed moment at which God grants forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A distinctive ICOC emphasis is that repentance must be genuinely radical — a complete turning from sin — before baptism. The ICOC has historically been willing to re-baptize people who were baptized without fully understanding or committing to true discipleship. This has been controversial: the ICOC does not typically recognize the baptisms of those from other traditions as valid if they lacked the full apostolic understanding of Acts 2:38.
Key Distinctions
- Justification means:
- faith + repentance + baptism by immersion strictly required
- Election type:
- Arminian; free will; discipling movement emphasis
- Baptismal regeneration:
- baptism required for salvation — must be done in awareness of forgiveness
- Eternal security:
- can fall away — ongoing discipleship and accountability required
Scripture References
Sources
- ICOC Statement of Belief
- Gordon Ferguson, Prepared to Answer (1995)