Beliefs
|
The United Methodist Church has been described as, "Religion in the extreme center." |
|
| Unique Emphasis of The United Methodist Church |
|
| Social Holiness is an overwhelming concern for social issues that not only affect the quality of life of persons around the world but also affect the ways people are treated with justice. United Methodists have always worked on behalf of the poor as a witness to our faith. Social holiness is an emphasis in our messages and actions because we believe Christians are to be the hands and feet of Christ. | |
| Personal Holiness is our attempt to be transformed by the grace of God to become more like Christ. Personal Holiness is not an attempt to be super religious or "holier than thou". It is our effort to keep our message and actions consistent with one another. It is a decision to deepen our understanding of God and live in accordance with His will. | |
|
Grace is not unique to the United Methodist Church, for God has made grace available to all who would come to Christ. The United Methodist Church emphasized a threefold form of grace a sa way to describe the way God's unmerited gift of acceptance works in our lives. |
|
| Previent Grace goes before us preparing us to meet God. Long before we recognize or acknowledge God's action in our lives we believe God is there. Previent Grace is that grace that sets the conditions and circumstances for us to experience God. | |
| Justifying Grace is that which convinces us of our sin and our need for God. To "justify" means "to make right". Justifying Grace makes us right with God through the sacrifice of Christ. The guilt of sin is taken away by Jesus on the cross and we are forgiven. This is most significantly spoken of in the song "Amazing Grace" with the line, "I once was lost, but now I'm found". Justifying Grace is God finding us. | |
| Santifying Grace makes us more like Christ. If Justifying Grace takes away the guilt of sin, Sanctifying Grace takes away our bent to sinning. All this is God's work within us and there in nothing we can do to earn it, diminish it, or even improve upon it. Sanctifying Grace allows us to live a perfect life of love. | |
| Because we are human we tend to fall from grace and continually need God to come again to heal and forgive. The threefold forms of grace ar not static, but are fluid in the sense that they move in and through us throughout our lives. | |
| Beliefs held in common by all Christian denominations |
|
| Trinity - We believe that God is three in one. God has revealed in scripture that He is known in three distinct ways, but is one being. The traditional way of speaking of the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Another way, which expands our understanding of the concept is Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. | |
| Justification by grace through faith - The Bible teaches that "all fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). In order to return to right relationship with God we must be redeemed. Our justification comes as a gift of grace that can never be earned. We receive the gift of grace only through faith. | |
| Salvation through Jesus Christ - It was Martin Luther who said, "Solo Christus," which means, "in Christ alone". As Christians we believe that it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we are saved from our sins and given eternal life. | |
| The Church is essential to the Christian life. The Church is established by God as the mode for our spiritual growth. It is the place we grow in wisdom, understanding, and our knowledge of God. The church is also the place we are given opportunity to share our faith through giving, service, and witness. The church is described as where two or more are gathered in the name of Christ. The church is the hope of the world because it is the only institution on the planet that can change someone's heart. God has expressly given the church the task of transforming lives with His grace. Because of this the church has unlimited power, passion and potential. | |
| God's Reign - God is the creator and owner of everything. God established the earth as a testimony to His goodness and grace. God is in control and is working to bring all things to perfection under His authority. As followers of Christ we become stewards, or managers, or all that is His. Life works best when we submit to God's authority and allow Him to guide our steps. | |
| Authority of Scripture - The Bible is the inspired Word of God. The scriptures of the Old and New Testament contain everything necessary for our knowledge of salvation. God reveals Himself in scripture as a gracious way for humanity to know Him. Scripture is understood and amplified through tradition, experience, and reason. By these sources we confirm the nature of God revealed in scripture. | |
