What We Believe as United Methodists

United Methodists affirm what our Book of Discipline calls “Basic Christian Affirmations.” These are essentially things all Christians believe. There are many things all Christians believe, which are too numerous to list here. Basic examples include:

  • We believe in a triune God – the Trinity. We believe in God, who is in heaven and who is the Creator of all; Jesus, God in human form, who died on the cross and rose again for our salvation; and the Holy Spirit, God with us, in our hearts and in our midst.

  • We believe that God will one day judge each one of us, but that our sins have been covered by the blood of the Lamb – Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice and death paid the price for our sins, a debt we could never pay ourselves.

  • We believe that Jesus Christ established the Church. He taught His disciples His message and sent them out to teach others. When He ascended to heaven, He gave them the Great Commission – the calling to spread the gospel to all.

  • We celebrate the sacraments of baptism and communion. Through baptism, we are initiated into the fellowship of believers – the Church. Through communion, we remember Christ’s sacrifice, participate in His risen presence, and are nourished for faithful discipleship.

  • We recognize the authority of the Scriptures in matters of faith. 

What We Believe Which Distinguishes United Methodists From Some Other Denominations

  • We believe that God’s grace is freely offered to all, and that God gives us the ability to choose for ourselves whether or not to accept that grace. Some choose to accept God’s grace; others do not. Some denominations of Christians do not believe in free will but in pre-destination – that God determined in advance whom God would save and whom God would not. They believe this is pre-determined, and not a matter of free will. United Methodists believe in free will.

  • Ecumenism essentially means trying to get all Christians to work together as one. While some denominations cling to strict interpretations of Scripture as a way to set themselves apart from other Christians, The United Methodist Church has long been one of the leaders of the ecumenical effort – trying to bring Christians to talk together and be in mission together and to emphasize our common beliefs instead of our differences.

  • We believe that our good works cannot save us, but that they spring forth naturally from a faith which is sincere and alive. Our good works are “fruits of faith.” In short, we believe salvation is through faith alone through God’s grace made manifest in Jesus Christ. For some Christians, good works are a necessary part of salvation and can redeem sin.

  • In The United Methodist Church, we believe Christ’s sacrifice was for all, and so communion is offered to all. Some denominations refuse communion to other Christians because they believe that they are the one true church or because they have the one true understanding of communion. We believe that communion is open to all.

  • For some denominations, the Christian journey essentially ends when you have accepted Christ as your Savior. We believe this is really the beginning of the journey of faith. We believe we should be helping each other throughout our lives to study the life of Christ, know Christ personally, and grow to be more like Christ every day. We may never reach perfection, but we should be striving for it.