Hope in Christ Community Church believes that the entire Bible is completely and equally inspired and that it is God's written Word. The following Declaration of Faith has been adopted by Hope in Christ Community Church as its standard and official expression of doctrine.

We Believe:

1) In the verbal inspiration of the Bible. 

Verbal:  God inspired all Scripture and guaranteed the accuracy of every word of Scripture. Though each author expressed his message in his own style of writing, he was governed in his expression by the actions and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Inspiration: The Scriptures are the “breath of God,” issued through the personal work of the Holy Spirit.

Bible: 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. In its autographs (that is, the documents originally written by human authors in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek), the Bible is without error.

Scripture Affirmation: Matthew 5:17, 18; Luke 16:17; 1 Peter 1:10, 11; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

2) In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

One God: There is one indivisible, unlimited, eternal, perfect, personal Being.
If we believe God is before all things, there can only be one Being who is before all other existence. If we believe that God is beyond measurement, there can be but one Being who is immeasurable (that is, infinite). If we believe that God is all-powerful, there can be no one else as powerful as He and none can be more powerful. If we believe that God is eternal, there can be no being in existence prior to His existence; there is no existence prior to His.

Three Persons: The term “person” is used to identify the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Ghost) as individual distinctions in the Godhead. Each of these Persons is distinguished from the other in the following respects: name, will, word and nature. There is eternal Oneness and eternal Trinity in the Godhead. The Father is Father because he begets His Son and that from eternity. The Son is Son because He is begotten as Son (the only begotten of the Father) from everlasting. The Holy Spirit is Spirit of God because from eternity He has proceeded from the Father and Son.

Scripture Affirmation: Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 1:1, 2; Hebrews 9:14.

* The Bible presents a God who did not need to create any beings to experience love, communion and fellowship. This God is complete in Himself, being three Persons: Jehovah the Father, Jehovah the Son and Jehovah the Holy Spirit, separate and distinct, yet at the same time eternally one Jehovah. They loved and communed and fellowshipped with each other and took counsel together before the universe, angels or man were brought into existence. Isaiah "heard the voice of the Lord [in eternity past] saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" (Isaiah 6:8). Moses revealed the same counseling together of the Godhead: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness"; and again, "Let us go down, and there confound their language" (Genesis 1:26; 11:7). Who is this "us" if God is a single entity? Why does God say, "The man is become as one of us" (Genesis 3:22)?

3) That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary. That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor. 

Jesus: By definition the name Jesus means “Savior.” The name is the historical name given to Jesus at His birth.
Christ: By definition this term means “anointed one.” By application the term designates the Messiah.

Only begotten Son of the Father: He alone is begotten. He is Son of the Father’s nature, eternally Son and eternally equal to the Father in glory and Power.

Conceived of the Holy Spirit: This conception accounts for the origin of the historical Person of Jesus in His human nature.
Virgin Mary: The Scriptures affirm that Mary was a virgin at the time of the conception of Jesus in her womb and that she remained a virgin until after His birth.

Scripture Affirmation: Matthew 1:23; John 20:28; Luke 2:7; Acts 2:22; Matthew 1:18-20; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:18; 3:16; Matthew 17:5; Hebrews 4:15.

4) That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins. 

Sin: Acts of transgression and impurity of nature. Sin is both overt (that is, external - appearing in outward acts of disobedience) and covert (that is, inward – realized in unholy attitudes of mind, will and heart).

Glory of God: The infinite superiority of God over all creatures. The glory of God also consists of the excellence of His moral nature: He is absolute and infinitely perfect in righteousness, holiness and love.

Repentance: A change in mind, heart and will during which one sorrows over and rejects the sinful way of life and denounces ones carnal nature.

Scripture Affirmation: Romans 3:9, 23; Luke 13:1-3; Acts 2:38; Luke 24:47; Acts 17:30.

5) That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. 

Justification: The removal of sin (list of charges) from the account of the accused. Justification also attributes the good deeds of Christ’s life and the merits of His shed blood to the account of the believer.

Regeneration and the new birth: The implantation of the Word of God which births a new/godly nature in the believer. The agents of this experience are the Word and Spirit of God.

Scripture Affirmation: Romans 3:19, 20, 24, 25; Romans 5:1; John 3:3, 5, 6; 1 Peter 1:23.

6) In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost. 

Sanctification: To make holy. As used in reference to the experience of salvation, it refers to three things: separation from the world unto God, purging (cleansing) from pollution of sin and crucifying of the carnal nature.

Scripture Affirmation: 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthian 7:1; Romans 6:11, 12, 17, 18.

7) Holiness to be God's standard of living for His people. 

Holiness: Holiness as a pattern for living means a life dedicated to Christ, separated from the world and that does not practice sin. Its standard is the perfection of God and it is defined in the law of God in terms of love for God and love for one’s neighbor.

