What We Believe

New Hope Baptist Church Statement of Faith

The Baptist Faith and Message serves as a guide to understanding who we are and what we believe. These are the doctrines we hold precious and essential to our tradition of faith and practice.

1)     Word of God
     The Holy Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God written by the men of His calling. Therefore, all scripture is completely true and      trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to be until the return of Jesus Himself,      the center of every Christian’s relationship with God.
     Exodus 24:4, Joshua 8:34, Jeremiah 36:1-32, Acts 2:16, Hebrews 1:1-2, 2 Peter 1:19-21

2)     God
     There is one and only one living and true God. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in      holiness and perfections. God is all-powerful and all-knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and      future. To Him, we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with      distinct attributes of each without division between the three. Three in One and One in Three, all the same.
     Genesis 1-3, Exodus 3:5-6, Exodus 20:1-11, Isaiah 6:1-8, Matthew 6:9-15

          A.    God The Father
               God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful,                all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is                fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
               Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11ff.; 20:1ff.; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9ff.; 7:11;23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7;                Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17;                1 John 5:7

          B.    God the Son
               Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.                Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a                glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the                reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 11:27; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; John 1:1-18,29; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 20:1-20,28; Acts 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20;       Romans 1:3-4; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11;Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9;                1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15;5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 19:16

          C.    God the Holy Spirit
               The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the                Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration, He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates                Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the                believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the                fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
               Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6;Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John                4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17

3) Man

Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation as well as the gift of marriage between male and female just as He represented His love for the church. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice, man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan, man transgressed the command of God and fell from his original innocence and continues to pass down for all future generations a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32;3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11

4)     Salvation
     Salvation is the beginning point and continual process of our eternal life relationship with God. Salvation is available to anyone who      shall believe in their hearts and confess with their lips that Jesus is our Lord, born of a virgin, living 33.5 years of life performing many      miracles and living truly as man, crucified on the cross to pay the sacrifice for our sins, resurrected three days later from a borrowed      tomb, and sitting at the right hand of the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through      Him.
     John 1:10-13, 3:16, 14:6; Romans 10:9; Philippians 1:6; 1 John 3:1-3

5) Eternal Security
Salvation is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He rebirths, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man and encompasses all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, infinite wisdom, holiness, and unchangeability. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their blessings and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-8; 1 Samuel 8:4-7,19-22; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31ff.; Matthew 16:18-19; 21:28-45; 24:22,31; 25:34; Luke 1:68-79;2:29-32; 19:41-44; 24:44-48; John 1:12-14; 3:16; 5:24; 6:44-45,65; 10:27-29; 15:16; 17:6,12,17-18; Acts 20:32; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; 10:12-15;11:5-7,26-36; 1 Corinthians 1:1-2; 15:24-28; Ephesians 1:4-23; 2:1-10; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:12-14; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:12; 2:10,19;Hebrews 11:39–12:2; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:2-5,13; 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:19; 3:2.

6)     Return of Christ
     God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return      personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will      be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their      reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord.
     Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37;      21:27-28;John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21;      Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1ff.; 2 Thessalonians 1:7ff.; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews      9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7ff.; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13.

7)     Church
     A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in      the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and      privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under      the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as      Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, these offices are      limited to men as qualified by Scripture. The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the      redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.
     Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16;      5:4-5; 7:17;9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14;      Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2

8) Church Ordinances

A. Baptism

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to their faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.

B. The Lord’s Supper

The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12

Blessings Of Faithful Membership to God’s Church

At New Hope Baptist Church, we recognize the blessings associated with being a member of a local congregation that God has chosen to plant one in. Some people would argue in the need to be “on a church role” compared to just attending, but it is made plain in God’s Word the differences in a member of His local congregation and just an attender and that difference is COMMITMENT. Being committed to His chosen church for you allows the blessings He has in store for you to be poured down like a flood from His Throne. Consider these blessings:

· Christ is committed to His Church and His people. Ephesians 5:25

· Unity and strength to spread the gospel of Christ. Ephesians 4:4-6

· Spiritual maturity to allow God to guide you with Spirit-led living. John 15:5

· Friendship and bonds for the tough times. John 15:13; 1 Corinthians 12:26

As a member, I commit to the body of Christ, the church (1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:4-5). As a member at New Hope Baptist Church, I will fulfill to the best of my abilities the following expectations:

1. I will worship the one true God with other New Hope Baptist Church members for as long as I am physically able (Hebrews 10:24-25; Romans 12:1). The goal of my regular weekly worship is to give God glory (Romans 11:36; Hebrews 13:15).

2. I will grow spiritually through regular involvement in groups and classes at New Hope Baptist Church in addition to regular personal devotional times. I understand the purpose of these groups and classes is building community with other believers and holding each other accountable (Acts 2:44-47; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

3. I will serve Christ through the mission work of New Hope Baptist Church. I am created to serve others through good works (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 4:10). I am commanded by God to make disciples of every nation, tribe, people and language through the local church (Matthew 28:16-20; Revelation 7:9). I will support the church’s mission to go to the ends of the earth to share the gospel (1 Timothy 1:5).

4. I will give my tithes and offerings to God abundantly and joyfully, recognizing God as the owner of all things (Proverbs 3:9; Psalm 24:1). Giving my tithe of money and time to God brings me closer to Him (Malachi 3:10; Matthew 6:19-24).

5. I will seek unity with other church members. I recognize God’s design for the church is unity in diversity, and I will put the interests of others above my personal preferences (Ephesians 4:1-6; 1 Peter 3:8-9). I will guard the reputation of the church and submit to discipline for any sin problems in my life (Matthew 18:15-20).

6. I will pray for and follow the leadership of New Hope Baptist Church (Hebrews 13:17-18). I will pray privately and with the church corporately. I will pray for people to accept Christ, and I will pray for more disciples to grow.

7. I will sacrifice by serving first, following the servant model of Jesus Christ (Mark 10:45). I will make my attitude that of Christ and through humility make the gospel my priority (Philippians 2:5-11).