The Wesleyan Church is an evangelical, Protestant, holiness
denomination organized to proclaim the good news of Jesus
Christ. The technical name for our church's theological
heritage is Arminian-Wesleyan. This refers to the teachings
of James Arminius and John Wesley. Arminius (1560-1609),
a Dutch theologian, stressed that God has predestined all
who believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life and those who
reject Him for eternal separation from God; that He has
given us as human beings true freedom to accept or reject
this salvation; that He offers grace to enable all persons
to repent and believe; and that believers are secure spiritually
in Christ based on continued faith and obedience to God.
Wesley was a priest in the Church of England in the 1700's
and the founder of the Methodist movement. He added to Arminius'
insights an emphasis on the assurance of salvation believers
can enjoy through the inner "witness of the Spirit." He
also taught about the entire sanctification of believers
by which their hearts are made perfect in love for God and
other persons.
Wesleyans are convinced that the Bible is God's written
Word and the final authority for all Christian beliefs and
practices. Therefore, our statements of faith, which we
call "Articles of Religion," seek to express only what the
Bible teaches, as those teachings have been understood by
the Church as a whole in its official assemblies. The
Discipline, the book containing the constitution and
bylaws of The Wesleyan Church, includes twenty-one "Articles
of Religion." Each has its own brief list of supporting
Scripture passages.
We believe in the one living and true God, both holy and
loving, eternal, unlimited in power, wisdom, and goodness,
the Creator and Preserver of all things. Within this unity
there are three persons of one essential nature, power,
and eternity-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Gen. 1:1; 17:1; Ex. 3:13-15; 33:20;
Deut. 6:4; Ps. 90:2; Isa 40:28-29; Matt 3:16-17; 28:19;
John 1:1-2; 4:24; 16:13; 17:3; Acts 5:3-4; 17:24-25; I Cor.
8:4, 6; Eph. 2:18; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:16-17; I Tim. 1:17;
Heb. 1:8; I John 5:20.
We believe the Father is the Source of all that exists,
whether of matter or spirit. With the Son and the Holy Spirit,
He made man in His image. By intention He relates to man
as Father, thereby forever declaring His goodwill toward
man. In love, He both seeks and receives penitent sinners.
Ps. 68:5; Isa. 64:8; Matt. 7:11;
John 3:17; Rom. 8:15; I Peter 1:17.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin
Mary, truly God and truly man. He died on the cross and
was buried, to be a sacrifice both for original sin and
for all the transgressions of men, and to reconcile us to
God. Christ rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into
heaven, and there intercedes for us at the Father's right
hand until He returns to judge all men at the last day.
Ps. 16:8-10; Matt. 1:21, 23; 11:27;
16:28; 27:62-66; 28:5-9, 16-17; Mark 10:45; 15; 16:6-7;
Luke 1:27, 31, 35; 24:4-8, 23; John 1:1, 14, 18; 3:16-17;
20:26-29; 21; Acts 1:2-3; 2:24-31; 4:12; 10:40; Rom. 5:10,
18; 8:34; 14:9; I Cor. 15:3-8, 14; II Cor. 5:18-19; Gal.
1:4; 2:20; 4:4-5; Eph. 5:2; I Tim. 1:15 Heb 2:17; 7:27;
9:14, 28; 10:12; 13:20; I Peter 2:24; I John 2:2; 4:14.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father
and the Son, and is of the same essential nature, majesty,
and glory, as the Father and the Son, truly and eternally
God. He is the Administrator of grace to all mankind, and
is particularly the effective Agent in conviction for sin,
in regeneration, in sanctification, and in glorification.
He is ever present, assuring, preserving, guiding, and enabling
the believer.
Job 33:4; Matt. 28:19; John 4:24;
14:16-17; 15:26; 16:13-15; Acts 5:3-4; Rom. 8:9; II Cor.
3:17; Gal. 4:6.
