What We Believe – Varnell United Methodist Church

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God

[vc_column_text]We believe in one almighty God who is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He exists eternally in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three are distinct, but equal.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father who created the world and all that is in it. God is sovereign, the ruler of the universe. We believe that God is loving and that everyone can experience His love and grace.

God the Son

We believe that Jesus Christ was God’s only Son, who was both divine and human. He lived a sinless life as a man and died on the cross for the sins of the world. After three days, He rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven to be at the right hand of the Father. We believe that Jesus is our Savior. Through Him we receive forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. We believe that Jesus is our Lord, and we are called to be His disciples.

God the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us. The Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need. It convicts us when we stray from God. The Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and empowers us to live faithfully and obediently.[/vc_column_text]

Humans

[vc_column_text]We believe that God created human beings in God’s own image. Every person is loved by God and is of sacred worth and must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity.

While God’s creation in the beginning was good, including us humans, we believe that we have fallen from God’s original intention for humanity and began to live lives not as God intended. Christian theology names this fall from God’s intentions sin, and there is not one person, except Jesus Christ, who has not had sin in their life. This sin separates us from the One who is our origin and destiny. Sin is our alienation from God, our willful act of turning from God as the center of life and making our own selves and our own wills the center.

We believe that in order for humans to be made right, to be put back into a right relationship with God, we must confess our sins and turn back to God. We believe that God gives us humans the freedom to choose to accept or reject a relationship with God, but in order in order for us to be the ultimate human God created us to be, we must be in relationship with God.

We believe that because of God’s extraordinary love for us, God gifts us His grace and mercy when we turn back to him. He alone justifies us, He saves us. There is no behavior, no matter how holy or righteous, by which we can achieve salvation. Rather, it is the gift of a gracious God.[/vc_column_text]

The Bible

[vc_column_text]We believe that the Bible is the true Word of God, written by humans but inspired by the Holy Spirit. We believe the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice. We affirm that the core of the Christian faith is revealed in Scripture as “the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3; NRSV). We look to the Bible therefore as our authority and trustworthy guide, which “is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16; NRSV). While we understand scripture can be illuminated by tradition, reason, and experience, we believe the revelation of Scripture is the church’s primary and final authority on all matters of faith and practice and that every Christian needs to know and study the Old Testament (the Hebrew scriptures) and the New Testament (the Christian Scriptures).[/vc_column_text]

Christian Life

[vc_column_text]We believe salvation cannot be earned and is offered by the grace of God to all who accept Jesus Christ as their savior and place their faith in Him. Our goal is to be transformed by the Holy Spirit through prayer and obedience to the Word so that we can perfect the image of Christ in us. As Christians, we believe it is critical not only to believe, but to live out our faith in our personal lives, our communities, and the world.[/vc_column_text]

The Church

[vc_column_text]We believe that the Church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today. The church is a community of faith which is made of all past, present and future disciples of Christ (the community of saints). The church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith. The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We are compelled to love like Christ so that our lives, our city, and the world are transformed for the glory of God.[/vc_column_text]

Prayer

[vc_column_text]We believe in the power of prayer. We believe God’s will is done when faithful people lift one another in prayer and surround one another with God’s love. We believe in miracles when God says “yes” to our prayers. We also believe that sometimes God’s answer is “no,” or “not yet.” We believe God hears our prayers and the prayers of all people.[/vc_column_text]

Sacraments

[vc_column_text]We recognize only the two Sacraments participated in and ordained by Christ himself: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe these Sacraments are outward and visible signs of an inward, spiritual grace.

Baptism

Baptism marks us as brothers and sisters of Christ and calls us into a new relationship with God. The form of Baptism, whether sprinkling, pouring, or immersion, is not as important as the symbol of the Sacrament. Baptism is God’s naming and claiming of us to be children in God’s kingdom. Our understanding of the Sacrament is not a requirement to its effective change and call on our lives. We baptize infants and children, therefore, as well as adults. And we acknowledge the Baptism of other faith traditions because we believe the one-time Sacrament is about God’s activity in our lives.

The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper, instituted by Christ, is Christ’s table, or Eucharist, or Holy Communion. In the United Methodist Church, Holy Communion is offered to all who come in faith seeking beloved community with other another and a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ regardless of denominational affiliation or profession of faith. We call this an open table. We partake of the Sacrament in memory of Christ’s death and with the promise of the forgiveness of our sins. We believe, as we eat the bread and drink from the cup, we are united with Christ’s presence in, under, with, and through the elements and through the Holy Spirit.[/vc_column_text]

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