Basic United Methodist Beliefs
Primacy of grace
– God, who is revealed through Jesus Christ, loves human beings and all creation. Grace is God’s loving action in human existence through the Holy Spirit.Human worth – God endows each person with dignity and moral responsibility. Humanity and its destiny are chief among God’s purposes. The full splendor of true humanity is seen in Jesus Christ.
Conversion and new birth – Change in the human heart can and does occur – through grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Christian experience may be expressed in many different thought forms and life-styles.
Faith and good works – They belong together. Personal salvation leads to involvement in Christian mission in the world. Personal religion and Christian social action are mutually reinforcing.
Holiness – Christians are to allow the Holy Spirit to shape them more and more into the image of Christ. Faithful disciples work for a world of reconciliation, peace, justice and love.
Prevenient grace – This is the grace – the divine love – that "runs ahead" of our conscious impulses and leads our hearts toward faith.
Justifying grace
– This is the grace – born in God’s love – that provides redemption from sin and guilt through the sacrificial life and acts of Jesus Christ.Sanctifying grace – This is the grace that offers Holy Spirit power and perseverance to "run the race" of faith and reap the promises of abundant life on earth and eternal life in heaven.
The Sacraments
Like most other Protestants, United Methodists recognize those sacraments in which Jesus Christ himself participated – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism
For United
Methodists, baptism is the sacrament of initiation that joins us with the church
and with Christians everywhere. It’s a symbol of new life and a promise of God’s
saving love. . . and a sign of God’s forgiveness of our sins.
Infants as well as
adults may be baptized. A person receives the sacrament only once in his or her
life. Water is the special symbol of baptism, although other natural elements
are sometimes used when no water is available.
United Methodists
baptize by sprinkling, immersion or pouring.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is a holy meal of bread and grape juice that symbolizes the body and blood of Christ. By sharing this meal, United Methodists give thanks for Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and receive grace to empower us to go on in Christian living. The Lord’s Supper recalls the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and celebrates the unity of all the members of God’s family.
While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." ~~ Mark 14:22-24