What does the Swedish Pentecostal movement believe in?

We believe that the Bible is God’s word and that it is true and written as a love letter from God to each and every one of us. This means that we believe in the trinity. We believe that Jesus is God’s son, that the Father sent Jesus to earth so that “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We believe that Jesus died and rose again, so that we could leave our old lives behind and live new ones in Him. To have life to the full (John 10:10). We also believe in the Holy Spirit and that God has put His Spirit in our hearts. This is a gift that each one of us receives if we want to receive God.

 Pentecostal faith

The Swedish Pentecostal movement is a free Christian church movement with Jesus at its centre. It came about following a revival where people hungered to come closer to God, often in rigid settings where Biblical truths had been forgotten and replaced by human traditions. The Swedish Pentecostal movement alligns itself with the classical confessions of faith, the Apostolic and Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creeds, and is part of the international Pentecostal revival. We have many similarities with other churches and denominations in our theology and expressions of faith. There are, however, some areas where we place a greater emphasis on a certain Biblical interpretation over another. 

The Pentecostal movement takes its name from the day in which God sent His Helper, the Holy Spirit, to the believers. For Pentecostals it has been important to hold to the promise that God gave us: to give us the strength and aid which comes from the Holy Spirit. We believe that it is through the Spirit that the Kingdom of God can be made visible in the here and now, that Jesus can perform miracles among us today, and that we can have a truly personal and living relationship with God. 

A common theological standing is the foundation for the community of Swedish Pentecostal churches. It is formulated from the belief in the Bible as God’s word: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It also follows the pattern of the first fellowship of Christians: “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:41-42) 

The Swedish Pentecostal churches emphasise that: 

• Jesus is the only way to God. 
• We believe that Jesus will come again very soon and that we live in the end times. 
• The whole Bible is God’s Word, and the foundation for knowledge and life. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit is needed for reading and interpreting the Word. 
• Confession of faith should be charismatic and faithful to the Word. 
• We pray for the sick. 
• We emphasise the importance of spiritual experiences, of the baptism with the Spirit, and the function of the gifts of the Spirit in the church. We see speaking in tongues as a sign of baptism with the Spirit. Every church needs to experience the strength of the Spirit to better perform its mission to the world. 
• We are called to take the Gospel to the whole world. 
• We are called to social work. 
• Sanctification and spiritual maturity are a part of Christian life. 
• We emphasise the universal priesthood and do not practise ordination of clergy or believe that it is necessary in order to offer Communion. We believe that each church should be independent and have a collective leadership. 
• We practise baptism of faith, by own will and confession, and do not baptise infants.