God’s standard: The measure of righteousness that God has established in Scripture, based on justice, purity and love. God’s standard from the Old Testament is expressed in Genesis 17:1, “I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be perfect.” In the New Testament Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Holiness of life is specifically prescribed in first and greatest commandment and in the second commandment: that we love God with our whole being and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. Love for God means that we love His Personal Being, that we love His law and that we obey His law. Love for neighbor involves our acting toward the neighbor as God has acted toward us; it is indeed loving one’s neighbor as oneself.

Scripture Affirmation: Genesis 17:1; Matthew 5:48; Mark 12:29-31; Hebrews 12:14.

8) In the baptism with the Holy Spirit subsequent to a clean heart. 

Baptism: The baptism of the Spirit is an “immersion of the Spirit.” When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, you will receive strength, power and boldness from God to accomplish your work and overcome sin in your own life. The baptism of the Spirit is a separate and distinct experience occurring sometime after regeneration. This baptism is poured out upon the believer from heaven (also identified as being filled with the Holy Spirit). The baptism with the Holy Spirit was regarded as being the third work of grace, following the new birth (first work of grace) and entire sanctification (second work of grace).

Holy Spirit: The Holy Ghost or Spirit of God, the third person of the divine trinity. ‘Ghost’ as translated in the KJV is the old English word for ‘guest.’

Subsequent: term to show the order of spiritual experience.

Clean heart: The inner nature purified as a result of sanctification.

Scripture Affirmation: Mark 1:7, 8; Acts 1:8; John 14:16, 17; Luke 11:13; Acts 19:1-6.

9) In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. 

Other tongues: A language that the speaker does not know or naturally understand.

As the Spirit gives utterance: As initiated and sustained by the Spirit.

Initial evidence: The first manifestation that is observed outwardly is that the recipient speaks in tongues by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture Affirmation: Acts 2:4, 7-8; Acts 8:17-19; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 11:15-17; Acts 19:5-6; 1 Corinthians 14:5, 39-40.

10) In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Water baptism: An outward act and symbol of a believer’s repentance and regeneration, which are the works of God’s grace.
Immersion: The submersion of the believer in water.

All who repent: Baptism presupposes a previous experience of faith in Christ and repentance toward God.

Name: “Name” is used to designate the divine Persons of the Trinity which represent the Presence, Power and Person of God. The use or the Name (or Names) represents the authority in which this rite is administered.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit: See note under article two.

Scripture Affirmation: Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4, 5; Colossians 2:11, 12; Acts 2:38; 10:44-48.

11) Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.

Divine healing: The restoration of physical, mental or emotional health by direct, divine intervention. Reference is made here to the provision of healing by the redemptive work of Christ.

Atonement: The redemptive work in which Christ not only satisfied the judgement of sin against us, but also broke the power of sin and thus provided deliverance from the consequences of sin.

Scripture Affirmation: Psalm 103:2, 3; Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:16, 17.

12) In the Lord's Supper and washing of the saints' feet. 

Lord’s Supper: Designated “Lord’s Supper” because Christ hosted its inauguration and remains the Host in all instances of its celebration. Although the word "Last Supper" does not occur in the New Testament, many Christians have traditionally referred to it. The word "Lord's Supper" refers to both the biblical event and the celebrations of "Holy Communion" and Eucharistic ("thanksgiving"). Although most do not use the terms "Eucharist" or the adjective "Holy" with the name "Communion", both terms are acceptable.

Feet washing: Christ washed the feet of His disciples on the night He instituted the Lord’s Supper. It is designed to represent the perpetuation of cleansing and humble service.

Scripture Affirmation: Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:3-17; 1 Timothy 5:10.

13) In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years. 

Premillennial: The prefix “pre” designates the order of Christ’s return and reign of a thousand years on the earth. He will return before He establishes His earthly reign.

Second coming: The Second Advent is Christ’s bodily return that will cover from the rapture of the church to the consummation of the kingdom.
Resurrect the righteous dead: The raising up of bodies in a physical and literal manner.

Righteous dead: Old and New Testament saints who have died in faith before the return of Christ.

Living saints: Believers in Christ who are alive at the time of Christ’s return.

Reign on earth: Christ’s literal, physical presence as the righteous ruler established over the world.

Thousand years: A literal period of time: hence the word ‘millennium.’

Scripture Affirmation: John 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 20:1-3.

14) In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked. 

Bodily resurrection: The literal and physical raising up of bodies of the dead.

Eternal life: The reward of everlasting blessedness for those who believe in Jesus.

Righteous: Those who believe in Christ and clothed in His righteousness.
Eternal Punishment: The judgement of eternal damnation for those who rejected Jesus.

Wicked: Those who reject the life of righteousness and holiness and refuse to trust in the power and grace of God. 

Scripture Affirmation: Daniel 12:2; Mark 9:43-48; John 5:24-29; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:4-6, 13-15.