Essentials of the Christian Faith
In Essentials, Unity; In Non-Essentials, Liberty; In All Things, Charity
– John Wesley
- God’s presence, love and grace surround us, go before us, and greet us on the way.
- Commitment to Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord, is essential to being a Christian. When we are baptized we become members of the community of faith.
- The goal of the Christian life is to attain during our lifetime all the desired qualities of love enabled by the Holy Spirit.
- The Bible contains everything we need to know for the practice of the Christian life. It is most responsibly interpreted using the Christian community’s best gifts of reason, tradition, and experience.
- We grow in our faith by practicing these Christian disciplines:
- Sabbath keeping and worship
- Prayer and fasting
- Bible Study
- Receiving Holy Communion
- Being a part of a Christian community (group)
- Doing Christian ministry (service)
- Evidences of the Christian life are these:
- Peace
- Joy
- Patience
- Kindness
- Generosity
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-Control
- Eternal life is the free gift of God.
