What do Christians believe?

When we live honestly, with kindness, vulnerability, and generosity, we may begin to notice something remarkable: love taking shape in our lives, in the lives of those around us, and in the world in small, unexpected ways. Moments of patience, acts of care, and words that heal rather than hurt can be signs of something larger breaking through. Jesus spoke about this reality using many different images - seeds growing quietly, yeast working through dough, treasure discovered, a feast shared - to describe what he called the kingdom of God.

Christians understand the kingdom of God as God’s love and goodness becoming visible in everyday life, showing what the world can be like when God’s presence reshapes how we live, act, and relate to one another. It is not only a future hope, but something that can be glimpsed and experienced now.

As Christians, we seek to reflect the kingdom of God by living out God’s will here on earth. This includes working against injustice, challenging what harms or excludes, and seeking ways of living that are shaped by love, dignity, and hope for all.

The Methodist Church has six Principles for justice which describe what we understand of God’s justice and what this means for us as justice-seekers. These principles inform our justice Priorities, and the Practices we undertake in response.

Add film introducing the Principles here: https://youtu.be/BZ5WfzAkiYY

Find out more about being a justice-seeking church, and our five priority areas:

• Tackling inequality and poverty
• Enabling a flourishing environment
• Seeking justice for refugees
• Opposing discrimination
• Pursuing peace

Grace comes from the Latin word gratis, which means “favour, thanks, kindness”. We use it to remind us that we depend [JB1] completely on God. God made us to be in relationship with God [JB2] and with each other, and God keeps us and the world going. God chooses to love and help us. . When we turn to Jesus and live as his disciples, it is God’s Spirit at work in us that changes us. This change is God’s work, not ours.

Methodists have a hopeful view of the world, even when life feels difficult. We believe that God created the world to be good, as we see in Genesis 1, and that God’s Spirit still cares for creation. This shows God’s grace that comes before anything we do. It is God’s free gift, given because of God’s goodness, not because we deserve it. Methodists speak of three aspects of God’s grace.

Prevenient Grace

Methodists speak of prevenient grace to describe God’s love already at work in our lives before we are aware of it or respond in faith. Prevenient is an old word which means “going before”, pointing to the belief that God’s grace always comes first.

Christians believe this grace is present wherever people are drawn towards love, truth, justice, or compassion. It awakens conscience, stirs longing, and opens hearts to change. No one comes to faith by their own effort alone; God’s grace is already at work.

In Methodist theology, prevenient grace holds together God’s initiative and human freedom. God lovingly invites rather than forces a response. This encourages humility and hope: humility, because faith is not a personal achievement, and hope, because no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

You can read more about this in the Bible:

• John 12:32
• Romans 2:4
• Titus 2:11

Justifying Grace

Methodists use the term justifying grace to describe what happens when a person responds to God’s grace in faith. At that moment, God forgives sin, restores relationship, and assures the person of God’s love; not because they have earned it, but because of what God has done in Jesus Christ.

In Methodist theology, justifying grace is not something decided in advance for a chosen few. Rather, prevenient grace is already at work, drawing people towards God, and justification comes as we respond in trust and turn towards God in faith.

Justifying grace is more than a legal declaration. It is the beginning of new life with God; a lived renewal of relationship that brings peace, freedom, and hope. This grace opens the way for continued growth, as God’s Spirit keeps working within us to shape our lives in love.

You can read more about this in the Bible:

• 1 Corinthians 1:26–31
• Romans 8:1

Sanctifying Grace

Methodists use the term sanctifying grace to describe how God continues to work in a person’s life after they have responded in faith. Through this grace, the Holy Spirit shapes and renews us over time, helping us to grow in holiness.

Holiness does not mean moral perfection [link to perfection below] or withdrawal from everyday life. To be holy is to love God and to love our neighbour. Becoming more holy means learning to love more fully and faithfully, by God’s grace.

Sanctifying grace is a lifelong process rather than a final achievement. It flows from justifying grace and leads to lives increasingly marked by love, mercy, justice, and compassion, as God’s grace bears fruit in everyday life.

You can read more about this in the Bible:

• 1 Peter 2:9–10
• Romans 12:1–21
• Ephesians 3:14–21; 4:12–16

In the Methodist tradition, Christian perfection does not mean being morally flawless or never making mistakes. Instead, it is a way of speaking about how God’s love can shape a person’s whole life over time. John Wesley used the term to describe a deep and growing love for God and neighbour, rather than a state of human perfection.

Christians believe that God’s grace is at work throughout their lives: forgiving, healing, and transforming them. Christian perfection points to the hope that this grace can become so central that love increasingly shapes a person’s intentions, attitudes, and actions. It is about being renewed in love, not about achieving spiritual success or self‑improvement through effort alone.

Methodists understand this as a dynamic, ongoing journey rather than a final destination. People continue to grow, to be challenged, and to rely on God’s grace. Christian perfection is therefore less about what a person has achieved, and more about becoming open to what God is doing within them, through the Holy Spirit.

