What We Believe

Our United Methodist Discipline states:
As United Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ,
the living reality at the center of the Church’s life and witness. To fulfill this obligation, we
reflect critically on our biblical and theological inheritance, striving to express faithfully the
witness we make in our own time.


Two considerations are central to this endeavor:

  1. the sources from which we derive our theological affirmations and
  2. the criteria by which we assess the adequacy of our understanding and witness

 

Four guidelines are brought to bear on all doctrinal considerations.

They should interact and be used in combination with one another, always remembering the primacy of Scripture.

  1. Scripture The Bible is the primary source for what we believe. Our doctrines are grounded in the Biblical story of God’s self-disclosure in creation; in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; in the activity of the Holy Spirit, and in the coming of God’s promised kingdom. We believe that God’s Word and will are revealed to us when Scripture is interpreted in light of it’s original message, as well as in terms of its meaning for us today.
  2. Tradition Our Christian tradition is rooted in the lives and within the works and testimony of those who have gone before us. Church ritual, hymns, and creeds are all part of our heritage. The devotional classics and theological writings of Christian men and women over the centuries
    form an important part of our tradition. . . . Our tradition gives us an insight into how earlier Christians and communities of faith understood God’s will, how they interpreted the gospel, and how they applied the Scripture to their own lives and situations.
  3. Christian Experience Our personal experience of God’s pardoning and healing love is radically different from intellectual assent to the message of the Bible or to doctrines set forth in our creeds. Christian experience (new life in Christ) gives us new eyes to see the living truth in Scripture. It confirms the biblical message for our present. It illumines our understanding of God and creation and motivates us to make sensitive moral judgments. Although profoundly
    personal, Christian experience is also corporate; our theological task is informed by the experience of the church and by the common experiences of all humanity. In our attempts to understand the biblical message, we recognize that God’s gift of liberating love embraces the whole of creation.
  4. Reason We believe that all truth comes from God. Doctrines that are developed from the study of Scripture, in light of tradition and Christian experience commend themselves to thoughtful people and are submitted to critical analysis. Our beliefs must take into account scientific knowledge and practical experience and avoid self-contradiction. We should try to discover the relationship of revelation to reason, faith to science, and grace to nature as we endeavor to develop doctrines that are credible and clear.

 

 

Our Essential Beliefs

  1. God We believe in one God, who is infinite in wisdom, power, and love. We affirm our trust in God as the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler, of all things, the One who comes to us as the Holy Spirit. We believe that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ give us a clear, full, and true revelation of God.
  2. Jesus Christ We believe in Jesus, the Christ – the promised Messiah and Deliverer, our Savior and the Savior of the world. We believe that Jesus lived a life that was truly human and truly divine. He was tempted in every respect, as we are, yet without sinning (Hebrews 4:15-16). He lived in perfect obedience to God. The unmatched depth of God’s love is revealed within the life and ministry of Jesus’ preaching, teaching, and healing, and in his suffering, death, and
    resurrection.
  3. Holy Spirit We believe in the Holy Spirit as God present with us for guidance, comfort, and strength. We affirm the Holy Spirit’s presence with us in our lives inspiring those qualities known in the New Testament as “the fruit of the Spirit . . .love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23).
  4. Forgiveness We believe in the reality of sin and in the forgiveness of sin. “I few say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, [God] who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). . . . Our repentance is matched by God’s gracious love and acceptance. Forgiveness re-establishes a broken relationship and enables us to begin again. Just as God forgives us, we are
    expected to forgive others.
  5. Scripture We believe that the Word of God contained in the Old and the New Testaments is “the sufficient rule, both of our faith and practice.” Church. We believe in the church as a community of faith and love and as a fellowship for worship, study, and service of all who are united to the living Lord. . . .We affirm our belief in the church universal: the fellowship of Christians around the world.
  6. Kingdom of God We believe in the Kingdom of God as the divine rule in human society. The kingdom is already here; it is yet to come. It is a present reality; it is a future hope. We are called into fellowship with God and with one another to the end that the divine will can be expressed in and through us.
  7. Eternal life We believe in the final triumph of righteousness and in the life everlasting. . . . We believe that eternal life is not simply an extension of life beyond death. But it is also a quality of life in Christ lived here and now. To live in Christ is to know eternal life. . . .Although we may have questions about what life after death may be like, we are confident that the promise of Christ is trustworthy and that God will be with us and sustain us. *

*Excerpts from The United Methodist Primer by Chester E. Custer, pp. 54-58.

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