We believe that the books of the Old and New Testaments
constitute the Holy Scriptures. They are the inspired and
infallibly written Word of God, fully inerrant in their
original manuscripts and superior to all human authority,
and have been transmitted to the present without corruption
of any essential doctrine. We believe that they contain
all things necessary to salvation; so that whatever is not
read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required
of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith,
or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. Both
in the Old and New Testaments life is offered to mankind
ultimately through Christ, who is the only Mediator between
God and man. The New Testament teaches Christians how to
fulfill the moral principles of the Old Testament, calling
for loving obedience to God made possible by the indwelling
presence of His Holy Spirit.
The canonical books of
the Old Testament are:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua,
Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, II Kings, I
Chronicles, II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job,
Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, The Song of Solomon, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi.
The canonical books of
the New Testament are:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, I Corinthians,
II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,
I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, II Timothy,
Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I Peter, II Peter, I John,
II John, III John, Jude, and Revelation.
Ps. 19:7; Matt. 5:17-19; 22:37-40;
Luke 24:27, 44; John 1:45; 5:46; 17:17; Acts 17:2, 11; Rom.
1:2; 15:4, 8; 16:26; II Cor. 1:20; Gal. 1:8; Eph. 2:15-16;
I Tim. 2:5; II Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12; 10:1; 11:39; James
1:21; I Peter 1:23; II Peter 1:19-21; I John 2:3-7; Rev.
22:18-19.
We believe that the two great commandments which require
us to love the Lord our God with all the heart, and our
neighbors as ourselves, summarize the divine law as it is
revealed in the Scriptures. They are the perfect measure
and norm of human duty, both for the ordering and directing
of families and nations, and all other social bodies, and
for individual acts, by which we are required to acknowledge
God as our only Supreme Ruler, and all men as created by
Him, equal in all natural rights. Therefore all men should
so order all their individual, social, and political acts
as to give to God entire and absolute obedience, and to
assure to all men the enjoyment of every natural right,
as well as to promote the fulfillment of each in the possession
and exercise of such rights.
Lev. 19:18, 34; Deut. 1:16-17; Job
31:13-14; Jer. 21:12; 22:3; Micah 6:8; Matt. 5:44-48; 7:12;
Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:27-29, 35; John 13:34-35; Acts 10:34-35;
17:26; Rom. 12:9; 13:1, 7-8, 10; Gal. 5:14; 6:10; Titus
3:1; James 2:8; I Peter 2:17; I John 2:5; 4:12-13; II John
6.
We believe that man is created in the image of God, that
human s¥xuality reflects that image in terms of intimate
love, communication, fellowship, subordination of the self
to the larger whole, and fulfillment. God's Word makes use
of the marriage relationship as the supreme metaphor for
His relationship with His covenant people and for revealing
the truth that that relationship is of one God with one
people. Therefore God's plan for human s¥xuality is
that it is to be expressed only in a monogamous lifelong
relationship between one man and one woman within the framework
of marriage. This is the only relationship which is divinely
designed for the birth and rearing of children and is a
covenant union made in the sight of God, taking priority
over every other human relationship.
Gen. 1:27-28; 2 :18, 20, 23, 24;
Isa. 54:4-8; 62:5b; Jer. 3:14; Ezek. 16:3ff.; Hosea 2; Mal.
2:14; Matt. 19:4-6; Mark 10:9; John 2:1-2, 11; I Tim. 5:14;
I Cor. 9:5; Eph. 5:23-32; Heb. 13:4; Rev. 19:7-8.
We believe that man's creation in the image of God included
ability to choose between right and wrong. Thus man was
made morally responsible for his choices. But since the
fall of Adam, man is unable in his own strength to do the
right. This is due to original sin, which is not simply
the following of Adam's example, but rather the corruption
of the nature of every man, and is reproduced naturally
in Adam's descendants. Because of it, man is very far gone
from original righteousness, and of his own nature is continually
inclined to evil. He cannot of himself even call upon God
or exercise faith for salvation. But through Jesus Christ
the prevenient grace of God makes possible what man in himself
cannot do. It is bestowed freely upon all men, enabling
all who will to tum and be saved.
Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Deut. 30:19; Josh.
