Hope Lutheran
What We Believe and Our Core Values
God
We Believe in God revealed in the Bible, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that God created the universe from nothing. We believe God created in love humanity as male and female and all living creatures great and small. Furthermore, God sustains what He has created and continues to create and desires an intimate relationship with His people. (Genesis 1:1-3; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 3:16-17; John 10:30; John 3:16-17)
Jesus Christ the Son
We Believe because of God’s love for us, God became a human being in Jesus Christ. Being fully divine and fully human, Jesus lived the life of a servant, and in His death on the cross, He suffered and died for us as the punishment we deserve for our sin. In His death and resurrection, Jesus won for us victory over death and the power of evil. Only by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are forgiven and made whole by God. By this action, we experience forgiveness and wholeness with God. (John 1:1-14; Romans 5:8-9; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Peter 1:18; 2:24
Holy Spirit
We Believe God the Holy Spirit works in and with people’s lives and brings them to faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit empowers God’s people with spiritual gifts to serve in the world. God calls each of us with gifts and passions to serve and equip the communities where we live. The Spirit of God desires to be fully active in our lives, so we are filled with the overflowing presence of the Spirit’s gifts, in order to witness Jesus, and be empowered for the work of the Church.
(Acts 1:8; 2:1-42; Rm. 8:23, Rm. 12:4-8, 1 Cor.12:4-11)
The Bible
We Believe and have experienced that the Bible is the living Word of God. This living Word reveals God’s character and will as well as our own sinfulness. We believe this living Word also reveals God’s offer of grace and eternal life found in Jesus Christ. We believe the Bible is inspired by God and is the authority for faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
Sin
We Believe sin separates us from God. Sin is our rebellion against God’s will, and hurts our relationship with God, others, and ourselves. Because of our brokenness and self-centeredness, we have done sinful things to our friends, children, spouses, and those whom we love. We have sought only to satisfy ourselves. Our sin only hurts ourselves and satisfies nothing.
(Isaiah 59:2; Luke 24:46-47; Romans 6:23)
Grace
We Believe we enter a relationship with God not by anything we do, but solely by what God has done for us through Jesus. Knowing we are sinners, we trust completely in God’s amazing grace (unearned), which saves us from condemnation and gives giving us eternal life with God. Nothing can separate us from the love God has for us. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Rm. 8:31-39, Galatians 2:16)
Hope Lutheran Core Values
Purpose: “We are led to serve God and Share Christ’s Love with All”
Welcome- Our ministry will invite and welcome ALL people into fellowship within the Hope Lutheran community.
(Acts 2:42, 46-47, Romans 12:15-18, Romans 14:1, Matthew 25:34-36, Luke 19:5-6)
Prayer- We desire to be in a growing relationship with God. Prayer is an intentional part of our daily communication with God.
(Luke 11:1-13; Matthew 5:33, John 17, Phil. 1:1-9)
Serve- We seek to serve/ help others before ourselves. We live to be examples of Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 5,6,7, John 13:14-15; Luke 13:10-13, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
