What We Believe

Hagerstown Nazarene is part of the Church of the Nazarene denomination. As a global community of faith, we are commissioned to take the Good News of life in Jesus Christ to people everywhere and to spread the message of scriptural holiness across the lands. The Church of the Nazarene is the largest denomination in the classical Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. The doctrine that distinguishes the Church of the Nazarene and other Wesleyan denominations from most other Christian denominations is that of entire sanctification. Nazarenes believe that God calls Christians to a life of holy living that is marked by an act of God, cleansing the heart from original sin and filling the individual with love for God and humankind. Our official statement of belief is on the basis of a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. In Brief, we believe:

1. In one God who has expressed Himself in personal ways. We know God’s personality as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2. The Bible communicates God’s saving message and is our reliable authority in all matters related to faith and Christian living.

3. That all humankind struggles with a downward pull.

4. That unless we experience God’s help and salvation through a faith commitment to Jesus Christ, our future is one of eternal separation from God and all that is good.

5. The love and grace of God is extended to every person in the provision Jesus Christ made in his death and resurrection. By turning from our own selfishness and trusting Jesus Christ, we experience a new life, being freed from the old patterns of self-destructive acts called sin.

6. Our new life in Jesus Christ is the gateway to transformation. Following our moment of faith in Jesus, we believe there is another moment in which we present our life completely to Christ in order to live under his authority and to experience his transforming power.

7. That Christian experience is more than a change of mind. It is accompanied by assurance that is grounded in both the Scriptures, as well as the inner witness of God’s Spirit.

8. That all who live for Jesus Christ have an eternal future. Our belief in such a future includes both the fulfillment of God’s creative purpose as well as the accountability of all persons endowed with the power of choice.