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Location:
6425 Jefferson Rd. For
directions, click here.
He is
eternal Savior and Mediator, who
intercedes for us and by him all
persons will be judged. "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 eternal Savior and Mediator, who
intercedes for us, and by him all
persons are to be judged." To
repent of sin and trust in Jesus Christ
are the only requirements for one to
receive that forgiveness and
reconciliation made possible by Jesus'
death. A
person by strength of will power alone
cannot forsake sin and please God. Only
through an intervention of God's grace
can a person overcome sin and become
part of the Kingdom of God. The
Holy Spirit takes up residence in that
person, teaching and equipping him or
her to he a disciple of Christ, and
confirming that the person is indeed a
child of God. "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." "Whatever
is not revealed in or established by
the Holy Scriptures is not to made an
article of faith nor is it to be taught
as essential to salvation." Jesus
Christ alone is empowered to judge
one's eternal destiny. The
Holy Spirit convinces the world of sin,
and leads persons to a response in
faith to the gospel. The Holy Spirit is
the Christian's primary teacher,
comforter, and source of power.
Young
children, with or without baptism, are
under the atonement of Christ and as
heirs of the Kingdom of God are
acceptable subjects for Christian
baptism. For them baptism is a symbol
of God taking the initiative toward
them. Their baptism should be followed
by Christian nurture within the church.
Our hope and prayer is they will be led
at a later time to receive God's gift
of salvation through profession of
faith in Christ. "We
believe children are under the
atonement of Christ and as heirs of the
Kingdom of God are acceptable subjects
for Christian Baptism. Children of
believing parents through Baptism
become the special responsibility of
the Church. They should be nurtured and
led to personal acceptance of Christ,
and by profession of faith confirm
their Baptism..." Those
who in faith eat the broken bread and
drink the blessed cup partake of the
body and blood of Christ in a spiritual
manner until He comes in glory.
"Transubstantiation,
or the change of the substance of bread
and wine in the Supper of our Lord,
cannot be proved by Scripture, but is
repugnant to the plain words of
Scripture, overthrows the nature of a
sacrament, and has given occasion to
many superstitions. "The
body of Christ is given, taken, and
eaten in the Supper, only after a
heavenly and spiritual manner. And the
mean whereby the body of Christ is
received and eaten in the Supper is
faith. "The
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not
by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried
about, lifted up, or worshiped."
Gateway
Church gathers
for worship
Sundays
at 10:30 a.m.
(Hwy. 129) in Athens,
Georgia.
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of the
Word:
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Today
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Jerry's Weekly
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What
do United Methodists
believe?
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT JESUS? Jesus
is the Son of God, the child of the
Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit, truly
God and truly Man, who for us and for
our salvation came down from
heaven.
Article II, The Confession of
Faith, The Book of Discipline:
"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.
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT THE CROSS?
Sin
separated all persons from God. Jesus'
death on the cross was an atoning
sacrifice, making possible our
forgiveness and reconciliation with
God.
The Nicene Creed:
"For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate..."
Article II, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"...Christ, very God and very
Man, who truly suffered, was crucified,
dead, and buried to reconcile his
Father to us, and to be a sacrifice,
not only for original sin, but also for
the actual sins of people."
Article XX, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"The offering of Christ, once
made, is that perfect redemption,
propitiation, and satisfaction for all
the sins of the whole world, both
original and actual; and there is none
other satisfaction for sin but that
alone..."
Article VI, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"...everlasting life is offered
to mankind by Christ, who is the only
Mediator between God and man, being
both God and Man."
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT SIN? Because
of rebellion against God going all the
way back to Adam, all persons are
inclined toward sin and selfishness.
Sin means missing the mark of God's
righteousness; it means to be in
rebellion against God, to disobey his
laws.
Article VII, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"...man is very far gone from
original righteousness, and of his own
nature inclined to evil, and that
continually."
Article VII, The Confession of
Faith, The Book of Discipline:
"We believe man is fallen from
righteousness and, apart from the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, is destitute
of holiness and inclined toward 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..."
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT JUSTIFICATION?
When
a person repents of sin and trusts in
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, that
person is forgiven of sin and receives
the gift of eternal life (right
relationship with God).
Article IX, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"We are accounted righteous
before God only for the merit of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by faith,
and not for our own works or
deservings. Wherefore, that we are
justified by faith, only, is a most
wholesome doctrine, and very full of
comfort."
Article IX, The Confession of
Faith, The Book of Discipline:
"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.
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF
JESUS? Jesus'
physical body became alive again after
three days in the grave.
The Apostles Creed:
"...the third day he rose from
the dead."
Article III, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"Christ did truly rise again
from the dead, and took again his body,
with all things appertaining to the
perfection of man's nature..."