This way of speaking encourages Christians to take discipleship seriously while remaining humble and realistic about human limitations. It holds together confidence in God’s transforming love with compassion for ourselves and others, trusting that God’s purpose is always greater love: for God, for neighbour, and for the world.

The good news is that God has acted decisively in Jesus Christ to deal with our brokenness and sin; that is, God has acted to save us. In Christ, God offers love, forgiveness, acceptance, and new life.

Salvation means the forgiveness of sin, freedom from guilt, and the gift of new life in Christ. It begins now, brings hope in the face of death, and will be completed in God’s presence. This saving work not only renews individual lives, but also restores relationships, communities, and ultimately the whole of creation, as God brings all things towards the fullness of life God intends.

We can be confident of our salvation through:

• The promises given in the Bible
• The inner assurance of the Holy Spirit
• The evidence of God’s work in our lives
• The encouragement of fellow Christians

The Bible reminds us not to rely on feelings alone, but on God’s promises and presence.

You can read more about this in the Bible:

• Mark 1:14–20
• Romans 5:1–11
• 1 Peter 1:18–21; 2:10
• Romans 8:14–17, 31–39
• Hebrews 10:23–25
• 2 Timothy 2:11–13
• Galatians 5:19–23
• 1 John 1:5–2:6
• John 10:27–30

Christians use the word sin to describe what is opposed to love. Sin separates us from God, and because of that separation, it affects all of humanity. When we are cut off from loving relationship with God, we act in ways that deny God’s presence, God’s love, and what God desires for us and for the world. Sin shows itself in actions, words, and thoughts that harm relationships and distort love.

Jesus taught that the heart of faithful living is to love God with all that we are, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Sin can be understood as anything that pulls us away from that love of God and neighbour. It is not only about breaking rules or doing obvious harm; it also includes indifference, neglect, self‑centredness, or going along with patterns that damage others or ourselves.

Christians recognise that sin is not only something individuals do. Sin can also be lived out collectively, through communities, societies, and institutions — including the Church — when injustice, inequality, exclusion, or abuse become normal or unchallenged. These shared patterns of sin can be hard to see, yet they shape lives and limit love.

In Methodist theology, sin is taken seriously, but it is not the end of the story. God’s love is always reaching out in grace, seeking to heal what is broken and restore what has been separated. Christians name sin honestly not to inspire shame, but to open the way to forgiveness, renewal, and transformed living through Jesus Christ.

Jesus suffered death and was raised again for us, so that we might live for him. The theological term for this is ‘atonement’, which is a combination of words: ‘at-one-ment’. This means that through Jesus Christ, we are made ‘at one’ with God.

There have been many ways to understand this over the centuries, different ways of understanding what it says in the Bible and building on other people’s understanding

Sacrifice

One of the earliest ways Christians spoke about Jesus’ death was through the idea of sacrifice. People in the ancient world were used to animal sacrifices, which were done for many reasons. In the Jewish tradition, sacrifices were a way God gave people to deal with sin and with other things that had gone wrong.[JB2] This way of understanding Jesus’ death is expressed in several images found in the Bible and early Christian worship. Jesus is spoken of as the Lamb of God, echoing the sacrifices of the Hebrew scriptures and the Passover story; his death is also described as a costly offering of love, given for others. These images do not explain exactly how salvation works, but they help Christians say that, in Jesus’ death, God deals with sin and brokenness and opens the way to forgiveness and new life.

Victory

Christians also spoke about the cross using triumphal language. Jesus’ death and resurrection were seen as a victory. The resurrection showed Jesus’ triumph and confirmed that God had acted in and through him. This is why we often talk about Jesus Christ’s victory over death and sin when we talk about salvation.

Legal satisfaction

As time went on, the image of sacrifice did not feel as real for people in medieval Europe. Anselm, a Christian thinker of the time, tried to explain what Jesus’ death achieved by using a legal picture. He said that sin dishonoured God, and that someone had to make things right. Only someone without sin could do this. Jesus gave this “satisfaction” on behalf of humanity.

Substitution or exchange

Some Christians understand Jesus’ death in terms of substitution: the idea that Christ stands in our place. In this view, Jesus takes upon himself what separates humanity from God, acting on behalf of others so that relationship can be restored.

One form of this understanding speaks of Jesus taking the consequences of human wrongdoing, sometimes using the language of punishment. Supporters of this view believe it conveys the seriousness of sin and the depth of Christ’s self‑giving love.

However, many Christians do not hold this understanding of the cross, or use this language with caution. They question whether God requires punishment in order to forgive, and resist explanations that suggest God is violent, retributive, or in conflict within God’s own being. For these Christians, penal substitution does not reflect the God revealed in Jesus’ life and teaching.

The suffering humanity of Christ

Christians have often reflected on the suffering of Jesus on the cross as a powerful expression of God’s love for humanity. In Jesus’ pain, vulnerability, and willingness to suffer, Christians see a God who is not distant from human suffering, but who enters into it fully.

This way of understanding the cross focuses on how Jesus’ love, shown through suffering, can move and change us. As people recognise the cost of that love, they may be drawn towards repentance, gratitude, trust, and a desire to live differently. The cross becomes a call to respond to God’s love with love for others.

