What do we believe about…
The Bible
We believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God and is the only rule of faith and life.
Who is God?
We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. (Genesis 1:1 & 26; Matthew 28:19) We believe God has an eternal purpose for everything He has made and everything that happens. (Isaiah 45:5-7; Ephesians 1:11)
Who is Jesus?
We believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God who took on flesh through the virgin, Mary. He lived a sinless life and gave Himself as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of His children. He conquered death by rising from the dead and ascended to Heaven where He is sitting at the right hand of the Father. A day is coming in which Jesus will physically return to gather His children to Himself and to condemn the ungodly. (John 1:1 & 14; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:5-11)
Who is the Holy Spirit?
We believe the Holy Spirit is the 3rd person of the Godhead who eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. He applies the redemption purchased by Christ. He grants us faith, shows us our sin, makes us alive, and enables us to embrace Christ. He is renewing us after the image of God and enabling us to die more to sin while living more unto righteousness. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 2:37, 26:18; Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 6:44; Ephesians 4:20-24)
Who is Man?
We believe man was created by God in His image as male and female. Being left to the freedom of his own will, man chose to reject God, and sinned against Him which has brought all mankind into an estate of sin and misery. He was separated from God and fell under His wrath and curse, unable to save Himself. Apart from the regenerating work of God, the Holy Spirit, man is spiritually dead in sin. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 3:6-8; Romans 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:23, 6:23)
What do we believe about salvation?
We believe that all people are sinners and totally unable to save themselves from God’s displeasure, except by His mercy. Therefore, salvation is by God alone. We believe the Bible teaches what is also known as “The Doctrines of Grace”:
Total Depravity – Because of the fall of Adam, every man has been permeated with sin in every aspect of his being; therefore, we are spiritually dead and incapable of earning God’s mercy. (Psalm 58:1-3; Jeremiah 13:23: Romans 5:12: Ephesians 2:1-3)
Unconditional Election – Since man is dead in sin, he is also incapable of choosing God. However, God has chosen some to be saved based on His own good pleasure and He has given them to the Son. (John 6:37-44; Acts 13:48; Romans 9:10-25; Ephesians 1:4-5)
Limited Atonement – God, the Father, has sent Jesus to die as a substitute for those whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world. His sacrifice satisfied God’s justice and completely washes away our sin. (John 10:15-26; John 15:11-17; Romans 5:8)
Irresistible Grace – Since God, the Father, has chosen some to be saved and Jesus died for them, then the Holy Spirit will make them alive. He regenerates the heart and enables us to truly live. (Isaiah 55:10-11; John 3:3; Acts 16:13-14; Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 Peter 5:10-11)
Preservation of the Saints – Since we are dead in sin, and our salvation must be initiated by God, He has promised to keep us until Christ returns. Although we may stumble in sin, He will not allow us to fall back into the state of condemnation. (John 5:24; John 10:28-29; Romans 8:1-2 & 27-39; 1 John 5:13)
Sanctification – The Holy Spirit makes a child of sin become a child of God, and He also leads the new believer into a new way of life which is in conformity to the will of God. God declares us to be holy but while we are still on this fallen earth, He is in the process of transforming us more and more into the likeness of His Son and enabling us more and more to put sin to death. At one time, we were dead in sin, enslaved by sin, but God who is rich in mercy made us alive in Christ, set us free, and is in the process of completing in us what He has begun. (John 17:17; Acts 20:32; 2 Timothy 3:14-17)
Who is the Church?
We believe in the holy, catholic Church; that is, in the universal unity of Christ’s body, the people of God, throughout time and eternity. (Matthew 16:18; Acts 13:1; 14:23-27 & 15:3; Ephesians 3:8-11; John 13:35)
What are the Sacraments?
We believe Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as a fulfilment of the Passover, a sign and seal of Christ’s death for His children and the new life we now have in Him by faith. (Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-23; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32).
Jesus instituted Baptism as a fulfilment of Circumcision, a sign and seal of our cleansing from sin by the blood of Christ. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38-39; Colossians 2:9-12)
A full statement of our doctrinal beliefs can be found in the Westminster Confession of Faith and catechisms.
New Hope is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in America and is committed to being faithful to the Scriptures, true to the Reformed faith & obedient to the Great Commission.
Helpful Links from the Office of the Stated Clerk of the PCA:
- For the Westminster Standards, click here: WCF
- For the Book of Church Order, click here: BCO
- If you are looking for the PCA’s position about a specific topic, please visit the PCA Historical Center’s collection of PCA Position Papers here: PCA POSITION PAPERS
The mission of the Presbyterian Church in America is to glorify and enjoy God by equipping and enabling PCA churches to work together to fulfill the Great Commission by making disciples of all nations, so that people will mature as servants of the triune God, will worship God in spirit and truth, and will have a reforming impact on culture.
