There is one God who creates and saves us, and He is visible to us as Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the one God of heaven and earth: the all-powerful Creator and Provider, approachable, loving, and Human. He is never angry and never gives up on us. He is intimately aware of the directions of our lives, and works in countless ways to inspire our free reception of all that He offers.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three aspects of the one person Jesus Christ.
There are not three gods, nor three persons in one God, but rather one God with three aspects to His being. Just as we each have a soul, a body, and the actions of our lives (and all of these form one person), so it is with God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are names given for the soul, body, and activity of the Lord God Jesus Christ. More about God on newchurch.org
The Lord wants us to love Him and love our neighbor, which we do through following the 10 Commandments and being useful to one another.
We open ourselves to the love of God and the happiness of heaven by turning away from evil and learning to do what is good. When we live a useful life for the sake of others, the Lord opens heaven within us and prepares us for an eternal life of ever-growing love and happiness in heaven.
The Lord speaks to us through His Word, which includes the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Writings of Emmanuel Swedenborg.
The Bible, also known as the Word of God, is a revelation by God of Divine truth itself. In the pages of Scripture, He teaches us that there is a God, that there is life after death, and that heavenly happiness (in this life and in our eternal life) can be found by living according to His Commandments.” As a means for His second coming in each of our hearts, He has revealed countless truths within the Bible through the Writings of Swedenborg (also called the Heavenly Doctrines).
The Old and New Testaments have layers of deeper meanings that are explained by the Writings.
The Bible can be read on many different levels. There is a literal meaning, a history of God's relationship with His people, and a deeper symbolic meaning which teaches individuals about their own spiritual lives. We call this allegory the "internal sense" of the Word. More about the Word of God on newchurch.org
Salvation by the Lord is a lifelong process of transformation through ceasing to do evil and learning to do good. The Lord works on this transformation within every person, regardless of their religious creed.
The Lord saves us from His mercy, not when we declare our faith, but when we live it. The Lord ensures that each of us has the freedom to choose what we want to believe and how we want to live. The New Church teaches that every person is saved (or chooses heaven) who acknowledges God and lives according to the Ten Commandments. The Lord makes sure that all people have the opportunity to learn these two most basic principles of religion, working through many churches in many nations. More about Salvation on newchurch.org
Each of us continues life as a complete person immediately after the death of the body.
Life after death is real, and much more knowable than many people believe. The book "Heaven and Hell" by Emanuel Swedenborg has inspired people for over two centuries with its detailed description of life after death. It teaches that death is merely a transition from the natural world to the spiritual world, where life continues for all people according to the patterns they have developed in this world. Those who have cooperated with God by striving to become better people find themselves in a heavenly way of life in the other world. Those who have chosen to serve themselves above their neighbors gravitate towards others like themselves in the place called hell. People freely choose their eternal destiny. More about Life After Death on newchurch.org
Every person is created as a man or a woman.
The New Church teaches that a man is a man from his innermost soul to every part of his being, and likewise a woman is a woman. The soul of a man is described as "love clothed in wisdom," and that of a woman as "wisdom clothed in love." This makes them perfect complements of one another, so the wisdom of one can join with the love of the other and make a beautiful whole. Man and woman are each partial reflections of the Divine, and it is through their union that they most wholly mirror the image of God.
Marriage love between one man and one woman is a sacred blessing that the Lord provides for us in heaven if not on earth. We can strengthen this love to eternity.
Love in marriage is a special gift from the Lord that reflects the union of love and wisdom that God cultivates in each of us. When spiritual principles are applied not only to one's spiritual growth, but also to the marriage relationship, troubled times can be overcome, and that marriage will grow in friendship, mutual support, and happiness. Genuine marriage does not end with death, but continues to eternity. More about Marriage on newchurch.org