What we believe

What we believe about

The Bible

We believe that the Bible is inspired by God. It is the foundation and authority of our faith and life.

An Indian Salvation Army officer reading the Bible

What we believe about

God

There is only one God who created everything, and who continues to creatively sustain and guide creation towards its ultimate purpose.

God is a Trinity of three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – who are the same in essence but remain distinct as different expressions of God.

What we believe about

What it means to be human

When human beings were created in the image of God they were in a perfect relationship with God, but they rebelled.  As a result, this relationship was spoiled for every generation.

What we believe about

Sin

God, who is loving and holy, cannot simply accept this rebellion (which is called sin), and therefore all people are open to judgement by God.

What we believe about

Jesus

Through the obedient life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus, who is both fully divine and fully human, God provided the way for the relationship with humanity to be restored so that we might also be obedient to the Father.

What we believe about

Restoring our relationship with God

In order to enjoy a restored relationship it is necessary to turn away from our disobedience and towards God, believe in the power of Jesus to bring salvation, and so experience the Holy Spirit bringing new life.

This experience is confirmed within each believer’s life.

A group of Indonesian Salvationists bow their heads in prayer, gathered around a cross

What we believe about

How being a Christian changes our life

When, because of divine grace, our relationship with God is repaired, we become aware of a positive spiritual transformation taking place in every aspect of our lives and we become better people in every way.

What we believe about

Growing and developing as Christians

In order for this new life to be maintained, in obedience to God we need to make continual conscious choices to live in the way God intends. We demonstrate this in the way we love and serve others.

All Christians, through their cooperation with God’s grace, can become and be kept holy (Christ-like) until Jesus comes again.

Eight people including a Salvation Army officer stand in a circle, hands around each others' shoulders and heads bowed in prayer. In the background a Salvation Army truck shows the message 'Hope is on the way'.

What we believe about

What happens when we die

The choices we make in this life will have eternal consequences. If we choose our own way, we will face the pain of having separated ourselves from God. However, choosing God’s way leads to the joy of an eternal relationship with God.

Doctrines of The Salvation Army

These eleven doctrines set out the formal beliefs of The Salvation Army as detailed in Schedule 1 of The Salvation Army Act 1980. They define our understanding of God, humanity and the developing relationship of the Christian life. They are an expression of personal faith and a common vision.

 

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and that they only 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 Ghost, 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 united, 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 innocency, 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.

The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine