There are 29 official
statements that form the basis of our beliefs.
God
The
Scriptures
Humankind
Salvation
The Church
Last
Things
God
The Holy Trinity There is but one living and true God, the maker and
preserver of all things. And in the unity of this Godhead there are
three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These
three are one in eternity, deity and purpose; everlasting, of infinite
power, wisdom and goodness.
The
Son - His
Incarnation
God was himself in Jesus Christ to reconcile people to God. Conceived
by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, He joined together the
deity of God and the humanity of humankind. Jesus of Nazareth
was God in flesh, truly God and truly human. He came to save us. For us
the Son of God suffered, was crucified, dead and buried. He poured out
His life as a blameless sacrifice for our sin and
transgressions. We gratefully acknowledge that He is our Savior, the
one perfect mediator between God and us.
The
Son - His
Resurrection and Exaltation
Jesus Christ is risen victorious from the dead. His resurrected body
became more glorious, not hindered by ordinary human limitations. Thus
He ascended into heaven. There He sits as our exalted Lord
at the right hand of God the Father, where He intercedes for us until
all His enemies shall be brought into complete subjection. He will
return to judge all people. Every knee will bow and every
tongue confess Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The
Holy Spirit
- His Person
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Proceeding from the
Father and the Son, He is one with them, the eternal Godhead, equal in
deity, majesty and power. He is God effective in
Creation, in life and in the church. The Incarnation and ministry of
Jesus Christ were accomplished by the Holy Spirit. He continues to
reveal, interpret and glorify the Son.
The
Holy Spirit
- His Work in Salvation
The Holy Spirit is the administrator of the salvation planned by the
Father and provided by the Son's death, resurrection and ascension. He
is the effective agent in our conviction, regeneration,
sanctification and glorification. He is our Lord's ever-present self,
indwelling, assuring and enabling the believer.
The
Holy Spirit
- His Relation to the Church
The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church by the Father and the
Son. He is the church's life and witnessing power. He bestows the love
of God and makes real the lordship of Jesus Christ in the
believer so that both His gifts of words and service may achieve the
common good and build and increase the church. In relation to the world
He is the Spirit of truth, and His instrument is the Word
of God.
The
Scriptures
Authority
The Bible is God's written Word, uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit.
It bears unerring witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word. As attested
by the early church and subsequent councils, it is the
trustworthy record of God's revelation, completely truthful in all it
affirms. It has been faithfully preserved and proves itself true in
human experience. The Scriptures have come to us through
human authors who wrote, as God moved them, in the languages and
literary forms of their times. God continues, by the illumination of
the Holy Spirit, to speak through this Word to each generation
and culture. The Bible has authority over all human life. It teaches
the truth about God, His creation, His people, His one and only Son and
the destiny of humankind. It also teaches the way of
salvation and the life of faith. Whatever is not found in the Bible nor
can be proved by it is not to be required as an article of belief or as
necessary to salvation.
Authority
of
the Old Testament
The Old Testament is not contrary to the New. Both Testaments bear
witness to God's salvation in Christ; both speak of God's will for His
people. The ancient laws for ceremonies and rites, and the
civil precepts for the nation Israel are not necessarily binding on
Christians today. But, on the example of Jesus we are obligated to obey
the moral commandments of the Old Testament. The books of
the Old Testament are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2
Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms,
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah,
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah,
Malachi.
New
Testament
The New Testament fulfills and interprets the Old Testament. It is the
record of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It
is God's final word regarding humankind, sin, salvation,
the world and its destiny. The books of the New Testament are: Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2
Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1
Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation.
Humankind
Free Moral Persons
God created human beings in His own image, innocent, morally free and
responsible to choose between good and evil, right and wrong. By the
sin of Adam, humans as the offspring of Adam are corrupted
in their very nature so that from birth they are inclined to sin. They
are unable by their own strength and work to restore themselves in
right relationship with God and to merit eternal salvation.
God, the Omnipotent, provides all the resources of the Trinity to make
it possible for humans to respond to His grace through faith in Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord. By God's grace and help people
are enabled to do good works with a free will.
Law
of Life and
Love
God's law for all human life, personal and social, is expressed in two
divine commands: Love the Lord God with all your heart, and love your
neighbor as yourself. These commands reveal what is best
for persons in their relationship with God, others and society. They
set forth the principles of human duty in both individual and social
action. They recognize God as the only Sovereign. All people
as created by Him and in His image have the same inherent rights
regardless of gender, race or color. All should therefore give God
absolute obedience in their individual, social and political acts.
