A Christian is someone who trusts and follows Jesus Christ, or seeks to do so. Christians believe that God is made known to us through Jesus, and they learn from his life and teaching as it is shared in the New Testament, especially in the Gospels.
Many Christians express their faith through baptism, which the Church has long recognised as a sign of commitment to Christ and belonging within the Christian community.
Scripture often speaks of believing and being baptised together [link to baptism page], though not always in a fixed order. At the same time, Christians recognise that people may be at different stages of faith and journey, and being baptised is not the only way people seek to live as followers of Jesus.
Christians grow in faith by spending time with God and with one another through prayer, worship, learning, and sharing in God’s work in the world. They seek to live with the help of the Holy Spirit, together with other Christians. In the Methodist Church, A Methodist Way of Life offers a framework for living this out in everyday life.
Christians live with gratitude and joy for God’s love, shown most clearly in Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit, they seek to do God’s will, growing in love for God and for their neighbours.
What is faith in Jesus Christ?
Faith in Jesus Christ means trusting that, through him, God offers salvation [link to salvation page]. More than simply agreeing with ideas about God, faith is about trust and relationship: relying on God’s love, grace, and promises, even when doubts or questions remain. Belief can describe what someone thinks or holds to be true, but faith goes further, shaping how a person lives and responds.
Christians show their faith by wanting to live in God’s way and by loving others in practical and everyday actions. Faith is not only something held inwardly, but something lived out, as people seek to reflect God’s love through kindness, justice, generosity, and care for others.
You can read more about this in the Bible:
- Ephesians 2:4–10
- James 2:14–26
- Acts 16:29–31
How does God want us to live?
Christians believe that God wants us to live lives shaped by love. Jesus summed this up clearly when he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind,” and “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39). He also gave his followers a new commandment: to love one another as he has loved us (John 13:34–35). These words offer not just rules, but a way of life rooted in relationship with God and with others.
Christians recognise that living this way does not always come naturally. Because of what Christians call sin [link to sin page]— the ways we turn away from God’s love and harm our relationships with God, other people, and ourselves — we often fall short of the life Jesus calls us to live. This is why Christians believe we need God’s help, not just our own good intentions.
God’s love does not leave us struggling alone. God guides us in many ways. God speaks inside us through the Holy Spirit and our conscience. Through the Holy Spirit, God works within us, shaping our desires, understanding, and actions over time. God also guides us through the Bible, through other Christians and their advice, and through the things that happen each day. God guides us most clearly when we try to follow Jesus’ example. Finding God’s guidance is not always easy. Our thoughts, prayers and even advice from friends can be shaped by habits or ideas that are not from God.
When Christians seek to live in God’s way, their lives may begin to show what the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self‑control (Galatians 5:22–23). These are signs of God’s transforming love at work, rather than a checklist to achieve.
In the Methodist Church, this shared life of loving God and neighbour is supported through practices such as worship, learning together, service, and caring for others. A Methodist Way of Life offers a simple framework to help people respond to God’s love in everyday life, individually and together, as they grow in faith, hope, and love.