Statement of Faith (What We Believe)

1. The Holy Bible – We believe in the verbal inspiration and the inerrancy and infallibility of the Holy Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments. (II Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12, I Peter 1:23-25, II Peter 1:19-21)

2. God – We believe in one God revealed in three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16-17, Luke 3:22, Acts 10:38, Romans 3:30, II Corinthians 13:14)

3. Man – We believe that man, in natural state, is a sinner, lost, undone, without hope, and without God. (Romans 3:19-23, Galatians 3:22, Ephesians 2:1,2,12)

4. Divinity and Humanity of Jesus Christ – We believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth id God come in the flesh and He is both divine and human. (Luke 1:26-38, John 12:13, Acts 2:36, Acts 3:14-15, Ephesians 1:3-5, Philippians 2:5-12)

5. Blood Atonement – We believe in the saving power of the Blood of Jesus Christ and His imputed righteousness to all who believe on Him in faith. (Acts 4:12, Romans 4:1-9, Romans 5-11, Ephesians 1:3-15)

6. Bodily Resurrection – We believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Luke 24:39-43, John 20:24-29)

7. Ascension – We believe that Jesus Christ ascended to the Father and is presently seated at the right hand of the Father making intercessions for us. (John 14:1-6, Romans 8:34)

8. Second Coming – We believe in the visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ to this earth to gather His Church (bride) and judge the world. Note: It is not necessary that we all believe alike concerning whether He is coming before, during, or after the Great Tribulation. (Acts 1:10-11, I Thessalonians 4:13-18, II Thessalonians 1:7-10, James 5:8, Revelation 1:7)

9. Salvation – We believe that the terms of salvation are repentance towards God for sin, and a personal heartfelt faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which results in the regeneration of the person. This salvation is entirely by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and not of works. Works are excluded except as Fruit of salvation. (Acts 3:19-20, Romans 4:1-5, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:8-10)

10. Local Church – We believe that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is a local expression of a Body of Believers who have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; who are under recognized, delegated authorities; and who assemble to worship, carry forth the Great Commission and a minister as the Holy Spirit leads. (Matthew 16:18, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:40-47, Ephesians 5:22-32, I Timothy 3:15)

11. Ordinances – We believe that the two ordinances of the church are water baptism and communion (The Lord’s Supper). (Matthew 3:15-16, Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 22:13-20, Acts 8:38, Romans 6:1-4)

12. Separated Life – We believe that the believers should seek, as the early disciples did, to practice the separate life from the world and unto Jesus Christ and to set a standard of conduct which shall exalt our Lord and His church. (Romans 12:1-3, II Corinthians 6:17, Galasians 6:14, Ephisians 5:11, Colossians 3:17)

13. Heaven and Hell – We believe the Holy Scriptures clearly set forth the doctrines of eternal punishment for the lost and eternal bliss and salvation for the saved – Hell for the unsaved and Heaven for the saved. (Matthew 25:34,41,46; Luke 16:19-31, John 14:1-3, Revelation 20:11-15)

14. Holy Spirit – We believe the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity whose purpose in the redemption is to convict mankind of sin, regenerate the repentant believer, guide the believer into understanding the Holy Scriptures, indwell and give gifts to believers as He wills, that they may minister as Christ would to men. We believe that the manifestations of the Holy Spirit recorded in I Corinthians 12:8-11 shall operate in the churches today which yield to the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe a believer can be baptized in the Holy Spirit during the time Jesus is regenerating him, or anytime subsequent to his regeneration (new birth) experience, We believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, is evidenced in the lives of present-day believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who ask for and receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:11, Luke 11:13, John 7:37-39, John 14:16-17, Acts 1:4,5,8; Acts 2:39-47, Acts 10:44-47, Acts 19:1-6)

15. Divine Healing – We believe that God does use doctors, medicines, and other material means for healing. However, we believe that divine healing has been provided for us in the Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. Divine healing may be received through the laying of hands by the elders, by the laying on of hands by believers, by the prayer of an anointed person gifted for healing the sick, by the anointing with oil and the prayer of faith, or by direct act of faith where the believer receives healing from the Lord Jesus Christ without ministry from anyone else. (Isaiah 53:5, Mark 11:23, Mark 16:18, I Corinthians 12:9, James 5:14-16)

16. Priesthood of Believers – We believe that each believer is a priest of the Lord Jesus Christ and has direct access to the Father through the Lord Jesus. Each person must believe for himself, be baptized for himself, obey for himself and answer to his Creator for himself. (I Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6)

17. Government of the Church – We believe that the New Testament church should be apostolic in nature and governed by God’s delegated authorities. Those authorities at Anchor of Hope Worship Center are the local Senior Pastor and Elders. When it is deemed best for the life of the church and testimony of the Lord, the Senior Pastor and Elders may discipline, in the spirit of love, any member who departs from the Statement of Faith of this body of believers. (Ephesians 2:19-22, Ephesians 4:11-12, I Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-11)

18. Tithes and Offerings – We believe that God’s plan of finance for His work is by tithes and offerings and that it is a joy for His children to acknowledge His Lordship in this manner. (Genesis 14:17-20, Malachi 3:6-12, Matthew 23:23, Acts 20:35, I Corinthians 16:1-3, II Corinthians 8 and 9, Hebrews 7:1-10)

19. The Institution of Marriage – We believe in the creation and God as the Creator. We believe that God created man, and that He created them male and female. As such, He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family, the basic structure of human society. We, therefore, believe in the sanctity of marriage, having been ordained and instituted by God Himself when Adam and Eve were joined together as husband and wife in the Garden of Eden. This holy union is the basis upon which the family unit is formed and a Godly society is perpetuated. A husband and his wife are commanded to raise their children in the nurture, admonition, and fear of the Lord. For these reasons, we find adultery (extra-marital sexual relations), fornication (sexual intercourse outside of marriage), homosexuality (same-sex sexual relations), and other sexual practices, which are forbidden by the Scriptures, to be detrimental to the plan and purpose of God for the family. (Romans 1:16-32, I Corinthians 6:9-20, I Corinthians 7:2-3, Galasaians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:23-33, I Timothy 1:8-11)