The intention of Hope Within’s Statement of Faith is to describe core elements of faith that our organization believes, upholds and lovingly shares with others. It is intended to help ensure that the people who serve at Hope Within are unified on the underlying reasons our organization exists and on the Gospel message we proclaim. This Statement of Faith is not intended to be a complete, personal Statement of Faith for anyone who serves at Hope Within nor does Hope Within claim to be a spiritual authority in anyone’s life.
The Bible: We believe the Bible is the complete, inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative written Word of God. It is God’s revelation of Himself to us and is the ultimate source of truth to guide our lives. (Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
God: We believe there is one living and true God. He is infinite, perfect, all-knowing, and eternally exists in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God the Father is the absolute, sovereign Creator of the universe. He saves from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ, thereby becoming the spiritual Father of His adopted children. God the Son (Jesus Christ) became a Man when He was born of a virgin on Earth. He lived a sinless life, died on a cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sin, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding for all people who believe. God the Holy Spirit possesses all the attributes of personality and deity. His broad scope of His work in this age is to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; seal, indwell, instruct and comfort believers; and transform believers into the image of Christ. (Genesis 1:1-31; Isaiah 45:5-6; John 10:30; Romans 5:8; Matthew 16:15‑17; John 16:7‑14)
Man & Sin: We believe mankind was directly created by God in His image and likeness. Mankind was created free of sin, but was created with a free will. Because the first man, Adam, disobeyed the Word of God, sin entered the world, and all people since have inherited a sinful nature. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. We believe the penalty of sin is spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God in hell. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23)
Salvation: We believe that Jesus Christ voluntarily became a Man and became the sinless sacrifice needed to reconcile mankind and God. Jesus’ death imparted His righteousness to mankind. Our belief in Him as Savior and Lord is alone our salvation. Salvation is by God’s grace through faith; it is a gift from God that cannot be earned by a person’s works. After salvation, a believer’s good works and fruit are the manifestation and evidence that genuine salvation has occurred. We believe God saves believers from the penalty, power, and, in the future, the presence of sin. This redemption permits all believers to spend eternity in the presence of God in heaven. (John 1:12; John 3:16; John 5:24; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The Church: We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual body, the church, and that believers are directed by God to associate together in local assemblies. We believe that the primary purpose of the church is to glorify God and that the primary mission of the church is to be God’s witnesses and make disciples (learning believers) throughout the whole world. Unity, love, worship, prayer, fellowship, teaching, maturing, and service to others are important for all believers. (Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 4:15; Hebrews 10:23-25)
