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New Hope Christian Fellowship
Celebrating God's Love - Communicating God's Truth

Our Beliefs

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What do you believe about God, the Bible, and stuff like that?
 
Great question! If you know much about Christianity, our belief system would be similar to most evangelical churches. We believe there is one God made up of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We believe the Bible is God's Word and that it is useful for applying to our lives in the 21st Century. We believe that God loved people like you and us so much that he sent Jesus to teach us and then to save us from our sins.
 
If you don't agree with these beliefs, that's okay! You are still welcome at New Hope. We want to help people see why these beliefs are important and can actually aid you in your daily life. Keep in mind that we aren't going to be changing our beliefs on these important areas, but we aren't afraid to talk about them with you either. If you want to know the nitty gritty of our Eternal Values, just keep reading...
 
We talk a lot about our purpose, mission, vision and values at New Hope, but they're all built on something even more important: our Statement of Faith - the non-negotiable Eternal Values of our relationship with Christ.
New Hope Christian Fellowship is a Church planting of Trinity Evangelical Christian Ministry of Rhode Island and is a non-denominational, Christ-Centered New Testament Free Church, based in Cranston, Rhode Island.


We claim Matthew 28: 18-20 (Otherwise known as "The Great Commission") as our final authority in all matters of our ministry; “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Mt. 28:18-20 ASV).

 


 Our Statement of Faith

The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, God's infallible written Word, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that it was uniquely, verbally and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it was written without error (inerrant) in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in all matters on which it speaks.

We accept those areas of doctrinal teaching on which, historically, there has been general agreement among all true Christians. Because of the specialized calling of our ministry, we desire to allow for freedom of conviction on other doctrinal matters, provided that any interpretation is based upon the Bible alone, and that no such interpretation shall become an issue which hinders the ministry to which God has called us.

There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.

Jesus Christ is God, the living Word, who became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. Hence, He is perfect Deity and true humanity united in one person forever.

He lived a sinless life and voluntarily atoned for the sins of men by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone.

He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died.

He ascended bodily into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, continually makes intercession for His own.

Man was originally created in the image of God. He sinned by disobeying God; thus, he was alienated from his Creator. That historic fall brought all mankind under divine condemnation.

Man's nature is corrupted, and he is thus totally unable to please God. Every man is in need of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

The salvation of man is wholly a work of God's free grace and is not the work, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness or religious ceremony. God imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justified them in His sight.

It is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit, but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written word.

The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, imparts new life to them, continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth and seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believer's life by faith.

Every believer is called to live so in the power of the indwelling Spirit that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God.

Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, which is composed of all men, living and dead, who have been joined to Him through saving faith.

God admonishes His people to assemble together regularly for worship, for participation in ordinances, for edification through the Scriptures and for mutual encouragement.

At physical death the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting glory and blessing.

At physical death the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his body to everlasting judgment and condemnation.

Jesus Christ will come again to the earth - personally, visibly and bodily - to consummate history and the eternal plan of God.

The Lord Jesus Christ commanded all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to disciple men of every nation. The fulfillment of that Great Commission requires that all worldly and personal ambitions be subordinated to a total commitment to "Him who loved us and gave Himself for us."

More About Us

WE ARE A FREE CHURCH

We Are A "Free-Church"In case you are wondering, a "Free-Church" is one that is not incorporated under the state. We choose not to be a "State-Church" because there is no Scriptural support for such an action.

Jesus Christ himself established and ordained the church as a religious institution. Christ never delegated His authority to the civil jurisdiction to rule in the affairs of His church.

The legal support for the State’s lack of jurisdiction over the church in America is not only the Word of God, but the First Amendment to the Constitution for the United States:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…

Scripture does not support the notion that the church is inferior to the State. Nor, for that matter, that the church is superior to the State. God has ordained both the church and the civil government as His "ministers." The church is the minister of grace, while the State is the minister of justice. Church and State are two distinct and independent spheres of authority (jurisdictions) ordained by God



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