Statement of Faith
The following statements represent the foundational beliefs of the Centers for Hope and for those who serve as board members and instructional leaders of the Centers for Hope. These statements, while not exhaustive, seek to communicate the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith that are taught in the Scriptures. The explicit rejection of any of these statements shall be justification for removing or prevent someone from serving as a board member or as an instructional leader of the Centers for Hope. Rejection of any of these statements reveals a misalignment with the Biblical faith of Christianity, which is the foundation for the Centers for Hope.
The Scriptures
We believe that the sixty-six books of the Bible were written by men inspired by God. That it is God’s only written revelation of Himself and His standards for mankind. That it is without error in the original manuscripts, worthy of our trust, sufficient for explaining salvation, and authoritative for faith and life. Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is the focus of divine revelation.
Psalm 19:7-10; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:21; Revelation 22:18-19
The Trinity
We believe in one God, who exists eternally in three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That these three persons are equal in divinity and glory and yet each has personal attributes and distinct functions. Because of His triune nature, God is both transcendent over all of creation and personally involved in this world as the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver and Ruler of the universe.
Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:2
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, holy, and loving being, who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all- wise. That He sovereignly reigns over the affairs of this world, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 43:15; Matthew 6:9-13; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 1:11-12
God the Son
We believe in Jesus Christ, the one and only eternal Son of God, who, while fully divine, became a man that He might reveal God and redeem mankind. That He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary. That He lived a sinless life and died a substitutionary death in order to serve as the one and only mediator between God and man. That He was buried and then physically resurrected from the grave and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, where He remains as an intercessor for His people until the day in which He will return to judge the living and the dead. That His judgment is final, resulting in those who are righteous in Christ spending eternity with the Lord in haven and the unredeemed spending eternity in hell.
John 1:1,14; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 9:28
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Scriptures and enables people to understand truth. That He convicts men of sin, regenerates the heart to believe, and is the means by which the believer is sealed until the day of final redemption. That He dwells within believers, empowering, guiding, and equipping them toward holiness.
John 14:26; John 16:8; 1 Corinthians 6:11,19-20; Ephesians 1:13-14
Humanity
We believe that God created human beings in His own image, making men and women with distinct qualities and roles, yet equal in dignity. That having been tempted by Satan, humanity chose to sin against God and thereby incurred physical and spiritual death, which is separation from God’s fellowship. As a result, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and also willfully choose to sin. These realities bring them under the just condemnation of God.
Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Hebrews 9:27
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God, whereby God, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies an individual. That, in order to be saved, individuals must respond by faith to the call of God by repenting of their sin, believing in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and committing themselves to follow Christ. We believe that those whom God has redeemed in Christ and sanctified by the Spirit will persevere to the end and can never lose their salvation. Regeneration is the new birth, whereby God gives a person a new heart that responds to Him in repentance and faith. Justification is the act whereby God declares a person innocent and righteous by counting the righteousness of Christ to his/her credit through faith in the completed work of Christ. Sanctification is the lifelong process whereby the believer is transformed into the image of Christ through progressive growth in holiness, both in attitude and action. Glorification is the culmination of the salvation process at the time of Christ’s return that ultimately results in the believer experiencing perfect communion with God throughout all eternity. We believe that there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ.
John 3:16; Romans 5:1-5; Romans 6:22; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7
The Church
We believe that a local church is an expression of God’s people gathered in a community of believers who have entered into covenant with one another. We believe that the universal Church is the body of all believers in all places at all times existing under the headship of Christ.
Matthew 16:18; Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 2:19-21
The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His glorious kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body and the final judgment where the redeemed will dwell forever in the presence of the Lord in heaven and the unredeemed will spend eternity in hell.
Matthew 16:27; John 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 21:1-8
Christian Conduct
We believe the Holy Spirit, as the third person of the triune God, is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ. Though sin remains a reality, as Christians are led by the Spirit, we grow in the knowledge of the Lord and endeavor to keep His commands. We believe that a Christian is called to do everything to the glory of God, to make disciples of all nations, to pursue love and do good to everyone, to be a faithful steward of all that God has entrusted to him/her, and to obey the Word of God in all matters of faith and life.
1 Corinthians 10:31; Titus 2:11-12; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 John 2:3-6; Romans 12:1-3
The Family
We believe that God has ordained marriage to be the union of one man and one woman in a life-long covenant, as they submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Husbands are called to love and lead their wives as Christ loves and leads the Church. Wives are called to respect and submit to their husbands as the Church is called to respect and submit to Jesus. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing from God and parents bear the primary responsibility of training them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Genesis 2:24; Deuteronomy 6:7; Psalm 139:13-16; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 5:21-25
Marriage and Sexuality
We believe that the term 'marriage' has only one meaning and that marriage is sanctioned by God. We believe that God has ordained marriage to be the union of one man and one woman in a life-long covenant, as they submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexual or bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, or any attempt to change one's sex, or stated disagreement with one's biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.
We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are neither in accord with Scripture nor sound doctrine.
Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:21-25; Hebrews 13:4