What We Believe
God
We believe in the one true, holy, and living God, Eternal Spirit, who is Creator, Sovereign, and Preserver of all things visible and invisible. He is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of men, to the glory of his name. We believe the one God reveals Himself as the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, distinct but inseparable, eternally one in essence and power.
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man, in whom the divine and human natures are perfectly and inseparably united. He is the eternal Word made flesh, the only begotten Son of the Father, born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. As ministering Servant, He lived, suffered, and died on the cross. He was buried, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven to be with the Father, from whence He shall return. He is the eternal Savior and Mediator, who intercedes for us, and by Him, all men will be judged.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from and is one in being with the Father and the Son. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He leads men through faithful response to the gospel into the fellowship of the Church. He comforts, sustains, and empowers the faithful and guides them into all truth.
The Holy Bible
We believe the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, reveals the Word of God so far as it is necessary for our salvation. It is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice. Whatever is not revealed in or established by the Holy Scriptures is not to be made an article of faith, nor is it to be taught as essential to salvation.
The Church
We believe the Christian Church is the community of all true believers under the Lordship of Christ. We believe it is one, holy, apostolic, and catholic. It is the redemptive fellowship in which the Word of God is preached by men divinely called, and the sacraments are duly administered according to Christ’s own appointment. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit, the Church exists for the maintenance of worship, the edification of believers, and the redemption of the world.
The Sacraments
We believe the Sacraments, ordained by Christ, are symbols and pledges of the Christian’s profession and God’s love toward us. They are means of grace by which God works invisibly in us, quickening, strengthening, and confirming our faith in him. Two Sacraments are ordained by Christ our Lord, namely Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Sin and Free Will
We believe man is fallen from righteousness and, apart from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, is destitute of holiness and inclined to evil. Except a man be born again, He cannot see the Kingdom of God. In his own strength, without divine grace, man cannot do good works pleasing and acceptable to God. We believe, however, man influenced and empowered by the Holy Spirit is responsible in freedom to exercise his will for good.
Reconciliation through Christ
We believe God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. The offering Christ freely made on the cross is the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, redeeming man from all sin so that no other satisfaction is required.
Justification and Regeneration
We believe we are never accounted righteous before God through our works or merit, but that penitent sinners are justified or accounted righteous before God only by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe regeneration is the renewal of man in righteousness through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, whereby we are made partakers of the divine nature and experience newness of life. By this new birth, the believer becomes reconciled to God and is enabled to serve Him with the will and the affections.
We believe, although we have experienced regeneration, it is possible to depart from grace and fall into sin, and we may even then, by the grace of God, be renewed in righteousness.
Good Works
We believe good works are the necessary fruits of faith and follow regeneration, but they do not have the virtue of removing our sins or of averting divine judgment. We believe good works, pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, spring from a true and living faith, for through and by them, faith is made evident.
Sanctification and Christian Perfection
We believe sanctification is the work of God’s grace through the Word and the Spirit, by which those who have been born again are cleansed from sin in their thoughts, words, and acts, and are enabled to live in accordance with God’s will and to strive for holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Entire sanctification is a state of perfect love, righteousness, and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain by being delivered from the power of sin by loving God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and by loving one’s neighbor as one’s self. Through faith in Jesus Christ, this gracious gift may be received in this life both gradually and instantaneously and should be sought earnestly by every child of God. We believe this experience does not deliver us from the infirmities, ignorance, and mistakes common to man, nor the possibilities of further sin. The Christian must continue on guard against spiritual pride and seek to gain victory over every temptation to sin. He must respond wholly to the will of God so that sin will lose its power over him, and the world, the flesh, and the devil are put under his feet. Thus, He rules over these enemies with watchfulness through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Public Worship
We believe divine worship is the duty and privilege of man who, in the presence of God, bows in adoration, humility, and dedication. We believe divine worship is essential to the life of the Church, and that the assembling of the people of God for such worship is necessary to Christian fellowship and spiritual growth. We believe the order of public worship need not be the same in all places but may be modified by the church according to circumstances and the needs of men. It should be in a language and form understood by the people, consistent with the Holy Scriptures to the edification of all, and in accordance with the order and Discipline of the Church.
The Lord's Day
We believe the Lord’s Day is divinely ordained for private and public worship, for rest from unnecessary work, and should be devoted to spiritual improvement, Christian fellowship, and service. It is commemorative of our Lord’s resurrection and is an emblem of our eternal rest. It is essential to the permanence and growth of the Christian Church, and important to the welfare of the civil community.
The Christian and Property
We believe God is the owner of all things and that the individual holding of property is lawful and is a sacred trust under God. Private property is to be used for the manifestation of Christian love and liberality and to support the Church’s mission in the world. All forms of property, whether private, corporate, or public, are to be held in solemn trust and used responsibly for human good under the sovereignty of God.
Civil Government
We believe civil government derives its just powers from the sovereign God. As Christians, we recognize the governments under whose protection we reside and believe such governments should be based on, and be responsible for, the recognition of human rights under God. We believe war and bloodshed are contrary to the gospel and spirit of Christ. We believe it is the duty of Christian citizens to give moral strength and purpose to their respective governments through sober, righteous, and godly living.
Our Mission
Our mission is to spread the love of Jesus Christ to the city of Havelock and beyond. First Methodist Church of Havelock supports local and global missions such as the Food Pantry, Back Pack Blessings, and more.
First Methodist Church of Havelock
324 Miller Blvd.
Havelock, NC 28532
252-447-3541
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