First
JESUS IS LORD
The singularity, exclusivity, and divinity of the one Lord Jesus stand tall. The Bread of Life. The Water of Life. The Lamb of God. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. The one Mediator between God and humankind. The Lord of lords, the King of kings. The Son of Man. The Son of God. The Word become flesh. The Name at which every knee shall bow. Jesus is the Subject. This defines us.
Second
HOLINESS
The Person, work, and power of the Holy Spirit are fundamental to who we are as a people. We unabashedly own the truth that the Spirit can transform us, possess us, equip us, and empower us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that sanctifies us, makes us holy, sets us apart for sacred service, and seals us for eternity’s sake. It is the Spirit who convicts us of sin and enables us to overcome sin. It is the Holy Spirit who can breathe supernatural gifts into us, for Jesus’ sake. He is the Comforter promised by Jesus and the witness of our redemption. This defines us.
Third
UNITY
We are a people uniquely called by God to be a catalyst for Christian unity, believing that the division of the body of Christ is hell’s greatest weapon to thwart heaven’s ends in this world. We are convinced that the splintering of the body is not the Lord’s work, but the enemy’s. We believe that hell trembles at the prospect of a people united, redeemed by the blood, possessed by the Spirit. Unity is not for us an also-ran on the to-do list of God, but a primary driver of who and why we are called out. It defines us.
Fourth
THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS
Love God with your whole self and love your neighbors as yourself. The Scripture tells us this is the sum of the Law and the Prophets. When a teacher of the Law sought to test Jesus (Luke 10), asking, “What must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus asked him what he read in the Scripture. When the man replied with the Great Commandments, Jesus approved, saying, “You have answered well; do this and you will live.” As a people in the pursuit of holiness, the Great Commandments clothe us. They define us.
Fifth
THE SUPREMACY OF SCRIPTURE
We are a people of the Book, the Good Book, the Holy Bible, the Old and New Testaments, supernaturally inspired, preserved across time, cultures, and continents, delivered to us, useful for reproof and instruction in righteousness. The Scripture is our ultimate field of inquiry and judgment, the measure of conduct, faith, and practice. Whatever the question, whatever the test, whatever comes before us, in the end, it is the Scripture, above all other disciplines, that informs and defines us. This is a non-negotiable. It is who we are.
Hope Community Church functions as an independent congregation, voluntarily affiliated with Church of God congregations in the USA and Canada. The above statements were articulated by Jim Lyon, General Director of Church of God Ministries at the 2019 gathering of pastors and lay leaders known as the General Assembly. The Church of God is non-creedal; looking only to the Bible as our rule of faith and practice. These statements reflect the traditional teachings of congregations of the Church of God.