VALUES & BELIEFS​

We believe that all scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and that God has promised to preserve His pure words (Psalm 12:6-7). We believe that the Authorized King James 1611 Bible is inspired and contains the preserved words of God in the English language and is, therefore, the supreme, inerrant, infallible, and final authority in all matters of faith, creeds, and conduct.

We believe that salvation is a free gift of God (Ephesians 2:8,9) offered to man by His grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It requires neither culture, character, religion, nor good works to get it or secure it. We believe every born again child of God is eternally secure in Christ with a forever sealed salvation (Ephesians 1:13). Salvation will be evident through the fruit of repentance, faith, and newness of life (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We believe that there is only one living and true God (1 Timothy 2:5). He is an infinite, intelligent Person, the Maker and Supreme Ruler of Heaven and Earth (Deuteronomy 4:39). In the unity of the Godhead, there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption (1 John 5:7).

We believe that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1-3), He was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), He was God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16), He lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), He laid down His life on the cross for our sins (Romans 5:8), He arose bodily the third day (1 Corinthians 15:4), He ascended back to Heaven (Acts 1:9), He sits glorified at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:13), He is the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18), and He is coming again (Titus 2:13), and He is the only way to Heaven (John 14:6).

We believe the local church to be a body of believers who come together in obedience to Christ to carry out the dictates of the New Testament (Matthew 28:19, 20). The local church should be self-governing and independent from any interference of hierarchy, individuals, and organizations. Believers should assemble together locally in order to be edified in the word of God and to serve the Lord (Acts 11:23-26). The proper order for the local church is laid out especially in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy 3:15). Hope Baptist Church is an independent Baptist Church.

We believe that every believer in the Church Age is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the spiritual body of Christ upon salvation (1 Corinthians 12:13). We believe that the body of Christ was a great mystery that was hidden from the past ages until it was first revealed by Christ through the apostle Paul (Ephesians 3:1-12). There is only one body (Ephesians 4:4) of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22-23). The body of Christ (the church) is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again Christians.

We believe in following the Biblical pattern of baptism. Water baptism is only for those who have first believed in Jesus (Acts 8:37). It is a full immersion into water symbolizing and identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Matthew 3:16). Baptism will also identify you with the local church. It is obedience to the Lord’s command (Matthew 28:19). Water baptism can in no wise impute grace or forgiveness of sins (1 Corinthians 1:17; Romans 4:24).

We believe the Lord’s Supper (“Communion”) to be a remembrance of what Christ did for us. The unleavened bread and fruit of the vine symbolize His body and blood. This special time of self-examination and appreciation allows us to not only look back but also ahead to His coming (1 Corinthians 11:23-34). The elements in no way, shape, or form become supernatural but are only symbolic.  

We believe that the command to give the gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable (Matthew 28:19,20). It is the church’s clear responsibility to carry out this commission by sending forth those whom God has called. The equipping and supply of these missionaries is the sole duty of the church. Missions is the heartbeat of Hope Baptist Church.

We believe that Christ is coming secretly before the tribulation period for the members of His body. The dead in Christ will rise first and those that are alive will be “caught up” to meet Christ in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The blessed hope (Titus 2:13) of the body of Christ is distinct from the Second Coming of Christ back to the earth in judgment at the end of the tribulation period in order to set up His righteous kingdom (Revelation 19:11-16).