Our Beliefs

“In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love”

– St. Augustine.

At Hope City Church, we hold “primary” and “secondary” doctrines. Our primary doctrines are what we believe make a Christian a Christian. They are irreducible. They are the beliefs that unite the capital 'C' church across the world.

Our primary beliefs are:

God – God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. We believe He eternally exists in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

Jesus – He is coequal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return someday to earth to reign as King. (John 1:1–2, 14; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3–5; Acts 1:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1–2; 1 Peter 4:5; Romans 14:9; 2 Timothy 4:1).

The Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He provides Christians with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily. (John 16:8-11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; ; 1 Corinthians 12:12–14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18).

The Bible – Human authors wrote the Bible under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs about living. Because God inspires it, it is truth without error and the final authority for faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12, 13).

Salvation – We believe that the only remedy for man's sin is to receive, through faith, forgiveness provided through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18–19; 1 John 5:10; Romans 10:13-15).

Secondary Doctrines

Secondary doctrines are beliefs that we give room for different interpretations. For example: if you disagree with our stated belief on end times and how it's all going to shake down, we are ok with that! Some other ‘secondary’ doctrines could include: election/foreknowledge (Calvin/Arminianism), church government and leadership, beliefs about spiritual encounters (i.e., different understandings on how one is baptized in water), and church traditions.

For a more detailed explanation of what we believe, please read our Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths on The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada website.