24:15; I Kings 20:40; Ps. 51:5; Isa. 64:6; Jer. 17:9; Mark
7:21-23; Luke 16:15; John 7:17; Rom. 3:10-12; 5:12-21; I
Cor. 15:22; Eph. 2:1-3; I Tim. 2:5; Titus 3:5; Heb. 11:6;
Rev. 22:17.
We believe that Christ's offering of himself, once and
for all, through His sufferings and meritorious death on
the cross, provides the perfect redemption and atonement
for the sins of the whole world, both original and actual.
There is no other ground of salvation from sin but that
alone. This atonement is sufficient for every individual
of Adam's race. It is unconditionally effective in the salvation
of those mentally incompetent from birth, of those converted
persons who have become mentally incompetent, and of children
under the age of accountability. But it is effective for
the salvation of those who reach the age of accountability
only when they repent and exercise faith in Christ.
Isa. 52:13-53:12' Luke
24:46-47; John 3:16; Acts 3:18; 4:12; Rom. 3:20, 24-26;
5:8-11, 13, 18-20; 7:7; 8:34; I Cor. 6:11; 15:22; Gal. 2:16;
3:2-3; Eph. 1:7; 2:13,16; I Tim. 2:5-6; Heb. 7:23-27; 9:11-15,
24-28; 10:14; I John 2:2; 4:10.
We believe that for man to appropriate what God's prevenient
grace has made possible, he must voluntarily respond in
repentance and faith. The ability comes from God, but the
act is man's. Repentance is prompted by the convicting ministry
of the Holy Spirit. It involves a willful change of mind
that renounces sin and longs for righteousness, a godly
sorrow for and a confession of past sins, proper restitution
for wrongdoings, and a resolution to reform the life. Repentance
is the precondition for saving faith, and without it saving
faith is impossible. Faith, in tum, is the only condition
of salvation. It begins in the agreement of the mind and
the consent of the will to the truth of the gospel, but
issues in a complete reliance by the whole person in the
saving ability of Jesus Christ and a complete trusting of
oneself to Him as Savior and Lord. Saving faith is expressed
in a public acknowledgment of His Lordship and an identification
with His church.
Mark 1:15; Luke 5:32; 13:3; 24:47;
John 3:16; 17:20; 20:31; Acts 5:31; 10:43; 11:18; 16:31;
20:21; 26:20; Rom. 1:16; 2:4; 10:8-10, 17; Gal. 3:26; Eph.
2:8; 4:4-6; Phil. 3:9; II Thess. 2:13; II Tim. 2:25; Heb.
11:6; 12:2; I Peter 1:9; II Peter 3:9.
We believe that when man repents of his sin and believes
on the Lord Jesus Christ, he in the same moment is justified,
regenerated, adopted into the family of God, and assured
of his salvation through the witness of the Spirit.
We believe that we are accounted righteous before God only
on the basis of the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
being justified by faith alone, and not on the basis of
our own works.
We believe that regeneration is that work of the Holy Spirit
by which the pardoned sinner becomes a child of God. This
new life is received through faith in Jesus Christ, and
by it the regenerate is delivered from the power of sin
which reigns over all the unregenerates, so that they love
God and through grace serve Him with the will and affections
of the heart, receiving the Spirit of Adoption.
Regeneration: John 1:12-13; 3:3, 5-8;
II Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 2:5, 10, 19; 4:24; Col. 3:10;
Titus 3:5; James 1:18; I Peter 1:3-4; II Peter 1:4; I John
3:1.
Adoption: Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5, 7; Eph.
1:5.
Witness of the Spirit: Rom. 8:16-17; Gal.
4:6; I John 2:3; 3:14,18-19.
We believe that although good works cannot save us from
our sins or from God's judgment, they are the fruit of faith
and follow after regeneration. Therefore they are pleasing
and acceptable to God in Christ, and by them a living faith
may be as evidently known as a tree is discerned by its
fruit.
Matt. 5:16; 7:16-20; John 15:8;
Rom 3:20; 4:2, 4, 6; Gal. 2:16; 5:6; Eph. 2:10; Phil. 1:11;
Col. 1:10; I Thess. 1:3; Titus 2:14; 3:5; James 2:18, 22;
I Peter 2:9, 12.