They should strive to secure to everyone respect for their person,
their rights and their greatest happiness in the possession and
exercise of the right within the moral law.
Good
Works
Good works are the fruit of faith in Jesus Christ, but works cannot
save us from our sins nor from God's judgment. As expressions of
Christian faith and love, our good works performed with reverence
and humility are both acceptable and pleasing to God. However, good
works do not earn God's grace.
Salvation
Christ's Sacrifice
Christ offered once and for all the one perfect sacrifice for the sins
of the whole world. No other satisfaction for sin is necessary; none
other can atone.
New
Life in
Christ
A new life and a right relationship with God are made possible through
the redemptive acts of God in Jesus Christ. God, by His Spirit, acts to
impart new life and put people into a relationship with
Himself as they repent and their faith responds to His grace.
Justification, regeneration and adoption speak significantly to
entrance into and continuance in the new life.
Justification
Justification is a legal term that emphasizes that by a new
relationship in Jesus Christ people are in fact accounted righteous,
being freed from both the guilt and the penalty of their
sins.
Regeneration
Regeneration is a biological term which illustrates that by a new
relationship in Christ, one does in fact have a new life and a new
spiritual nature capable of faith, love and obedience to Christ
Jesus as Lord. The believer is born again and is a new creation. The
old life is past; a new life is begun.
Adoption
Adoption is a filial term full of warmth, love, and acceptance. It
denotes that by a new relationship in Christ believers have become His
wanted children freed from the mastery of both sin and Satan.
Believers have the witness of the Spirit that they are children of God.
Entire
Sanctification
Entire sanctification is that work of the Holy Spirit, subsequent to
regeneration, by which the fully consecrated believers, upon exercise
of faith in the atoning blood of Christ, are cleansed in
that moment from all inward sin and empowered for service. The
resulting relationship is attested by the witness of the Holy Spirit
and is maintained by faith and obedience. Entire sanctification
enables believers to love God with all their hearts, souls, strength,
and minds, and their neighbor as themselves, and it prepares them for
greater growth in grace.
Restoration
Christians may be sustained in a growing relationship with Jesus as
Savior and Lord. However, they may grieve the Holy Spirit in the
relationships of life without returning to the dominion of sin.
When they do, they must humbly accept the correction of the Holy
Spirit, trust in the advocacy of Jesus, and mend their relationships.
Christians can sin willfully and sever their relationship with
Christ. Even so by repentance before God, forgiveness is granted and
the relationship with Christ restored, for not every sin is the sin
against the Holy Spirit and unpardonable. God's grace is
sufficient for those who truly repent and, by His enabling, amend their
lives. However, forgiveness does not give believers liberty to sin and
escape the consequences of sinning. God has given
responsibility and power to the church to restore penitent believers
through loving reproof, counsel and acceptance.
The
Church
The church is created by God. It is the people of God. Christ Jesus is
its Lord and Head. The Holy Spirit is its life and power. It is both
divine and human, heavenly and earthly, ideal and
imperfect. It is an organism, not an unchanging institution. It exists
to fulfill the purposes of God in Christ. It redemptively ministers to
persons. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it
that it should be holy and without blemish. The church is a fellowship
of the redeemed and the redeeming, preaching the Word of God and
administering the sacraments according to Christ's instruction.
The Free Methodist Church purposes to be representative of what the
church of Jesus Christ should be on earth. It therefore requires
specific commitment regarding the faith and life of its members.
In its requirements it seeks to honor Christ and obey the written Word
of God.
The
Language of
Worship
According to the Word of God and the custom of the early church, public
worship and prayer and the administration of the sacraments should be
in a language understood by the people. The Reformation
applied this principle to provide for the use of the common language of
the people. It is likewise clear that the Apostle Paul places the
strongest emphasis upon rational and intelligible utterance
in worship. We cannot endorse practices which plainly violate these
scriptural principles.
The
Holy
Sacraments
Water baptism and the Lord's Supper are the sacraments of the church
commanded by Christ. They are means of grace through faith, tokens of
our profession of Christian faith, and signs of God's
gracious ministry toward us. By them, He works within us to quicken,
strengthen and confirm our faith.
