The Statement Of Faith (Short Form) was adopted on May 12, 1996 by the Ray Of Hope Council in representation of the Congregation and the Pastors. This page was updated July 28, 2011.
All persons of any belief system are welcome at Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Persons who attend Ray Of Hope are "free thinkers" who bring a wide spectrum of experience and exploration when it comes to matters of "faith." Freedom of thought, freedom of inquiry, freedom to question, wonder, and to grow are treasured at Ray Of Hope.
Each person is responsible for what they choose to believe, and their own eternal journey.
The Pastoral Ministry of Ray Of Hope Church teaches salvation is the pervue of God alone, and God has accomplished this for all creation as a reality and self-revelation of God. All persons and all of creation will see the New Heavens and the New Earth. (see John 5:24)
Further, the Pastoral and Teaching Ministries of Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ adhere in unity to these Articles Of Faith and base all Doctrines, Dogmas, Teachings and Practices of Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ on these Articles Of Faith.
+ We believe in One God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
+ We believe in one Lord, our Sovereign, Jesus the only Christ, the only Son of God, Anointed Messiah, Eternal High Priest, Savior of the world, eternally begotten of God, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with God, and through Jesus all things were made.
+ We believe God loved the world so much that God gave Jesus, God's own Son, to save humanity from sin, and to reconcile the world to God,
so that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal salvation, eternal safety, and is a member of the eternal community of God.
+ Therefore, it was for us and our salvation he came down from heaven, was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and was born of the Virgin Mary and became truly human, like us in all ways except He never sinned.
In this way the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. For our sake, in our place, as a sacrifice for our sin of the world, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
suffered death as the Lamb of God, and was buried. On the third day he rose again eternally conquering death and reigning forever as the Resurrection and the Life in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven,
and is positioned at the right hand of God. He will come again in glory,
and to judge the living and the dead, and his Sovereign Realm, His Eternal Community, his kingdom will have no end.
+ We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from God and the Son, who with God and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets, and who empowers and gives life to the Church.
+ We believe in one holy universal/catholic Christian and apostolic Church.
+ We acknowledge one baptism into Christ,
for the sign of repentance, faith in Christ, and forgiveness of sins.
+ We look for the resurrection of the Church, the saints in Christ, and the life of the eternal world to come under God's reign, where there will be liberty, justice and equity for all with God, in Christ, and through the Holy Spirit.
Additionally:
+ We the Faith Community of Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, believe Christianity is the revelation of God in Christ Jesus, and the religion of God in Christ set forth in the Scriptures.
Christ Jesus is foretold in the Hebrew Testament (formerly known as the "Old Testament") and, presented in the Christian Testament (formerly known as the "New Testament"). Christ Jesus is proclaimed by the Christian Church in every age and every land.
+ The foundation of Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ. We are not creating a new Church, or a new religion. The foundation is laid by God, and we take our place as spiritual stones being built into the Church triumphant.
+ We believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired written Word Of God.
The Bible is the final authority for believers in all matters of faith and Doctrines. All teachings and practices must be in harmony with the Word Of God.
+ We believe that all people, with the exception of Jesus the Son of God, have sinned and are therefore in need of the new birth in Christ Jesus before they can enter the Eternal Community of Jesus.
+ We believe that Salvation is avaliable to all who call on the Name of Jesus Christ, and are re-born into the Life of Christ.
+ We believe the Church is made of all people from every time and every place who believe in Christ Jesus. Believers constitute the priesthood of Jesus, the holy nation, the royal generation.
+ In Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ we believe in remaining faithful to the Apostle's teaching, the Community of believers, the breaking of the bread, and prayers.
+ We believe the local Church is called to evangelize the local people by social action and ministry.
+ Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ is Christ-centered in all of its teacings, and therefore does not ascribe to the dogmas, teachings, or practices of any denomination, or para-church organization of the Christian Church. Rather, we maintain an autonomous freedom to draw from the two millennia of immense riches known in all denominations of Christianity. Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ is an "independent" local Church. This does not mean we stand alone, as though on pride or arrogance, rather we seek to share an interdependence with other assemblies and fellowships of believers who endeavor equally as hard as we do to bring the Gospel to all people.
