Moravian Church - Beliefs

Beliefs

In her Book of Order the several provinces of the Moravian Unity accept:

  • The three Ecumenical Creeds: Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian
  • The first 21 articles of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession
  • The Confession of the Unity of the Bohemian Brethren of 1535
  • The Barmen Declaration of 1934
  • The Small Catechism of Martin Luther
  • The Synod of Berne of 1532
  • The Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England
  • The Heidelberg Catechism

According to the Ground of the Unity of 1957, fundamental beliefs include but are not limited to:

  • The Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son or Logos/Word, and the Holy Spirit.
  • The Fatherhood of God
  • God's Love for fallen humanity
  • The Incarnation of God in the God/Man Jesus Christ
  • Jesus' sacrificial death for the sinful rebellion of humanity
  • Jesus' Resurrection, Ascension and Exaltation to the Right Hand of the Father
  • Jesus' sending of the Holy Spirit to strengthen, sustain and empower believers
  • Jesus' eventual return, in majesty, to judge the living and the dead
  • The Kingdom of Christ shall never end
  • There is one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Rebaptism is not allowed.
  • Infants are baptized most commonly, but all forms of baptism are accepted (infant or adult; pouring, sprinkling or immersion).
  • Without defining the mode or method (i.e. the "how"), Moravians believe that they receive the true Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion (see "real presence" and the Lutheran notion of sacramental union ). This is most clearly seen in Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg's Idea Fidei Fratrum, and in the Easter Morning Litany. Individual believers may believe in Transubstantiation, Consubstantiation, or a "spiritual presence".

These tenets of classical Christianity are not unique to the Moravian Church. The emphasis in both the Ancient Unity and the Renewed Unity is on Christian living and the fellowship of believers as a true witness to a vibrant Christian Faith.

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