Baptism
Water baptism is a sacrament of the church, commanded by our Lord,
signifying acceptance of the benefits of the atonement of Jesus Christ
to be administered to believers as declaration of their faith
in Jesus Christ as Savior. Baptism is a symbol of the new covenant of
grace as circumcision was the symbol of the old covenant; and, since
infants are recognized as being included in the atonement,
they may be baptized upon the request of parents or guardians who shall
give assurance for them of necessary Christian training. They shall be
required to affirm the vow for themselves before being
accepted into church membership.
The
Lord's
Supper
The Lord's Supper is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death.
To those who rightly, worthily and with faith receive it, the bread
which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and
likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ. The
supper is also a sign of the love and unity that Christians have among
themselves. Christ, according to His promise, is really
present in the sacrament. But His body is given, taken and eaten only
after a heavenly and spiritual manner. No change is effected in the
element; the bread and wine are not literally the body and
blood of Christ. Nor is the body and blood of Christ literally present
with the elements. The elements are never to be considered objects of
worship. The body of Christ is received and eaten in
faith.
Last
Things
The Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is a prominent Bible theme providing Christians with
both their tasks and hope. Jesus announced its presence. The kingdom is
realized now as God's reign is established in the
hearts and lives of believers. The church, by its prayers, example and
proclamation of the gospel, is the appointed and appropriate instrument
of God in building His kingdom. But the kingdom is also
future and is related to the return of Christ when judgment will fall
upon the present order. The enemies of Christ will be subdued; the
reign of God will be established; a total cosmic renewal which
is both material and moral shall occur; and the hope of the redeemed
will be fully realized.
The
Return of
Christ
The return of Christ is certain and may occur at any moment, although
it is not given us to know the hour. At His return He will fulfill all
prophecies concerning His final triumph over all evil. The
believer's response is joyous expectation, watchfulness, readiness and
diligence.
Resurrection
There will be a bodily resurrection from the dead of both the just and
the unjust, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life,
they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.
The resurrected body will be a spiritual body, but the person will be
whole and identifiable. The Resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of
resurrection unto life to those who are in Him.
Judgment
God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in
righteousness in accordance with the gospel and our deeds in this life.
Final
Destiny
Our eternal destiny is determined by God's grace and our response, not
by arbitrary decrees of God. For those who trust Him and obediently
follow Jesus as Savior and Lord, there is a heaven of
eternal glory and the blessedness of Christ's presence. But for the
finally impenitent there is a hell of eternal suffering and of
separation from God.
The
Son - His
Incarnation
God was himself in Jesus Christ to reconcile people to God. Conceived
by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, He joined together the
deity of God and the humanity of humankind. Jesus of Nazareth
was God in flesh, truly God and truly human. He came to save us. For us
the Son of God suffered, was crucified, dead and buried. He poured out
His life as a blameless sacrifice for our sin and
transgressions. We gratefully acknowledge that He is our Savior, the
one perfect mediator between God and us.
The
Son - His
Resurrection and Exaltation
Jesus Christ is risen victorious from the dead. His resurrected body
became more glorious, not hindered by ordinary human limitations. Thus
He ascended into heaven. There He sits as our exalted Lord
at the right hand of God the Father, where He intercedes for us until
all His enemies shall be brought into complete subjection. He will
return to judge all people. Every knee will bow and every
tongue confess Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The
Holy Spirit
- His Person
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Proceeding from the
Father and the Son, He is one with them, the eternal Godhead, equal in
deity, majesty and power. He is God effective in
Creation, in life and in the church. The Incarnation and ministry of
Jesus Christ were accomplished by the Holy Spirit. He continues to
reveal, interpret and glorify the Son.
The
Holy Spirit
- His Work in Salvation
The Holy Spirit is the administrator of the salvation planned by the
Father and provided by the Son's death, resurrection and ascension. He
is the effective agent in our conviction, regeneration,
sanctification and glorification. He is our Lord's ever-present self,
indwelling, assuring and enabling the believer.
The
Holy Spirit
- His Relation to the Church
The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church by the Father and the
Son. He is the church's life and witnessing power. He bestows the love
of God and makes real the lordship of Jesus Christ in the
believer so that both His gifts of words and service may achieve the
common good and build and increase the church. In relation to the world
He is the Spirit of truth, and His instrument is the Word
of God.
The
Scriptures
Authority
The Bible is God's written Word, uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit.
