We believe in God: the Father Almighty
A great place to begin understanding what we believe is with God the Father. God the Father is the creator of all that is seen and unseen. As the Bible reveals, and as the historic and ancient Church has professed for nearly 2000 years, we believe God is revealed in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe in Jesus Christ: God's only Son our Lord
Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. As the Gospel of John states, Jesus is "the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6, English Standard Version). Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. He was crucified, died, and was buried. We believe in the resurrection (He rose on the third day). And, we believe He will return to make all things new. It is through Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection that our sins are forgiven, and we are made righteous (atoned), through grace.
We believe in God: the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is at work in the world since the beginning. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Together, with the Father and the Son, the Spirit is worshipped and glorified. It is through the Holy Spirit that God's work on earth is accomplished (revealing Himself in scripture, working in the life of believers, and restoring humanities relationship with God).
We believe in the Holy Scriptures
The Bible is God's word. Through the Holy Spirit, men wrote the sacred stories and revelations of God's work in the lives of Israel and later in the lives of Christians. We believe in the books of the Old and New Testaments. All things necessary for salvation are contained in the holy scriptures. Anything that is not in harmony with the Bible is not to be held as a doctrine or necessary to salvation.
We believe in Grace
God's grace is what allows a Christian to obtain salvation. We believe salvation is by God's grace alone, through faith. As a Methodist Church, we believe in God's prevenient, convicting, and sanctifying grace. Prevenient grace is the grace that is at work in our lives before we even know it (through the work of the Holy Spirit). Convicting grace is the grace that reveals to us that we are sinful, and we need salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sanctifying grace is the grace that leads us "on to perfection." That is, it is the grace that keeps us working toward being holy and maintaining our relationship with God.
We believe in the Church
New Life Church is part of the one holy, catholic and apostolic church. That is we are part of the universal church. We are united with Christians of all times and places, and we join in the historic faith handed down by the apostles, reformers, and even those working to reform the faith today. The church is not a building, though people often worship and experience church in a physical place. Instead, the church is made up of all believing people.
We believe in the Sacraments
We believe there are two sacraments: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. Sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace.
In Holy Baptism, the outward and visible sign is water. The inward and spiritual grace is the washing away of sin, death to sin, and resurrection to new life. Typically, Methodists practice infant baptism. There are a number of reasons for it: the Bible tells of people who had their entire families baptized -- including children, it is the historic practice of the church, it symbolizes the "circumcision" of the heart (similar to the physical circumcision described in the Old Testament), and it signifies entrance into the life of the church. Parents make vows on behalf of the child to raise it in the Christian faith, and congregants make vows to hold the parents accountable.
In Holy Communion, the outward and visible sign is bread and wine (or juice), and the inward and spiritual grace is the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine. We believe, through the Holy Spirit and words of consecration, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. This is a mystery. We welcome any person to receive communion, as we believe this is God's table, and all are welcome.