ABOUT US

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Statement of Faith

Section 1. Basis of Faith:
The Holy Bible is the sole and sufficient basis of faith, doctrine, and practice for Living Hope Church, Incorporated. We hold that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God.

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Section 2. Essential Doctrines:

The church affirms its belief in the following essential doctrines:

1. The Authority of Scripture:
We believe the Bible is God’s infallible Word, written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that it is inerrant in all that it teaches and affirms, and that it is our supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice. We affirm this verbal and plenary divine inspiration of the Scriptures in their original autographs, and that God’s Word has been preserved without meaningful change to today (I Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21).

2. God:
There is one God who exists eternally in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They have one Divine essence but are distinct in person and role. This is known as the Trinity (Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14; I Peter 1:2).

a. God, Our Heavenly Father: (God the Father) We believe in God the Father, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayers, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 6:3; Ephesians 2:10; Genesis 18:14; Isaiah 45:22).

b. Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is both true God and true man. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the world, was buried, and bodily resurrected. He ascended to heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father as our Advocate (John 3:16; Matthew 1:18; 1 John 2:2; I Corinthians 15:1-3; Hebrews 7:25; Revelation 1:7; I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

c. The Holy Spirit: (God the Spirit) We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth to convict the world of sin, of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify, comfort and seal forever those who put their faith in Jesus
Christ. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian is to seek to live under His control daily (John 16:3-11; John 3:3-5; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13; 5:18).

3. Our Salvation:
We believe that all human beings are sinners by nature and by choice and are condemned by our sins to experience eternal condemnation. There is nothing that sinful human beings can do to earn salvation. However, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus’ death on the cross paid the penalty for human sin and His resurrection gives eternal life. All who trust in Jesus as their Savior and Lord receive the benefit of this salvation and will be forever in God’s presence. All those who do not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be forever separated from God because of their sins (John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:1-9; Revelation 20:15; Romans 5:12; 10:9-10; John 5:24).

4. The Ordinances:
We believe that Christian Baptism by full body immersion is an outward symbolic act of a person’s inward, spiritual change and commitment to Jesus. It represents the believer’s death to their old life, their burial with Christ, and their resurrection to a new life in Christ. We also believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of Christ’s death until He comes and should be always preceded by solemn self-examination (I Corinthians 11:27-29). The bread represents the body of Christ, and the wine represents His shed blood (Matthew 26:27-28).

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Section 3. Essential Doctrines of Community:

1. Sanctity of Life:
We believe God has created all mankind in His image, and that life begins at fertilization. God created each person’s inmost being, knitting each person together in the mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). Each person is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). God
has ordained all of the days of each person’s life before they came to be (Psalm 139:16). We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life in or out of the womb is a moral evil.

2. Human Sexuality and Gender:

a. Legitimate sexual relations are exercised solely within marriage. All sexual activity outside of a Biblically defined male-female marriage is sinful and inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and Living Hope Church (Romans 1:26-27; I Corinthians
5:11; 6:9; Hebrews 13:4).

b. God created human beings with two genders (sexes), male and female, which are tied inseparably from biological anatomy and role in procreation. Cultural expressions of gender vary, but there is always a distinction between male and female. Living and/or identifying contrary to one’s biologically determined gender (sex) is sinful and inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and Living Hope Church and will not be recognized in church life or facilities use (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:23-24; Deuteronomy 22:5).

3. Marriage:
We believe marriage is a union, ordained by God, between a man and a woman. Marriage was instituted by God in Genesis, codified in the Levitical law, and expanded in both the historical narratives and wisdom literature. Additionally, several New Testament epistles
give explicit instructions for this union. Marriage is a typology of Christ and the Church. As such, Living Hope Church views marriage as a profoundly important and spiritual institution, established by God. This church defines “marriage” as the exclusive covenantal
union of one man and one woman for a lifetime commitment (Matthew 19:4-9). A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by the church only to the extent that is consistent with this definition of “marriage” (Acts 5:29).

Section 4. Requirements:

1. Qualifications:
Every Elder, board member, employee, and church member shall affirm their agreement with the Statement of Faith and shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent therewith.

2. Clause for Amendment
Any amendments to this document will require a unanimous vote of at least 3/4ths of the total membership in a church business meeting that is to be announced from the pulpit at least 2 Sundays prior to the vote.