It bears unerring witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word. As attested
by the early church and subsequent councils, it is the
trustworthy record of God's revelation, completely truthful in all it
affirms. It has been faithfully preserved and proves itself true in
human experience. The Scriptures have come to us through
human authors who wrote, as God moved them, in the languages and
literary forms of their times. God continues, by the illumination of
the Holy Spirit, to speak through this Word to each generation
and culture. The Bible has authority over all human life. It teaches
the truth about God, His creation, His people, His one and only Son and
the destiny of humankind. It also teaches the way of
salvation and the life of faith. Whatever is not found in the Bible nor
can be proved by it is not to be required as an article of belief or as
necessary to salvation.
Authority
of
the Old Testament
The Old Testament is not contrary to the New. Both Testaments bear
witness to God's salvation in Christ; both speak of God's will for His
people. The ancient laws for ceremonies and rites, and the
civil precepts for the nation Israel are not necessarily binding on
Christians today. But, on the example of Jesus we are obligated to obey
the moral commandments of the Old Testament. The books of
the Old Testament are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2
Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms,
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah,
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah,
Malachi.
New
Testament
The New Testament fulfills and interprets the Old Testament. It is the
record of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It
is God's final word regarding humankind, sin, salvation,
the world and its destiny. The books of the New Testament are: Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2
Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1
Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation.
Humankind
Free Moral Persons
God created human beings in His own image, innocent, morally free and
responsible to choose between good and evil, right and wrong. By the
sin of Adam, humans as the offspring of Adam are corrupted
in their very nature so that from birth they are inclined to sin. They
are unable by their own strength and work to restore themselves in
right relationship with God and to merit eternal salvation.
God, the Omnipotent, provides all the resources of the Trinity to make
it possible for humans to respond to His grace through faith in Jesus
Christ as Savior and Lord. By God's grace and help people
are enabled to do good works with a free will.
Law
of Life and
Love
God's law for all human life, personal and social, is expressed in two
divine commands: Love the Lord God with all your heart, and love your
neighbor as yourself. These commands reveal what is best
for persons in their relationship with God, others and society. They
set forth the principles of human duty in both individual and social
action. They recognize God as the only Sovereign. All people
as created by Him and in His image have the same inherent rights
regardless of gender, race or color. All should therefore give God
absolute obedience in their individual, social and political acts.
They should strive to secure to everyone respect for their person,
their rights and their greatest happiness in the possession and
exercise of the right within the moral law.
Good
Works
Good works are the fruit of faith in Jesus Christ, but works cannot
save us from our sins nor from God's judgment. As expressions of
Christian faith and love, our good works performed with reverence
and humility are both acceptable and pleasing to God. However, good
works do not earn God's grace.
Salvation
Christ's Sacrifice
Christ offered once and for all the one perfect sacrifice for the sins
of the whole world. No other satisfaction for sin is necessary; none
other can atone.
New
Life in
Christ
A new life and a right relationship with God are made possible through
the redemptive acts of God in Jesus Christ. God, by His Spirit, acts to
impart new life and put people into a relationship with
Himself as they repent and their faith responds to His grace.
Justification, regeneration and adoption speak significantly to
entrance into and continuance in the new life.
Justification
Justification is a legal term that emphasizes that by a new
relationship in Jesus Christ people are in fact accounted righteous,
being freed from both the guilt and the penalty of their
sins.
Regeneration
Regeneration is a biological term which illustrates that by a new
relationship in Christ, one does in fact have a new life and a new
spiritual nature capable of faith, love and obedience to Christ
Jesus as Lord. The believer is born again and is a new creation. The
old life is past; a new life is begun.
Adoption
Adoption is a filial term full of warmth, love, and acceptance. It
denotes that by a new relationship in Christ believers have become His
wanted children freed from the mastery of both sin and Satan.
Believers have the witness of the Spirit that they are children of God.
Entire
Sanctification
Entire sanctification is that work of the Holy Spirit, subsequent to
regeneration, by which the fully consecrated believers, upon exercise
of faith in the atoning blood of Christ, are cleansed in
that moment from all inward sin and empowered for service. The
resulting relationship is attested by the witness of the Holy Spirit
and is maintained by faith and obedience. Entire sanctification
enables believers to love God with all their hearts, souls, strength,
and minds, and their neighbor as themselves, and it prepares them for
greater growth in grace.
Restoration
Christians may be sustained in a growing relationship with Jesus as
Savior and Lord. However, they may grieve the Holy Spirit in the
relationships of life without returning to the dominion of sin.
When they do, they must humbly accept the correction of the Holy
Spirit, trust in the advocacy of Jesus, and mend their relationships.
