Below are summary statements on key points of Christian thought and practice from a Wesleyan perspective.
This list is neither presented in a particular order nor exhaustive.
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GOD
Triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.
Holy, righteous, just, and loving.
Immanent, transcendent, eternal, immutable. and self-existing.
Without hierarchy.
Sovereign.
SCRIPTURE
The Old and New Testaments are Divinely inspired, truthful documents that teach all that is necessary for faith and Christian living.
CREATION
The point of the creation account is that God made everything. How God chose to do that doesn’t really matter. Christians can disagree on the “how.”
SIN
To sin is to violate God’s law. It is to life as though God is not in charge.
ATONEMENT
Sin separates man from God. Humans cannot bridge this gap. Therefore, God the Father sent God the Son, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, to live perfectly (or “fulfill the Law”) and offer Himself as a sacrifice. Jesus was crucified, buried for three days and rose again.
The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is offered to the whole of humanity, regardless of race, sex, gender, class, ethnicity or past. Anyone may come to God through Jesus. It is impossible for anyone to choose God without God granting us the ability to do so. The loving action of the Holy Spirit known as prevenient grace, or the grace that goes before, prepares and enables the sinner to choose God.
Though salvation is offered to all, the atoning work of Christ is sufficient only for those who repent and submit to Christ.
REPENTANCE
Repentance is required for a restored relationship with God. To repent is turn away from sin and toward God. In doing so, we acknowledge the depth of our need and ask Jesus to apply the work of the Cross and Resurrection to our lives. We submit to Christ’s rule over every aspect of our lives. We commit to rejecting sin and obeying God.
JUSTIFICATION
When we submit to Jesus in faith, believing that Jesus died and rose again, we are made right before God.
REGENERATION
Upon justification, one is regenerated, or made new in Christ.
SANCTIFICATION
Believers are enabled by God to have victory over sin. We do not have to live defeated lives and should not continue in willful sin if we are in relationship with Christ. We are to be submitted to Christ, recognizing that God has the authority to create the boundaries and define the way. The overall pattern and habit of our lives is to be one one of obedience to the Lord.
Our faith in shown in our works, or how we live. Thus the Christian life should be marked by growth in grace and love toward all, a firm commitment to sharing the truth of the Good News and the rejection of sin.
Christians are called to speak for the voiceless, defend the oppressed, and care for the widow and the orphaned.
Christian faith should lead the individual to commit to peace. Violence and the taking of human life at any stage is contradictory to the Gospel. This commitment involves much more than being against abortion. We should support and work toward: equal pay for women, wide access to birth control, the swift prosecution of rapists, genuine healthcare reform, raising the minimum wage in correlation to the rising cost of living, the dismantling of the for-profit prison system, shoring up the public education system, etc. We are not single-issue people.
We do not ever have permission to be harsh or condescending toward those with whom we disagree, whether within or outside of the faith. Other people are not our enemies.
WOMEN & MEN
In the making of everything and everyone, God made man and woman, both of whom reflect God’s image. Woman and man are entirely equal.
Women and men of all ages and backgrounds are called and gifted by God to serve God as God wills and pleases. It is not wrong for women to pursue higher education, work outside the home, or serve in pastoral roles.
Christian marriage is between one man and one woman. Sex, within the bounds of such a marriage, is a good gift.
Children are a blessing, not a requirement. Those who are infertile and those who choose to not have children are not condemned by God. There is no commandment regarding family size or the use of birth control in Scripture. Such decisions are between the couple and God.
Marriage is not required for salvation.
HEALING
God can and does heal miraculously. God also heals through medical treatment, nutrition, and exercise. If healing is not God’s will, then God will be faithful to pour out peace, patience and strength upon the suffering.
The sick are not being punished for sin.
Medical treatment and vaccinations are not contrary to Christian faith.
ENDINGS
Those who have repented of their sin and come under the authority of God will live eternally with God.
Those who do not repent and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior will be eternally separated from God.
The Lord will one day return, the dead will be raised and the final judgment will take place.
For additional information, please consult the Church of the Nazarene Manual.