Statement of Faith
The following is the statement of faith of New Hope Baptist Church of Saline County based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
The Bible
We believe the Authorized King James Bible is the inerrant, infallible and preserved Word of God for English speaking people, and we use it exclusively. We accept the Bible as the supreme and only authority in faith and life.
God
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Creation
We believe that the Genesis account of creation is to be accepted literally, not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary change of species.
Birth of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, and born of Mary, a virgin, and is true God and true man.
Mankind
We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also that spiritual death which is separation from God and literal eternal judgment in Hell and the lake of fire: and that all human beings are sinners in thought, word, and deed.
Death of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.
Salvation
We believe that Salvation is by grace through faith without the addition of any works. We believe that repentance is necessary to salvation. We believe in both the response of man, and the sovereignty of God, that when man chooses to accept salvation, he is kept by the power of God unto the day of redemption (eternal security).
Baptism
We believe in believers only baptism, that baptism by immersion is an answer of good conscious toward God. That salvation and scriptural baptism are requirements to membership in the Local New Testament Church, but that baptism holds no saving power.
The Church
We believe the Church of our Lord is a visible, local, self governing body of believers who have been baptized, and that there are only two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s supper, both of which are administered only to believers.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that upon salvation the believer is sealed and indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God. We are non charismatic, and do not believe that speaking in tongues, or signs and wonders are actively being used by the Holy Spirit of God today.
The Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there as High Priest and Advocate. We believe as well that because of His bodily resurrection we will also be bodily raised and given a new glorified body to live with Him forever.
The End Times
We are dispensational in theology and believe in a pre-tribulation rapture of the saints and a pre-millennial return of Christ to set up His literal kingdom on this earth.