Methodist Articles of Religion
General Information
The Articles of Religion is
a term commonly used for the standards of doctrine of the United
Methodist Church. The Articles stem from the abridgment of the
Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England prepared by John Wesley
for use in the American Methodist Episcopal Church organized in 1784;
Wesley reduced the Thirty-nine Articles to twenty-four. The organizing
conference added a twenty-fifth article (Article 23) outlining the
church's relationships with the newly formed American government. This
article replaced Article XXXVII of the Book of Common Prayer, a
statement of the authority of the British monarch over the church,
which Wesley had wisely omitted from his list.
The Articles of Religion as adopted by the 1784 Christmas Conference
have remained intact throughout the history of the Methodist Episcopal
Church and its successor bodies. The General Conference of 1808 helped
to assure this continuity by removing the amendment of the Articles
from the direct jurisdiction of succeeding General Conferences. It
provided for amendment only upon a two thirds vote of any General
Conference recommending change and a subsequent confirmation by a three
fourths vote of all the Annual Conferences. The only change in the
original doctrinal statement of the church has been the inclusion of
the Confession of Faith of the United Brethren Church in the Book of
Discipline at the formation of the present United Methodist Church in
1968. This addition introduced into the official doctrinal statement of
the church, for the first time, an article on Christian perfection, a
doctrine central to Wesleyan theology but never previously incorporated
in the doctrines of the Discipline.
M. E. Dieter
(Elwell Evangelical Dictionary)
Bibliography
The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church,
1980; H. M. DuBose, The Symbol of Methodism, Being an Inquiry into the
History, Authority, Inclusions and Uses of the Twenty-Five Articles; A.
A. Jimeson, Notes on the Twenty-Five Articles of Religion as Received
and Taught by the Methodists in the United States.
Free Methodist Articles of Religion
General Information
Free Methodist Church of North America - Articles of Religion
God
I. The Holy Trinity
There is but one living and
true God, the maker and preserver of all things. And in the unity of this
Godhead there are three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
These three are one in eternity, deity, and purpose; everlasting, of infinite
power, wisdom, and goodness.
II. The Son
His Incarnation
God was himself in Jesus
Christ to reconcile man to God. Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the
Virgin Mary, He joined together the deity of God and the humanity of man.
Jesus of Nazareth was God in human flesh, truly God and truly man. He came
to save us. For us the Son of God suffered, was crucified, dead and buried.
He poured out His life as a blameless sacrifice for our sin and transgressions.
We gratefully acknowledge that He is our Savior, the one perfect mediator
between God and man.
His Resurrection and Exaltation
Jesus Christ is risen victorious
from the dead. His resurrected body became more glorious, not hindered
by ordinary human limitations. Thus He ascended into heaven. There He sits
as our exalted Lord at the right hand of God the Father, where He intercedes
for us until all His enemies shall be brought into complete subjection.
He will return to judge all men. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
III. The Holy Spirit
His Person
The Holy Spirit is the third
person of the Trinity. Proceeding from the Father and the Son, He is one
with them, the eternal Godhead; equal in deity, majesty, and power. He
is God effective in Creation, in life, and in the church. The Incarnation
and ministry of Jesus Christ were accomplished by the Holy Spirit. He continues
to reveal, interpret, and glorify the Son.
His Work in Salvation
The Holy Spirit is the administrator
of the salvation planned by the Father and provided by the Son's death,
Resurrection, and Ascension. He is the effective agent in our conviction,
regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. He is our Lord's ever-present
self, indwelling, assuring, and enabling the believer.
His Relation to the Church
The Holy Spirit is poured
out upon the church by the Father and the Son. He is the church's life
and witnessing power. He bestows the love of God and makes real the lordship
of Jesus Christ in the believer so that both His gifts of words and service
may achieve the common good, and build and increase the church. In relation
to the world He is the Spirit of truth, and His instrument is the Word
of God.
Scriptures
IV. Authority
The Bible is
God's written Word, uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit. It bears unerring
witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word. As attested by the early church
and subsequent councils, it is the trustworthy record of God's revelation,
completely truthful in all it affirms. It has been faithfully preserved
and proves itself true in human experience.
The Scriptures
have come to us through human authors who wrote, as God moved them, in
the languages and literary forms of their times. God continues, by the
illumination of the Holy Spirit, to speak through this Word to each generation
and culture.
The Bible has authority
over all human life. It teaches the truth about God, His creation, His
people, His one and only Son, and the destiny of all mankind. It also teaches
the way of salvation and the life of faith. Whatever is not found in the
Bible nor can be proved by it is not to be required as an article of belief
or as necessary to salvation.
V. Authority of the Old Testament
The Old Testament
is not contrary to the New. Both Testaments bear witness to God's salvation
in Christ; both speak of God's will for His people. The ancient laws for
ceremonies and rites, and the civil precepts for the nation Israel are
not necessarily binding on Christians today. But, on the example of Jesus
we are obligated to obey the moral commandments of the Old Testament.
The books of the
Old Testament are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua,
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 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,
Malachi.
VI. New Testament
The New Testament
fulfills and interprets the Old Testament. It is the record of the revelation
of God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is God's final word regarding
man, his sin, and his salvation, the world, and destiny.
The books of the
New Testament are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians,
2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians,
2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James,
1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation.
(also continues with sectons on:)
Man
Salvation
The Church
Last Things
Also, see:
John Wesley
John Wesley
The individual articles presented here were generally first published
in the early 1980s. This subject presentation was first placed
on the Internet in December 1997.
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