Our Statements of Belief

The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination in the Wesleyan tradition. We have 16 Articles of Faith which describe what we believe about everything from who God is to repentance and the nature of salvation. Below you will find summary statements about each Article of Faith.  f you are interested in reading our Articles of Faith in their entirety, please download them.   

1.  We believe in one God, the Creator of all things.  He makes Himself known to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

2.  We believe in Jesus Christ, who is both God and man.  He became like us to show us what God is like and to teach us how we might have eternal life. (Matthew 1:20-25, 16:15-16; John 1:1-18)

3.  We believe in the Holy Spirit and that He is active in the world today. (John 14:15-18; 16:7 -15; Romans 8:1-17)

4.  We believe the Bible is the Word of God.  It informs us of all we need to know about how to obtain eternal life and live life with integrity. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

5.  We believe that we are all sinners by both nature and act, needing God's forgiveness and cleansing. (Genesis 3; Romans 3:23, 5:12-14, 6:15-23)

6.  We believe Jesus Christ died on the cross and that by trusting in His death and resurrection we can be restored to a right relationship with God. (Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:14-17)

7.  We believe that God enables us to turn from sin, but that He does not force us to do so. (Genesis 2:16-17; John 1:12; Galatians 6:7-8)

8.  We believe that each person must repent, turn away from their sin, and trust Christ to accept him/her. (Isaiah 55:6-7; Acts 17:30-31)

9.  We believe that when we turn from our sin and trust in Christ, we are forgiven for the acts of sin and become a member of  the family of God. (Acts 13:39; Titus 3:4-7;  Galatians 4:4-7)

10. We believe that God's Spirit desires to cleanse His people from the nature of sin enabling them to live consistently above reproach.  Our strength for living with integrity and love comes from His presence in us. (Matthew 3:11, 22:37-40; 1 John 4:17-18)

11. We believe that God uses the Church to fulfill His plans for the world until Christ returns. (1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 5:25-27)

12. We believe in baptism, and urge people to be baptized publicly to affirm their faith. (Matthew 26:16-29; Acts 2:37-41)

13. We believe in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper (i.e., Holy Communion). (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32)

14. We believe God can heal, and we pray for it.  We also believe that God can work through medical science. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; James 5:13-16)

15. We believe that Jesus is coming again. (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

16. We believe that everyone will face the judgment of God with its rewards and punishments. (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15)

 

For more information about The Church of the Nazarene, what we believe, what we are involved in around the world, and other resources please visit nazarene.org.