Our Beliefs
We joyfully stand alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the ages in affirming the Apostles’ Creed (2nd Century) and the Nicene Creed (325 and 381). Along with these historic creeds, we affirm The Gospel Coalition Confessional Statement. Our Statement of Faith¹ is a summary of what we believe as a church. It is anchored in God’s Word and evidenced in historic Christianity. It encourages sound doctrine, protects us from error, and shows unity in Christ.
Shared fellowship is only as deep as shared beliefs. We pray you are edified as you reflect on the goodness of God expressed in these doctrines.
¹See Gospel Hope Bylaws for our more comprehensive Statement of Faith
Doctrines
The Bible
God, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote the Bible through men and without error. It is fully authoritative, clear, sufficient, and necessary in all matters of life for followers of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
God
God exists eternally as one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1-2)
Jesus
Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. As the Son of God, Jesus left His rightful place in heaven to become a man, lived a sinless life, died on a cross, was buried, rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended to heaven to redeem sinful people. (Colossians 1:13-22)
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the supernatural agent who applies salvation to sinful people—bringing them new life, living within them, sanctifying them, empowering them to serve others, and sealing them until the day of Christ’s return. (John 14:16-26)
Humanity
God creates all humanity in His image as uniquely male and female. Because humanity is created in the image of God, every human life is sacred, full of dignity, and significant. (Genesis 1-3)
Salvation
All humanity is sinful and in need of salvation, which is available through faith and belief in the life and work of Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:23-25)
Heaven and Hell
We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. The saved are raised to eternal, conscious bliss in heaven (Matthew 25:34; John 14:2; I Corinthians 5:1; Revelation 2:7). The lost are raised to eternal torment in hell, in conscious separation from God (Matthew 8:11; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 13:49-50; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:5; Revelation 21:8)
Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ, His ascension into heaven, and His present life for us as High Priest and Advocate (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25-26). Consequently, at the return of Christ we believe in the bodily resurrection of those who believe in Him (John 11:25-26; I Cor. 15:51-52)
Baptism
Baptism is an outward expression of a new inward reality that a person has been buried with Jesus in his death and raised to new life with him in his resurrection (Romans 6:3-5). Although baptism is not required for salvation, it is commanded of all believers and is for believers only (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 41; Acts 18:8)
The Church
The church is both universal and local. It is comprised of individuals who have committed their lives to follow Jesus. (Acts 2:42)
Return of Christ
Jesus will one day return to earth to judge humanity and reign with His saints forever. (Matthew 25:46)