We believe that after we have experienced regeneration,
it is possible to fall into sin, for in this life there
is no such height or strength of holiness from which it
is impossible to fall. But by the grace of God one who has
fallen into sin may by true repentance and faith find forgiveness
and restoration.
Mal. 3:7; Matt. 18:21-22; John 15:4-6;
I Tim. 4:1, 16; Heb. 10:35-39; I John 1:9; 2:1, 24-25.
We believe that sanctification is that work of the Holy
Spirit by which the child of God is separated from sin unto
God and is enabled to love God with all his heart and to
walk in all His holy commandments blameless. Sanctification
is initiated at the moment of justification and regeneration.
From that moment there is a gradual or progressive sanctification
as the believer walks with God and daily grows in grace
and in a more perfect obedience to God. This prepares for
the crisis of entire sanctification which is wrought instantaneously
when the believer presents himself a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable to God, through faith in Jesus Christ, being
effected by the baptism with the Holy Spirit who cleanses
the heart from all inbred sin. The crisis of entire sanctification
perfects the believer in love and empowers him for effective
service. It is followed by lifelong growth in grace and
the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The
life of holiness continues through faith in the sanctifying
blood of Christ and evidences itself by loving obedience
to God's revealed will.
Gen. 17:1; Deut. 30:6; Ps. 130:8;
Isa. 6:1-6; Ezek. 36:25-29; Matt. 5:8, 48; Luke 1:74-75;
3:16-17; 24:49; John 17:1-26; Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:1-4; 15:8-9;
26:18; Rom. 8:3-4; I Cor. 1:2; 6:11; II Cor. 7:1; Eph. 4:13,
24; 5:25-27; I Thess. 3:10, 12-13; 4:3, 7-8; 5:23-24; II
Thess. 2:13; Titus 2:11-14; Heb. 10:14; 12:14; 13:12; James
3:17-18; 4:8; I Peter 1:2; II Peter 1:4; I John 1:7, 9;
3:8-9; 4:17-18; Jude 24.
We believe that the Gift of the Spirit is the Holy Spirit
himself, and He is to be desired more than the gifts of
the Spirit which He in His wise counsel bestows upon individual
members of the Church to enable them properly to fulfill
their function as members of the body of Christ. The gifts
of the Spirit, although not always identifiable with natural
abilities, function through them for the edification of
the whole church. These gifts are to be exercised in love
under the administration of the Lord of the church, not
through human volition. The relative value of the gifts
of the Spirit is to be tested by their usefulness in the
church and not by the ecstasy produced in the ones receiving
them.
Luke 11:13; 24:49; Acts 1:4; 2:38-39;
8:19-20; 10:45; 11:17 Rom. 12:4-8; I Cor. 12:1-14:40 Eph.
4:7-8, 11-16; Heb. 2:4; 13:20-21; I Peter 4:8-11.
We believe that the Christian church is the entire body
of believers in Jesus Christ, who is the founder and only
Head of the church. The church includes both those believers
who have gone to be with the Lord and those who remain on
the earth, having renounced the world, the flesh, and the
devil, and having dedicated themselves to the work which
Christ committed unto His church until He comes. The church
on earth is to preach the pure Word of God, properly administer
the sacraments according to Christ's instructions, and live
in obedience to all that Christ commands. A local church
is a body of believers formally organized on gospel principles,
meeting regularly for the purposes of evangelism, nurture,
fellowship, and worship. The Wesleyan Church is a denomination
consisting of those members within district conferences
and local churches who, as members of the body of Christ,
hold the faith set forth in these Articles of Religion and
acknowledge the ecclesiastical authority of its governing
bodies.
Matt. 16:18; 18:17; Acts 2:41-47;
9:31; 11:22; 12:5; 14:23; 15:22; 20:28; I Cor. 1:2; 12:28;
16:1; II Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:9-10,
21; 5:22-33; Col. 1:18, 24; I Thess. 1:1; II Thess. 1:1;
I Tim. 3:15; Heb. 12:23; James 5:14.