The suffering of God in Christ

Some Christians understand the cross not only as the suffering of Jesus, but as the suffering of God in Christ. In this view, God is not distant or untouched by human pain, but fully involved in it. The cross shows that God enters into suffering from the inside, sharing the cost and weight of broken relationships for the sake of the world.

This way of understanding the cross emphasises that God’s love is not abstract or detached. In Jesus’ suffering, Christians see God’s deep commitment to humanity: a willingness to bear pain, loss, and rejection in order to bring healing and reconciliation. God does not overcome suffering by standing apart from it, but by entering into it in love.

This understanding of the cross is deeply connected to Christian belief in the Trinity. It holds together the idea that Jesus truly suffers, and that God is fully present in that suffering, working to restore relationship and renew the world. For many Christians, this offers a powerful assurance that no human pain or loss is outside God’s compassionate and redeeming love.

None of these ways of understanding what happened fully explain it, but together they show that through the cross, God acted decisively for the world.

Repentance means turning away from sin in sorrow and turning toward God to seek forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ. We ‘repent’ by acknowledging that we have done something wrong and seeking out God and the change that God can give us through grace

You can read more about this in the Bible:

• Matthew 7:13–14, 21–27
• John 3:18

Christians believe that those who trust in Christ already share in the new life God gives. This life does not end with death. Christians trust that, in God’s time, they will share fully in Christ’s victory over death and be raised to new and transformed life in God’s presence.

What is begun now will be known in fullness. The love, joy, and life already glimpsed in Christ will be complete, and death will no longer have the final word. This renewed and abundant life with God is what Christians mean when they speak of heaven.

What about people who refuse to repent and turn to God?

Some Christian teaching uses language about people who refuse to turn towards God being “under judgment” or “separated from God”. Taken on its own, this can sound final or bleak, but the Bible itself contains several different voices on what happens when we die, especially for those whose lives feel unfinished or unrepentant. Some passages speak of judgment and separation (for example Matthew 25.31–46; 2 Thessalonians 1.9), which have shaped more traditional views of hell. Other texts suggest that judgment is meant to heal and restore rather than condemn (such as Lamentations 3.31–33; Hosea 11.8–9; Romans 11.32). And still others offer a deeply hopeful vision in which “in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15.22) and God is finally “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15.28).

Because the Bible includes all these strands, many Christians today, including many in the Methodist tradition, place more emphasis on God’s mercy than on fear of punishment. When we conduct funerals, we speak out of this hope, entrusting every person to the goodness of God, trusting that nothing — not even our incomplete repentance — lies beyond the reach of transforming grace.

You can read more about this in the Bible:

• Luke 23:40–43
• John 10:10; 11:25–26; 6:40
• 1 Corinthians 13:8–13; 15:12–57

Christians believe evil is real, but people understand it in different ways. Evil can affect individuals and whole societies. It is seen in personal suffering and in things like violence, poverty, discrimination and oppression. How Christians respond depends on how they understand evil and its power. The Church responds through worship, prayer, preaching, pastoral care and action for justice.

Evil is mentioned often in worship. In baptism, we turn away from evil. In the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to “deliver us from evil.” Christians may face evil many times in life, but we trust that Christ has defeated its power through his death and resurrection.

People themselves can choose to do evil — through actions, words, or silence — when they turn away from love, truth, or responsibility. Evil takes shape through human decisions and behaviours, whether deliberately or through fear, selfishness, or indifference. This means that evil is not just “out there”, but something Christians are called to resist and repent of in themselves, as well as to challenge in the world around them.

Christians believe that the truths of our faith are found in the Bible and summed up in the historic creeds of the Church. These creeds are short statements that express what Christians believe about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Why Do We Have Creeds?

Creeds help us:

• Stay rooted in Scripture – they reflect what the Bible teaches.
• Connect with the wider Church – Christians across the world and throughout history have used these words.
• Express our faith together – in worship and in daily life.

The Church uses two main creeds that go back to the early centuries of Christian history:

• The Apostles’ Creed
• The Nicene Creed

The Apostles’ Creed

The Apostles' Creed is so called because it summarises the teaching of the apostles of Jesus, and was at one time believed to date back to them.

It has been used in the Western Church since the early days in the teaching of those being prepared for admission to the Church. It is the affirmation of faith traditionally used at Baptism. I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

The Creed of Nicaea was first formulated at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. What is now commonly known as the Nicene Creed is a later development of this original statement, expanded and refined at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381, and later affirmed by the wider Church at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. This Creed is the one most commonly used in Communion services and other key acts of worship, such as ordinations. It appears in some Communion Services in The Methodist Worship Book and is also shared widely across other Christian traditions.

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The creeds in hymns

Two hymns in Singing the Faith—hymn number 688 and hymn number 764—offer beautiful reflections on the faith expressed in the creeds. They don’t just state beliefs; they weave them into worship and song. Traditionally they were sung, rather than just recited. Take a few minutes to read or sing them and notice how they bring these truths to life? You might find fresh insights or a deeper sense of connection as you do.