ABOUT WHAT WE BELIEVE

The Salvation Army's eleven articles of faith reflect
our determination to remain faithful to our standards
and principles. All members of The Salvation Army
are encouraged to review these principles from
time to time and to reaffirm before God
their dedication to Him and to His good works. 

 Our Beliefs - Sacraments

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration 
of God, and that only they constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.

We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver,
and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

 We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead - the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

 We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the divine and human natures are u
nited, so that he is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.

We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocence, but by their
disobedience they lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall
all men have become sinners, totally depraved and as such are justly exposed to the
wrath of God.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has by his suffering and death made an
atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.

We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and
regeneration by the Holy Spirit, are necessary to salvation.

We believe that we are justified by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ
and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself.

We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued
obedient faith in Christ.

We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that
their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general
judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the
endless punishment of the wicked.

A STATEMENT ON BAPTISM
After full and careful consideration of The Salvation Army's understanding of,
and approach to, the sacrament of water baptism, the International Spiritual Life
Commission sets out the following points regarding the relationship between our
soldier enrolment and water baptism.

1. Only those who confess Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord may be considered
   for soldiership in The Salvation Army.
2. Such a confession is confirmed by the gracious presence of God the Holy
   Spirit in the life of the believer and includes the call to discipleship.
3. In accepting the call to discipleship Salvationists promise to continue to be
   responsive to the Holy Spirit and to seek to grow in grace.
   
4. They also express publicly their desire to fulfil membership of Christ's
   Church on earth as soldiers of The Salvation Army.
5. The Salvation Army rejoices in the truth that all who are in Christ are
   baptised into the one body by the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 12:13).
6. It believes, in accordance with Scripture, that there is one body and one
   Spirit . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all,
   who is over all and through all and in all' (Ephesians 4:5-6).
7. The swearing-in of a soldier of The Salvation Army beneath the trinitarian
   sign of the Army's flag acknowledges this truth.
8. It is a public response and witness to a life-changing encounter with Christ
   which has already taken place, as is the water baptism practised by some
   other Christians.
9. The Salvation Army acknowledges that there are many worthy ways of
   publicly witnessing to having been baptised into Christ's body by the Holy
   Spirit and expressing a desire to be his disciple.
10. The swearing-in of a soldier should be followed by a lifetime of continued
    obedient faith in Christ.

A STATEMENT ON HOLY COMMUNION
After full and careful consideration of The Salvation Army's understanding of,
and approach to, the sacrament of Holy Communion*, the International Spiritual
Life Commission sets out the following points:

1. God's grace is freely and readily accessible to all people at all times and
   in all places.
2. No particular outward observance is necessary to inward grace.
3. The Salvation Army believes that unity of the Spirit exists within diversity
   and rejoices in the freedom of the Spirit in expressions of worship.
4. When Salvationists attend other Christian gatherings in which a form of Holy
   Communion is included, they may partake if they choose to do so and if
   the host Church allows.
5. Christ is the one true Sacrament, and sacramental living - Christ living in
   us and through us- is at the heart of Christian holiness and discipleship.
6. Throughout its history The Salvation Army has kept Christ's atoning sacrifice
   at the centre of its corporate worship.
7. The Salvation Army rejoices in its freedom to celebrate Christ's real presence
   at all meals and in all meetings, and in its opportunity to explore in life
   together the significance of the simple meals shared by Jesus and his friends
   and by the first Christians.
8. Salvationists are encouraged to use the love feast and develop creative
   means of hallowing meals in home and corps with remembrance of the Lord's
   sacrificial love.
9. The Salvation Army encourages the development of resources for fellowship
   meals, which will vary according to culture, without ritualising particular words
   or actions.
10. In accordance with normal Salvation Army practice, such remembrances and
    celebrations, where observed, will not become established rituals, nor will
    frequency be prescribed.

 *Terminology varies according to culture and denomination, and is not always interchangeable.

 

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