Paradise Valley Central Beliefs
We breakdown our core beliefs into pieces that together create a comprehensive faith. God can sometimes feel abstract, and so we relate to God’s divine nature through adjectives and metaphors. God is infinite, righteous and just. We build a relationship with Jesus as our savior, as the one through whom God has freed us of our sin and has given us the gift of whole life, eternal life, and salvation. The Bible continues to train us on the ways in which to live our faith and share God’s Love in action.
What We Believe About:
It can be difficult to talk about God, so we often try to find adjectives that describe the divine nature: God is transcendent (over and beyond all that is), yet at the same time immanent (present in everything). God is absolute, infinite, righteous and just.
Because we cannot speak literally about God, we use metaphors: God is a Shepherd, a Bridegroom, a Judge. God is Love or Light or Truth.
Sometimes it is easier to describe how we experience God in our lives: in creation, love, suffering, and many other places.
If we ever have difficulty imagining who God is or relating to God, there’s a simple solution: Remember Jesus – for in the New Testament picture of Jesus, we see God.
We believe in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. God became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth and his life, death and resurrection demonstrate God’s redeeming love.
In trying to find words to express their faith in Jesus, the New Testament writers gave him various names. Jesus was Master, Rabbi, Teacher. He was the Way, the Truth and the Life. He was the Doorway to the sheepfold, the Light of the world, the Prince of Peace and more.
Perhaps best of all, we believe in Jesus as our savior, as the one through whom God has freed us of our sin and has given us the gift of whole life, eternal life and salvation.
Salvation is the most important step you can take in your faith journey.
At PVUMC, we believe salvation is just the beginning of an incredible transformation. This is not about changing from a bad person to a good person, but moving from a dead person to being fully alive.
The Bible says, “For God so loved the WORLD” that he sent His Son to die for humanity’s sins. Not for a few people, not for “good” people – but the whole world.
The Bible means many things to us. It’s a collection of writings that together tell the story of God’s work within humanity throughout time. It’s a sacred scripture that holds special authority within our community. It’s a guide to faith and life.
We believe that God speaks through scripture in a wide variety of ways. Through preaching, we interpret its message for our lives. It forms the background of most of our songs and prayers. It’s the foundation of our teaching curriculum.
Many of us use the Bible in our devotional lives, praying through its implications day by day. We strive to help one another open the Bible and use it.