What We Believe

The following are the core beliefs of Christ First UMC based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.

There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise.  God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom,  justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the Holy Scriptures, and through all of creation itself.

Humans, both male and female, were created in God's image for His glory. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creations.

When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time.

Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ, by faith, as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone.

The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth. 

United Methodist Beliefs
United Methodists share a common heritage with Christians of every age and nation.

1. God created humanity to live in covenant with God. As sinful creatures, we have broken that covenant and stand in need of redemption.  Because God truly loves us, God acted through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to bring us salvation and the hope of eternal life.  
2. God's love comes alive in us by the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit works in both our personal experience and in the common life of the church.
3. We are part of Christ's universal church.  We enter the church through baptism. In Holy Communion, we celebrate the presence of Christ and find strength for Christian living.
4. We Believe that the reign of God is both a present and future reality.  This prospect gives us hope in our present actions.
5. We believe that Scripture contains everything necessary for salvation.  We believe in justification by grace through faith in Christ and in the general ministry of all Christians.
6. We believe that the church is one in Jesus Christ.  We express our unity in hymns and liturgy, in the historic creeds, and in the belief in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
   
   

United Methodists also have distinctive emphases, a legacy of our founder, John Wesley:

1. Prevenient Grace: God's love surrounds us even before we are aware of it. It leads us to want to please God, to discover God's will, and to an awareness of our sin.
2. Justification and Assurance:  God reaches out to the repentant believer with accepting and pardoning love. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified - forgiven and restored to God's favor. This experience of conversion can be sudden and dramatic or gradual.  Wesleyan theology emphasizes that we can know we are saved.
3. Sanctification and Perfection: God's sanctifying grace helps us grow more loving toward God and neighbor, drawing us toward God's gift of Christian perfection, being perfect in love.
4. Faith and Good Works:  Faith in God's redeeming work in Jesus Christ is the only response to God's love we need. however, we express our salvation in good works, sharing God's love with others.
5. Mission and Service: Salvation always involves Christian misssion and service to the world. Personal religion, evangelical witness, and social action go hand-in-hand and build on each other.
6. Nurture and Mission of the Church:  The church nurtures our personal faith and equips us for mission and service in the world.