"Planting Today's Seed for Tomorrow's Harvest"

As a statement of faith, HopeGivers Ministries affirms the following truths as gleaned from the pages of God’s Holy Word, the sacred Scriptures:

1. THE NATURE OF GOD: We believe there is one, and only one true and living God; that He manifests Himself to us in three separate co-equal and co-eternal persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  The divine essence is one, that is, all three members of the Trinity share the same characteristics (attributes) of sovereignty, holiness, justice, lovingkindness (expressed as grace and mercy), omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, immutability and truth. (Deut. 6:4; Isaiah 45:21-23; I Cor. 8:4,6; Matt. 28:20; 2 Cor.13:14).

2. THE SCRIPTURES: We believe the bible (consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative word of God.  While God used human instruments, there is but one divine Author, the Holy Spirit, as He superintended the writing so that what they wrote was without omission and without error.  It is complete, and is our final authority for faith and practice.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21; Matthew 24:35; Psalm 119:89, 105).

3. MANKIND: We believe that man is the direct creation of an all-wise, loving Creator and not the product of a supposed evolutionary process; that man was created in innocence but fell through an act of rebellion against his Creator, and that man is a sinner in need of a redemption that only God can provide.  (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:23-25, 5:12, 6:23; Ephesians 1:7). 

4. JESUS CHRIST:  We believe that in the Person of the eternally existing Son of God, God became man, that He is fully human while remaining fully divine.  He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of all humanity, and was resurrected on the third day.  He is the Savior and Lord of all who will believe, and belief in Him is essential for salvation.  (Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:1, 14, 18; Hebrews 7:25-27; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 4:12).  

5. THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity.  His present ministry is to convict sinners of sin and their need for a Savior, to regenerate the believing sinner, to indwell believers, to baptize them into the Body of Christ, to be the seal upon their salvation, to give spiritual gifts (thus empowering believers for service), to be the divine enablement for Christian living by guiding, teaching, and sanctifying the believer who walks in (is filled with) the Holy Spirit.  (John 16:8-14; Titus 3:5-6; John 14:16-17; I Corinthians 12:13; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:6-7, 5:18; Galatians 5:16-23).

6. THE DEVIL: Satan, as seen in Scripture, is a real spirit being who is the unholy god of this world system.  He is a liar from the beginning, a deceiver whose only occupation is to destroy what God has created, and to delude and ensnare the souls of men.  He is the ruler of all the powers of darkness (the demonic), and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire.  (Matt. 4:1-11; John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-12; Revelation 20:10).

7. SALVATION: is by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  It involves repentance (a change of mind/a turning away from sin) and trust in Jesus as one’s Lord and Savior.  It is the free gift of God, not earned by works.  At the moment of salvation, the believing sinner is born again, is declared righteous in God’s sight (justification), and is sanctified (set apart from sin unto God).  We believe in the security of the believer in Christ, that is, that once a person is truly saved, he/she cannot lose his/her salvation, but is kept by the power of God.  (John 3:16, 10:28-29; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:1, Hebrews 10:10-14; I Peter 1:3-5).

8. SANCTIFICATION: While the new birth is instantaneous, the Scriptures teach that Christian growth is a process whereby God transforms the believer increasingly into the image of His Son.  This is the task of a lifetime, from the moment of salvation until God calls us home, we are to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  God has given us His Word and His Spirit for this purpose.  He expects us to apply truth to life, separate from sin and ungodliness, and to walk in obedience to what He has revealed in Scripture.  (John 17:15-17; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; I Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 1:2-8, 3:18).

9. THE CHURCH: We believe that all those who have been born again, through faith in Jesus Christ, are members of His Church (the universal Body of Christ).  Although this means that believers can enjoy fellowship with all believers everywhere, we recognize God has established local churches to fulfill His Great Commission by making disciples, baptizing them and teaching them.  The church is an autonomous community of baptized believers committed to the teachings of God’s Word, and following Jesus in obedience to His Word.  (Ephesians 1:22-23; Matt. 28:19-20; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42). 

10. BAPTISM: We believe that baptism is a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ.  We believe in baptism by full immersion in water, and as such, it symbolizes the believer’s identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Along with one’s testimony of saving faith, it is a requirement for local church membership. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 16:30-34). 

11. SECOND COMING OF CHRIST:  We believe in the literal and imminent return of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ return will occur in two phases; first, in the air (the Rapture) to call His Church (true believers) home, followed by a seven–year period of Tribulation on earth, which will end by the Return of Jesus to the earth to establish a literal Kingdom in fulfillment of the covenant promises God made with His chosen people, Israel. When the Son delivers the kingdom to God the Father (I Corinthians 15:24), Christ’s kingdom will merge into God’s eternal kingdom in the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 22:12)

12. THE ETERNAL STATE: We believe in life after death, that God the Father has committed all judgment unto the Son.  We believe Jesus’ promise of a literal Heaven as a place of reward for the righteous (the saved), and we believe Jesus’ warnings of a literal hell as a place of punishment for the wicked (the unsaved).  Unto Him every knee shall bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Those who reject Him will spend eternity separated from Him, while believers in Christ will spend eternity with Him.  (John 5: 21-27, 14:2-3; Rev. 21-22; Matt. 7:13-14; Mark 9:42-48; Rev. 20:11-15; Philippians 2:9-11).