Christians can sin willfully and sever their relationship with
Christ. Even so by repentance before God, forgiveness is granted and
the relationship with Christ restored, for not every sin is the sin
against the Holy Spirit and unpardonable. God's grace is
sufficient for those who truly repent and, by His enabling, amend their
lives. However, forgiveness does not give believers liberty to sin and
escape the consequences of sinning. God has given
responsibility and power to the church to restore penitent believers
through loving reproof, counsel and acceptance.
The
Church
The church is created by God. It is the people of God. Christ Jesus is
its Lord and Head. The Holy Spirit is its life and power. It is both
divine and human, heavenly and earthly, ideal and
imperfect. It is an organism, not an unchanging institution. It exists
to fulfill the purposes of God in Christ. It redemptively ministers to
persons. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it
that it should be holy and without blemish. The church is a fellowship
of the redeemed and the redeeming, preaching the Word of God and
administering the sacraments according to Christ's instruction.
The Free Methodist Church purposes to be representative of what the
church of Jesus Christ should be on earth. It therefore requires
specific commitment regarding the faith and life of its members.
In its requirements it seeks to honor Christ and obey the written Word
of God.
The
Language of
Worship
According to the Word of God and the custom of the early church, public
worship and prayer and the administration of the sacraments should be
in a language understood by the people. The Reformation
applied this principle to provide for the use of the common language of
the people. It is likewise clear that the Apostle Paul places the
strongest emphasis upon rational and intelligible utterance
in worship. We cannot endorse practices which plainly violate these
scriptural principles.
The
Holy
Sacraments
Water baptism and the Lord's Supper are the sacraments of the church
commanded by Christ. They are means of grace through faith, tokens of
our profession of Christian faith, and signs of God's
gracious ministry toward us. By them, He works within us to quicken,
strengthen and confirm our faith.
Baptism
Water baptism is a sacrament of the church, commanded by our Lord,
signifying acceptance of the benefits of the atonement of Jesus Christ
to be administered to believers as declaration of their faith
in Jesus Christ as Savior. Baptism is a symbol of the new covenant of
grace as circumcision was the symbol of the old covenant; and, since
infants are recognized as being included in the atonement,
they may be baptized upon the request of parents or guardians who shall
give assurance for them of necessary Christian training. They shall be
required to affirm the vow for themselves before being
accepted into church membership.
The
Lord's
Supper
The Lord's Supper is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death.
To those who rightly, worthily and with faith receive it, the bread
which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and
likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ. The
supper is also a sign of the love and unity that Christians have among
themselves. Christ, according to His promise, is really
present in the sacrament. But His body is given, taken and eaten only
after a heavenly and spiritual manner. No change is effected in the
element; the bread and wine are not literally the body and
blood of Christ. Nor is the body and blood of Christ literally present
with the elements. The elements are never to be considered objects of
worship. The body of Christ is received and eaten in
faith.
Last
Things
The Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is a prominent Bible theme providing Christians with
both their tasks and hope. Jesus announced its presence. The kingdom is
realized now as God's reign is established in the
hearts and lives of believers. The church, by its prayers, example and
proclamation of the gospel, is the appointed and appropriate instrument
of God in building His kingdom. But the kingdom is also
future and is related to the return of Christ when judgment will fall
upon the present order. The enemies of Christ will be subdued; the
reign of God will be established; a total cosmic renewal which
is both material and moral shall occur; and the hope of the redeemed
will be fully realized.
The
Return of
Christ
The return of Christ is certain and may occur at any moment, although
it is not given us to know the hour. At His return He will fulfill all
prophecies concerning His final triumph over all evil. The
believer's response is joyous expectation, watchfulness, readiness and
diligence.
Resurrection
There will be a bodily resurrection from the dead of both the just and
the unjust, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life,
they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.
The resurrected body will be a spiritual body, but the person will be
whole and identifiable. The Resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of
resurrection unto life to those who are in Him.
Judgment
God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in
righteousness in accordance with the gospel and our deeds in this life.
Final
Destiny
Our eternal destiny is determined by God's grace and our response, not
by arbitrary decrees of God. For those who trust Him and obediently
follow Jesus as Savior and Lord, there is a heaven of
eternal glory and the blessedness of Christ's presence. But for the
finally impenitent there is a hell of eternal suffering and of
separation from God.
For
more details, or for
the scriptural basis for these statements, contact Pastor Glenn at
(480) 924-0025.
