These distinctives represent what is taught from our pulpit and in our classes, studies and fellowships. While we do hold firmly to these teachings and will defend them Scripturally, we do not exclude fellowship with other genuine believers who may hold to slightly differing viewpoints.

Sola Scriptura means Scripture alone. We believe that the Scripture alone is the rule for our lives.

Sola Gratia means grace alone. We believe that sinners are justified before God by grace alone. We have no merit of our own, but justification is all of the grace of God.

Sola Fide means faith alone. We believe that sinners are justified through faith alone apart from any works.

Solus Christus means Christ alone. We believe that salvation is found in Christ alone. It is not to be found in any church, pope, priest, bishop, or any other religion. Christ alone is the source of eternal life.

Soli Deo Gloria means glory to God alone. We believe that God gets all the glory for our salvation, and we should live devoted to glorifying God.

For further explanation concerning the “Five Solas” please read the Cambridge Declaration.

As a church, Hope CBC is committed to teaching and preaching the Word of God for the glory of Christ. By God’s grace we proclaim the gospel of Christ, knowing that Christ will save His people through that proclamation by the power of the Holy Spirit. The doctrines of grace are commonly summarized by these five terms.

Total Depravity — Not that people are as bad as they can be – but rather that they are as bad off as can be in that nothing a person does is good enough to earn his standing before the holy God.

Unconditional Election — God elected some sinners to salvation of His own free will independent of anything the sinners would or would not do.

Limited Atonement — Christ died for the Church to save His people from their sins.

Irresistible Grace — The Holy Spirit irresistibly draws all the elect to Christ by grace through faith.

Perseverance of the Saints — All the elect will persevere to the end in faith and be glorified with Christ.

We believe that the true Church, called in Scripture the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism. Every person who has trusted Jesus Christ for salvation in this present age has been baptized (placed) into this organism by the Holy Spirit. The local church, as established in Scripture, is made up of redeemed individuals who have joined together for worship, instruction, fellowship, and service.

(Eph. 1:22,23; 5:25-32; 1 Corinthians 12:12,13; Acts 2:42; 13:1,2), exhibiting the true love of God to each other.

We believe in the Biblical account of the creation of the universe in six literal, solar days; that God created by His Word the heavens, the earth, and all their hosts, without pre-existing materials; that man was created by a direct act of God; that all humans were present in Adam when he was created; that new individuals (in all their parts) come into existence today, not by a continuing creation, but through the laws of propagation established by God; that each individual is a living person from the moment of conception; that all forms of evolutionary hypotheses are serious errors which strike at the very person and glory of God.

(Genesis 1:1-31; 2:7; 5:3; Exodus 20:11; Hebrews 11:13; Psalm 139:13-16; Luke 1:41,44; John. 1:3; Romans 5:12-24; 1 Corinthians 15:22; Colossians 1:15-19; Hebrews 11:3).

One area where Hope CBC differs from many of those who hold to a reformed tradition is in our teaching on baptism. We believe that only those who have received the Holy Spirit are true members of the Christ’s Church. We therefore teach that only believers should be baptized, and we practice baptism by immersion.

(Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12).

We believe that the dispensations are divinely ordered stewardships, or rules of life (not ways of salvation), by which God administers His purpose on Earth through man under varying responsibilities in successive ages. Each dispensation begins with man being divinely placed in a new position of privilege and responsibility, and each closes with a failure of man resulting in righteous judgment from God. Three of these dispensations, or rules of life, are the subject of extended revelation in Scripture. They are the dispensation of the Mosaic Law, the present dispensation of Grace (the Church age), and the future dispensation of the Millennial Kingdom. They are distinct and are not to be intermingled or confused, as they are chronologically successive. We believe a clear distinction is presented in the Scriptures between God’s program for Israel and God’s program for the Church.

(John. 1:17; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 2 Corinthians 3:9-18; Galatians 3:13-25; Ephesians 1:10; Colossians 1:24,25; Hebrews 7:19; Revelation 20:2-6).

We believe in the imminent, personal, pre-tribulational coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church and His subsequent premillennial return to earth with His saints to establish His Millennial Kingdom upon the earth.

(1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10; Zechariah 14:4-11; Revelation 19:11- 16; 20:1-6).