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT THE TRINITY?
God
is one God in three Persons: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Apostles Creed:
"I believe in God the Father
Almighty... and in Jesus Christ, his
only Son, our Lord.... I believe in the
Holy Spirit. . ."
Article I, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"There is but one living and
true God, everlasting, without body or
parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and
goodness; the maker and preserver of
all things, both visible and invisible.
And in unity of this Godhead there are
three persons, of one substance, power
and eternity -- the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit."
Article I, The Confession of
Faith, The Book of Discipline:
"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."
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT THE BIBLE?
The
Bible was inspired by God Himself and
contains all things necessary for
salvation. When read under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the
Bible is our true rule and guide for
faith and practice.
Article V, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"The Holy Scripture contains
all things necessary to salvation; so
that whatsoever is not read therein,
nor may be proved thereby, is not to be
required of any person that it should
be believed as an article of faith, or
be thought requisite or necessary to
salvation..."
Article VI, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"The Old Testament is not
contrary to the New; for both in the
Old and New Testament everlasting life
is offered to mankind by Christ....
"Although the law given from God by
Moses concerning ceremonies and rites
does not bind Christians, nor ought the
civil precepts thereof of necessity be
received in any commonwealth; yet
notwithstanding, no Christian
whatsoever is free from the obedience
of the commandments which are called
moral."
Article IV, The Confession of
Faith, The Book of Discipline:
"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.
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT HEAVEN AND HELL?
Jesus
Christ will judge the living and the
dead. Those who have not accepted
Jesus' offer of forgiveness and new
life are at risk of living apart from
him for all eternity.
The
Nicene Creed:
"He [Jesus] will come
again in glory to judge the living and
the dead."
Article
XII, The Confession of Faith, The Book
of Discipline:
"We believe all persons stand
under the righteous judgment of Jesus
Christ, both now and in the last day.
We believe in the resurrection of the
dead; the righteous to life eternal and
the wicked to endless condemnation."
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT THE SECOND COMING?
Jesus
Christ will return again in glory,
bringing human history to a close, and
inaugurating his Kingdom in all its
fullness.
The
Nicene Creed:
"He (Jesus) will come again in
glory..."
Article
III, The Articles of Religion, The Book
of Discipline:
"...he [Christ]
ascended into heaven, and there sitteth
until he return to judge all persons at
the last day."
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The
Holy Spirit is of one substance with
the Father and the Son.
The
Nicene Creed:
"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
worshiped and glorified, who has spoken
through the prophets."
Article
IV, The Articles of Religion, The Book
of Discipline:
"The Holy Spirit, proceeding
from the Father and the Son, is of one
substance, majesty, and glory with the
Father and the Son, very and eternal
God."
Article
III, The Confession of Faith, The Book
of Discipline:
"We believe in the Holy Spirit
who proceeds from and is one in being
with the Father and the Son. He
convinces the world of sin, of
righteousness and of judgment. He leads
persons 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."
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT BAPTISM? The
baptism of believers signifies
repentance and forgiveness of sin, new
birth, and the entry into Christian
discipleship.
The
Nicene Creed:
"We acknowledge one baptism for
the forgiveness of sins."
Article
XVII, The Articles of Religion, The
Book of Discipline:
"Baptism is not only a sign of
profession and mark of difference
whereby Christians are distinguished
from others that are not baptized; but
it is also a sign of regeneration or
the new birth. The Baptism of young
children is to be retained in the
Church."
Article
VI, The Confession of Faith, The Book
of Discipline:
"We believe Baptism signifies
entrance into the household of faith,
and is a symbol of repentance and inner
cleansing from sin, a representation of
the new birth in Christ Jesus and a
mark of Christian
discipleship.
WHAT DO WE
BELIEVE ABOUT HOLY COMMUNION?
Holy
Communion (or the Lord' s Supper) is a
faithful remembrance of the suffering
and death of Christ and a celebration
of love within the Church.
Article XVIII, The Articles of
Religion, The Book of Discipline:
"The Supper of the Lord is not
only a sign of the love that Christians
ought to have among themselves one to
another, but rather is a sacrament of
our redemption by Christ's death;
insomuch that, to such as rightly,
worthily, and with faith receive the
same, the bread which we break is a
partaking of the body of Christ; and
likewise the cup of blessing is a
partaking of the blood of Christ.
Article VI, The Confession of
Faith, The Book of Discipline:
"We believe the Lord's Supper
is a representation of our redemption,
a memorial of the sufferings and death
of Christ, and a token of love and
union which Christians have with Christ
and with one another. Those who
rightly, worthily and in faith eat the
broken bread and drink the blessed cup
partake of the body and blood of Christ
in a spiritual manner until he
comes."