The Christian Universalist Association affirms the following in our statement of faith:
| We believe in a God who is Love, Light, Truth, and Spirit, the Creator of the universe, whom we are called to seek, know, and love; and whose nature was revealed to the world in the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. |
The Bible tells us that the universe was created by a Divine Being, who is commonly referred to as "God" (Gen. 1:1). The reality in which we live did not come into existence by random chance, but through a purposeful creative process initiated and sustained by an intelligent and benevolent Creator (Ps. 104:24, 106:1, Prov. 3:19, Rev. 4:11). Therefore, everything that exists is ultimately God's responsibility, since it is His creation (Isa. 45:7).
The historical man Jesus of Nazareth, our Teacher, tells us that God is personally interested in us and that we should seek to know Him and love Him (Mat. 7:7, Mark 12:30). If we wish to know God for who He really is, we can look at Jesus as the human manifestation of God's nature and character (John 14:10, Col. 1:15). God is not merely a remote, unapproachable deity who stands above the universe, letting it run like clockwork. In the person of Jesus Christ, we find a God whose nature embodies the best elements of human nature: love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, holiness, righteousness, a desire for justice, peace, and the healing of all. We see the perfect character of a God who is willing to do anything, make any sacrifice to reach people on earth -- even endure the torture of death on a cross -- to show His love for us (Rom. 5:8, Phil. 2:5-11).
Jesus' teachings about God emphasize His Fatherly nature. Jesus taught us to pray to God as "our Father in heaven" (Mat. 6:9), encouraging us to develop a personal relationship with God and to understand that God has our best interests at heart, in the way that a good father would protect and raise up his children (Luke 11:11-12, Rom. 8:16-18). God is not only the Creator of the universe as a whole, but the intimately involved Creator of each individual, who cares about our lives and our wellbeing.
The Bible tells us that God is Spirit (John 4:24), transcending such physical attributes as gender, race, species, and any other categories of this world. God is pure Light, and in Him there is no darkness, no evil (1 John 1:5). God is perfect Love (1 John 4:8,16), full of kindness and patience, never failing (1 Cor. 13:4-8). God is the Truth, meaning that He determines what is real and what is imaginary (Ps. 51:6, Isa. 65:1-2,17, John 3:33, Rom. 1:18-20, 11:33-36). Our own fantasies and ideologies may seem real to us, but there is such a thing as Absolute Truth -- and that is God and that which emanates from the mind of God.
Knowing that there is a God and who God is, we can be confident that we live in a universe with true reality, meaning, and benevolent purpose. We can know that our own existence is for a good reason, and that in God's eyes, we are His beloved children. We can begin the process of growing closer to God and deepening our love for the Spiritual Source who created us.