We believe that water baptism and the lord's Supper are
the sacraments of the church commanded by Christ and ordained
as a means of grace when received through faith. They are
tokens of our profession of Christian faith and signs of
God's gracious ministry toward us. By them, He works within
us to quicken, strengthen, and confirm our faith. We believe
that water baptism is a sacrament of the church, commanded
by our Lord and administered to believers. It is a symbol
of the new covenant of grace and signifies acceptance of
the benefits of the atonement of Jesus Christ. By means
of this sacrament. believers declare their faith in Jesus
Christ as Savior.
Matt. 3:13-17; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11;
John 3:5, 22, 26; 4:1-2; Acts 2:38-39, 41; 8:12-17, 36-38;
9:18; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:5; 22:16; Rom 2:28-29; 4:11; 6:3-4;
I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27-29; Col. 2:11-12; Titus 3:5.
We believe that the Lord's Supper is a sacrament of our
redemption by Christ's death and of our hope in His victorious
return, as well as a sign of the love that Christians have
for each other. To such as receive it humbly, with a proper
spirit and by faith, the Lord's Supper is made a means through
which God communicates grace to the heart.
Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke
22:19-20; John 6:48-58; I Cor. 5:7-8; 10:3-4,16-17; 11:23-29.
We believe that the certainty of the personal and imminent
return of Christ inspires holy living and zeal for the evangelization
of the world. At His return He will fulfill all prophecies
made concerning His final and complete triumph over evil.
Job 19:25-27; Isa. 11:1-12; Zech.
14:1-11; Matt. 24:1-51; 25; 26:64; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 17:22-37;
21:5-36; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:6-11; I Cor. 1:7-8; I Thess.
1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:1-11, 23; II Thess. 1:6-10;
2:1-12; Titus 2:11-14; Heb. 9:27-28; James 5:7-8; II Peter
3:1-14; I John 3:2-3; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-16; 22:6-7, 12, 20.
We believe in the bodily resurrection from the dead of
all mankind of the just unto the resurrection of life, and
of the unjust unto the resurrection of damnation. The resurrection
of the righteous dead will occur at Christ's Second Coming,
and the resurrection of the wicked will occur at a later
time. The resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of the
resurrection of those who are in Christ. The raised body
will be a spiritual body, but the person will be whole and
identifiable.
Job 19:25-27; Dan. 12:2; Matt. 22:30-32;
28:1-20; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 14:14; 24:1-53; John 5:28-29;
11:21-27; 20:1-21:25; Acts 1:3; Rom. 8:11; I Cor. 6:14;
15:1-58; II Cor. 4:14; 5:1-11; I Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 20:4-6,
11-13.
We believe that the Scriptures reveal God as the Judge
of all mankind and the acts of His judgment are based on
His omniscience and eternal justice. His administration
of judgment will culminate in the final meeting of mankind
before His throne of great majesty and power, where records
will be examined and final rewards and punishments will
be administered.
Eccl. 12:14; Matt. 10:15; 25:31-46;
Luke 11:31-32; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom. 2:16; 14:10-12; II
Cor. 5:10; II Tim. 4:1; Heb. 9:27; II Peter 3:7; Rev. 20:11-13.
We believe that the Scriptures clearly teach that there
is a conscious personal existence after death. The final
destiny of man is determined by God's grace and man's response,
evidenced inevitably by his moral character which results
from his personal and volitional choices and not from any
arbitrary decree of God. Heaven with its eternal glory and
the blessedness of Christ's presence is the final abode
of those who choose the salvation which God provides through
Jesus Christ, but hell with its everlasting misery and separation
from God is the final abode of those who neglect this great
salvation.
Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:34-46; Mark
9:43-48; Luke 13:3; John 8:21-23; 14:2-3; II Cor. 5:6, 8,
10; Heb. 2:1-3; 9:27-28; 10:26-31; Rev. 20:14-15; 21; 22:1-5,14-15
The Discipline of The Wesleyan Church, 1988 (Indianapolis,
Ind.: Wesleyan Publishing House, 1989), pars. 103-126, pp.
20-28.
Prepared by the General Department of Evangelism &
Church Growth
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