We believe that the Bible is supernaturally inspired by God. It is completely free from error and incapable of affirming falsehood in any way. Moreover, it has been preserved by God in the original languages as found in the Masoretic Text (Hebrew) and the Received Text (Greek). The textual variants providentially confirmed by God are found in the King James Bible. Though the King James Bible is not inerrant as an English translation of the original languages, it preserves the correct readings when variants are present in the manuscripts.
We believe in only one God, eternally consisting of three distinct Persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We affirm functional subordination among members of this Trinity, and we deny any essential inferiority among them. They are equal in nature and worthy of the same glory. We affirm the Nicene Creed as a Biblically faithful expression of this unsolvable mystery.
We believe God is omnitemporal, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent. He created everything roughly six thousand years ago, accomplishing this in only six days by His powerful word. He did not use evolutionary processes, not millions of years. In His sovereignty and without violating the freedom He has given created moral agents (angels and humans), He upholds His creation and will bring to pass His glorious plan of redemption at the end of the age, a plan conceived in His foreknowledge before the world existed.
We believe in one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Though only one person, He is fully God and fully Man, possessing since His birth from the virgin Mary both a divine nature and a human one. As the eternal Son of God, He created all things by His sovereign power. As incarnate Son of Man, He redeemed mankind by His humble sacrifice on the cross by bearing the wrath of God and rose victoriously from the grave three days later to confirm His identity and the efficacy of His death. We affirm the Apostles Creed and the Chalcedonian Definition as a Biblically faithful expressions of this unsolvable mystery.
We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, carrying out the regenerating work which takes place when a believer is born again. We believe He indwells all of the saved and gives gifts for the edification of the Body of Christ. We believe that revelatory gifts, also called sign gifts, are no longer dispensed by the Holy Spirit. These gifts include prophecy, tongues, and healing. These gifts found their fulfillment in the Apostolic Age and, thus, have ceased until they are revived again after the Rapture. We believe the Holy Spirit still works miracles today, though we draw a distinction between miracles and the gifts of miracle-working present in the early church period.
We believe salvation from eternal punishment in hell is a free gift available to all individuals. It is offered by grace through faith in Christ alone and apart from any works. On the cross Christ paid for the sins of the entire world, not just those who believe. The Holy Spirit must draw a person to be saved, but this conviction can be rejected by the person. While God knows all who will come to faith in Jesus, He does not predestine some to heaven and others to hell apart from their decision to accept or reject Christ. Once receiving Christ by faith, a person cannot lose their salvation. Any person who has at one time accepted the gift of eternal life is eternally secure. However, we believe there is divine discipline for carnal believers and rewards for faithful believers will be given out after the return of Christ for His Bride, the Church.
We believe Christ will complete His work of redemption by His premillennial return to establish His Kingdom on the earth. This return is preceded by the Rapture of the Church, which will itself take place before the 70th Week of Daniel when God will punish the rebellious inhabitants of the earth. At the Rapture, Christ will give glorified bodies to all believers, dead and alive. After the period of His wrath during the Tribulation, He will reign for one thousand years on the earth with His Bride. After the Millennium, God will judge unbelievers at the Great White Throne and create a New Heavens and Earth where all the redeemed will spend eternity.
We believe God created Man in His image. God made Adam and Eve to rule over creation as His representative. There was no sin or death in the world until Adam, as the head of the human race, freely disobeyed God’s command to not eat the forbidden fruit. All humans born subsequent to this rebellion are born with a sin nature, giving them a propensity to disobey God’s holy law. We believe in an age of accountability. This is not a particular age but rather a level of moral maturity known to God alone. As such, infants and young children are not condemned if they die before reaching this age. Believers in Jesus have a regenerate spirit from the time of initial faith. Until the Rapture, however, Christians retain a sin nature. This will not be eradicated until the redemption of the body.
We believe God created angels to serve Him and those who will inherit salvation. They are not in God’s image and do not bear the status of God’s children, as do believers. We believe a third of the angels rebelled against God, following Satan in his attempt to usurp God’s rightful rule over the universe. Fallen angels, or demons, are active in the world to deceive mankind. Though they cannot possess the saved, they can tempt and discourage them. After being imprisoned during the Millennium, Satan will plot a final rebellion and be thrown into the lake of fire.
We believe the Biblical polity of the Church’s government is congregational. The pastor’s job is to spiritually lead the congregation through preaching and teaching, while deacons serve an administrative role. There is only one Head of the Body: Christ. The pastor is a servant-leader under the Lord’s authority. This authority is ultimately vested in the Church, delegated to the pastor(s) for the edification of the Body. While the congregation is called to submit to Christ-like leadership, the congregation retains the right to discipline any member, including the pastor if he violates his calling through moral and/or spiritual failure.
We believe in the two ordinances of the Church: baptism by immersion and Holy Communion. Baptism is not a requirement of salvation but an open declaration of one’s new life in Christ. It is the beginning of one’s walk with Christ as a disciple. Communion is a time of remembrance when we recall Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. It is a time of self-examination and confession of sin to God. Though the frequency of this ordinance is not mentioned in Scripture, we practice it monthly to strengthen our relationship with Christ as individuals and as a congregation.
Ark of Hope Baptist Fellowship - Jasper, Georgia 