During the summer of 2026, our pastors led us through our We Believe series, walking through the core beliefs and doctrines that shape who we are as a church. Each sermon explored one of the doctrinal statements found in the Living Hope Community Church Constitution, helping us understand not only what we believe, but why we believe it.
Below, you’ll find the sermons from the series along with the corresponding statement.
The Gospel is the hope of the world. As we read the Scriptures, we see the overarching themes of God's providence, power, and provision to reconcile mankind and the created world to Himself through the Person and work of Jesus Christ. In light of this, we aim to be explicitly Gospel-centered in all we do.
The following statements enumerate the core beliefs that anchor our faith and shape our ministry. Originating in Scripture and affirmed throughout Church history, they express absolute and incontrovertible truths that inform and confirm our worldview and our identity as Christians.
We believe the Bible, as constituted in the 66 books of the Old and New Testament, is the word of God. It is true, authoritative, and sufficient. Through it, God reveals Himself to the world, explains our place in the universe, and invites us into a relationship with Him. Written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Bible is without error in its original manuscripts. It is trustworthy in all it affirms, and is the final authority in matters of faith and conduct.
We believe there is only one God. We believe He is one essence, existing as three co-equal persons,
- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit. The Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. We believe these three persons are equal in their divine perfection and power. ln absolute unity, they perform distinct functions in the works of creation, providence, and redemption.
We believe God the Father is an infinite, yet personal spirit whose holiness, wisdom, power, and love are perfect. We believe He is the creator of all things. He involves Himself in the affairs of men and women and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
We believe the man called Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, is God's only begotten Son. Through Him and for Him all things were made and exist. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, he is both fully God and fully human. Though tempted in every way, he lived a sinless human life, performed verifiable, physical miracles, and taught absolute truth through word and deed. He was crucified and died, came back to life in bodily form, ascended into Heaven, and now intercedes on our behalf. He will someday return to this earth in bodily form and rule with power and justice.
We believe the Holy Spirit works in human minds and hearts to reveal sin, encourage repentance, and bring people into God's kingdom. He enters every believer at conversion and remains there as helper, teacher, and guide. We believe He is able to radically change and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ.
We believe men and women are created by God in His own image. We also believe humans are sinful, both by nature and choice. Because everyone has broken God's laws, all are condemned to both physical and spiritual death. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin when He died as our
substitute on the cross and, three days later, rose physically from the dead. Only those placing their faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ can be reconciled to God and experience true life and joy in this world and the next.
We believe the universal church is a living, spiritual entity with Christ as the head and all those with faith in Him as members. We believe the local church is a body of believers joined together by common faith and associated locally for worship, fellowship, and outreach. We believe God calls and equips members of the local church for the primary tasks of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and caring for each other.
In recognition of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, and in obedience to his commands, we practice water baptism by immersion as a symbolic and public celebration of each believer's salvation. We also share the Lord's Supper (Communion) regularly as a symbolic act to remember and honor Jesus' death on our behalf.
We believe Jesus will one day return visibly and bodily to Earth, banish Satan and his minions, and establish His Kingdom among humankind. We believe in the future physical resurrection of all who have died. Those who trust in Jesus Christ alone will be raised to eternal reward. Those who have not trusted in Jesus Christ will be raised to eternal punishment.
We believe marriage is God's creation and is ordained by Him for the welfare and happiness of humankind and the propagation of the human race. It is designed to be the spiritual and physical union of one biological man and one biological woman bound together in covenant with God. We affirm the scriptural and historical definition of marriage as both heterosexual and exclusive (monogamous), and believe sexual intimacy is limited to the confines of that relationship. Furthermore, since the body is a creation of God, we hold sexual identity to be biologically determined.
Within the bounds of Biblical authority, we allow great freedom living out our faith. in the essentials listed in this article, we strive for unity. ln non-essentials, we recognize and celebrate the unique ways God calls, gifts, and directs people to worship and serve. ln all things we seek to obey God while loving, supporting, and encouraging each other. As a body, we remain independent of ecclesiastical, denominational, governmental and other authorities. We do not allow non-essential denominational distinctives to separate us from true brothers and sisters in Christ.