Organized in 1908 in California, the Church of the Nazarene has grown into an international Protestant denomination. More than 29,000 local churches in over 150 countries claim some 2.2 million Church of Nazarene Christians as members,
according to the church's official website.
The denomination's mission is simple, taken from Acts 1:8 of the Bible: to make disciples of Jesus Christ around the world.
But, like any denomination, the Church of the Nazarene has certain core beliefs and practices. These two key beliefs set it apart from other Christian denominations:
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1. Constant obedience to God through the Holy Spirit: The Church of the Nazarene believes that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, enables born-again followers of Jesus Christ to consistently obey God, according to the denomination’s website.
Like-minded churches in the Evangelical Holiness movement share this view, but this belief is contrary to mainline Protestant denominations. Church of Nazarene Christians refute the notion of some Protestants that Christians are bound to sin because of their old sin nature and the temptations of Satan and the world around them.
The Church of the Nazarene believes that the Bible teaches that the lives of sanctified Christ followers should be mostly sin free and that disobedience to God should rarely occur if Christians are living by the power of the Holy Spirit as God's Spirit transforms them to be like Christ.
According to the Church of the Nazarene's articles of faith, "Sanctification is the work of God which transforms believers into the likeness of Christ. It is wrought by God's grace through the Holy Spirit in initial sanctification, or regeneration, entire sanctification and the continued perfecting work of the Holy Spirit culminating in glorification. In glorification we are fully conformed to the image of the Son."
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2. Entire Sanctification: The Church of the Nazarene is part of the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, which believes in entire sanctification,
according to the Wesleyan Heritage Recovery Project. Entire sanctification is summed up on the project's website:
"It is a state of perfect love, righteousness and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain by being delivered from the power of sin, by loving God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength and by loving one's neighbor as one's self. Through faith in Jesus Christ, this gracious gift may be received in this life both gradually and instantaneously and should be sought earnestly by every child of God."
While most denominations believe in sanctification, many Protestant churches don't believe that Scripture says entire sanctification is possible while living in a fallen world that is under the curse of sin. These denominations believe that entire sanctification only takes place when Christians go to heaven and God makes them new in both body and spirit.
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