Hope Community Church holds the essential doctrines characteristic of all Christians.

 

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THE AUTHORITATIVE WORD OF GOD
The statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself is the sole & final source of all that we believe concerning truth, morality, conduct & faith.  We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired, infallible and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith & conduct.  The Elders of Hope Community Church hold the final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning & application concerning faith, doctrine, practice, policy & discipline.  

(II Timothy 3:6-11, Peter 1:20, 21; Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32)

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THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.(Genesis 1:1,26; John 1:1,3; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; Romans 1:19,20; Ephesians 4:5,6)
 

 

GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He infallibly foreknows all that shall come to pass, that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.(Luke 10:21,22; Matthew 23:9; John 3:16; 6:27; Romans 1:7; I Timothy 1:1,2; 2:5,6; I Peter 1:3; Revelation 1:6)
 

 

JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.(Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 8:46; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-23; John 20:30,31; Matthew 20:28; Ephesians 1:4; Acts 1:11; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9,10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28; I Timothy 3:16)
 

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit sent by the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.(John 14:16,17,26; 15:26,27; John 16:9-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26)
 

 

REGENERATION
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life.(Genesis. 1:26; 5:2; Genesis 3; Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Eccl. 2:11; John 3:14; 5:24; John 5:30; 7:13; 8:12; 10:26;Romans 9:22; II Thessalonians 1:9; Rev. 19:3,20; 20:10;14,15; 21:18; Psalm 51:7; Jeremiah 17:9; James 1:14; Romans 3:19; 5:19; Proverbs 28:13; I John 1:9; John 3:16; John 1:13; II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1)
 

 

THE CHURCH
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.(Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25)
 

THE SACRAMENTS
We believe that the Lord’s Supper not only shows forth the Lord's death until He shall return, but is a sacrament in which He is truly spiritually present and truly spiritually received. Again, as the Word conveys grace by providing the occasion for the Holy Spirit to speak to the human heart, so the Lord's Supper conveys the benefits of the death and resurrection of Christ to believers who approach the Table in faith.

We believe that the Supper is not the possession of any person, congregation or church. It is the Lord's Supper. It is not the Table of any sect or denomination. It is the Lord's table. We do not minister about the Table as hosts, but as guests of Him who issues the invitation to come and who distributes His benefits severally as He will. Consequently we do not believe that we can dispense or withhold the dispensation of grace; that we can bar any believing Christian whom He would feed. For such reasons we practice "open" Communion.

We believe that in Christian baptism we give glory to God for his covenant of grace, and his saving works in history for our salvation. We proclaim the washing away of sins and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. We identify ourselves as a people set apart out of the world for the ownership and lordship of Jesus Christ. And in this sacrament, received once-for-all even as Christ died once-for-all for us, we embrace God’s wonderful promises of salvation and gain strength to walk in newness of life. It is our duty, therefore, to endeavor with God’s mighty help to see the effects of that baptism displayed in our daily lives through faith in Christ and obedience to the Word of God. 

We believe that these two sacraments should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.(Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-26)
 
 

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.(I Timothy 2:5; Romans 14:7-9,12)
 

 

CHURCH COOPERATION

We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another. Cooperation in associations and affiliations is voluntary and may be terminated at any time.(Acts 15:36,41; 16:5;I Corinthians 16:1; Galatians 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4,10,11)

 

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CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellow men; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.(I Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2; John 14:15,23-24; I John 2:3-6; II Corinthians 9:6-9; I Corinthians 4:2; Col. 1:9-10)
 

 

THE LAST THINGS
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.(Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10;
Revelation 20:4-6,11-15)

 

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SANCTITY OF LIFE

We believe all human life is valuable and created by God in His image.  From the moment of conception to death all life has worth & purpose.  At every stage we are called to defend, protect and value all human life from pre-born to the elderly, from the physically & mentally challenged to the planned and unplanned life.  All life is from God and not one is to be deemed valueless.

(Psalm 139, Job 31:15)

 

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MARRIAGE & SEXUALITY

We believe God creates each person as male or female.  These two distinct genders complement one another to reflect the image & nature of God.  We believe marriage is an exclusive union between one man and one woman to be a picture of Christ and His bride (church).  God intends sexual intimacy to only occur within this union of man & woman, and it is a great gift to be enjoyed within the context of marriage. 

 

Any form of sexual engagement & immorality outside of marriage is sinful before God.  We believe God can redeem & restore all who confess and forsake their sin seeking mercy & forgiveness through Jesus Christ alone.  We believe all people should be valued, treated with compassion, love, respect & dignity.  Hateful or harassing behavior are not in accord with scripture nor the beliefs of Hope Community Church.

(Genesis 1:26-27, 2:18-25, Hebrews 13:4, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11,18, 7:2-5, Matthew 5:18-20, Acts 3:19-21, Romans 10:9-10, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 6:31)

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THE LAST THINGS

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.(Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Phil. 3:20; I Thessalonians 4:15; II Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; I Corinthians 4:5; I Corinthians 15; II Thessalonians 1:7-10;Revelation 20:4-6,11-15)

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In addition to these essential doctrines, we are built on a foundation of Reformed Theology. We value the reformed distinctives of:

 

A. Scripture. The Bible is the entirely sufficient guide for what we are to believe and how we are to live as Christians.

 

B. Sovereignty of God. God rules over His creation with absolute power and authority. God is not alarmed, frustrated, or defeated by circumstances, by sin, or by the rebellion of His creatures.

 

C. Covenant. The Old and New Testament reveal God’s unified Covenant of Grace – I will be your God and you will be my people.  (Genesis 17:7-8;, Jeremiah 31:33;, 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3)

 

D. Cultural Mandate. We have an obligation as Christians to live actively in society and work for the transformation of the world and its cultures. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we work to spread the good news of Christ and His kingdom even as we await the fullness of His Kingdom when Christ shall return in all His power and Glory.

 

* much of the wording in our affirmation of faith is from Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis MN.

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