OUR BELIEFS

At Living Hope  we hold the following beliefs as the foundation of our faith and the guiding principles for how we live, follow Jesus and engage others. 

THE BIBLE
The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, the full and complete revelation of the plan and history of redemption.  We believe in the verbal and plenary inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, known as the Bible.

GOD
There is but one living and true God, everlasting, of infinite power, wisdom and goodness; Maker and Preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in the unity of this Godhead, there are three Persons of one substance of eternal being, and equal in holiness, justice, wisdom, power, and dignity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

JESUS
Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the Father, took the nature of mankind in the womb of the virgin Mary. Arose from the dead and ascended into heaven,  where He remains until the time He will return to judge all people.

HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.

SALVATION
Eternal life with God in heaven is the reward of the righteous, and eternal banishment from the presence of the Lord and unending torture in hell are the wages of those who reject Him (Matthew 25:46; Psalm 9:17; Revelation 21:7, 8).

REDEMPTION
Jesus Christ shed His blood for the cancellation of our past sins, the restoration of all sinners who repent, and salvation from sin and sinning (Romans 3:25; 1 John 3:5-10; Ephesians 2:1-10).

JUSTIFICATION
Justification before God is by faith alone. (Romans 5:1)

SANTIFICATION
Sanctification by faith in Christ is an instant work of grace (Acts 26:18; 1 John 1:9) followed by a lifelong process of spiritual growth after conversion (2 Corinthians 4:16; 2 Peter 3:18).

HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM
We believe the Pentecostal baptism of the Holy Ghost is available through faith with the initial evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit speaks through us (Luke 11:13; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; 8:17; 10:44-46; 19:6).

DIVINE HEALING
We believe divine healing was made available through Christ's death on the Cross (Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:16, 17; Mark 16:14-18; James 5:14-16; Exodus 15:26).

SECOND COMING
We believe in the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:10-14; Matthew 24:29-44), and love and wait for His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8).

GREAT COMMISSION 
It is the responsibility of every believer to obey Christ's command to spread His message of love and deliverance to every nation.

Our Distinctives

We hold the following theological positions which distinguish us from other local churches who affirm the same core beliefs.

The Gifts Of The Holy Spirit

The gifts of the Holy Spirit that we see on display in the New Testament are still active within the life of the church today. These gifts did not end with the close of the New Testament or the death of the apostles.  All believers are given gifts to be used for the building up of the church.
  • 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
  • 1 Peter 4:10

Marriage And Sexuality

We believe the Bible defines marriage as one man, one woman, for life. We further believe that intimate sexual activity is a sacred gift of God and intended to be celebrated only between a man and a woman who are married to each other.
  • Mark 10:6-9
  • 1 Corinthians 6:18
  • 1 Corinthians 7:2-5
  • Hebrews 13:4

Gender: Men And Women

Scripture makes clear that gender is not a by-product of individual choice, but is rather a consequence of divine design.  Scripture clearly teaches that God has designed human beings as exclusively male or female without the ability to change that. It is fixed in the womb.

Men and women, created in the image of God, are absolutely equal in essence, dignity, value, and are distinct by divine design.

  • Genesis 1:27
  • Psalm 139:13