2. Welcome!
“Every church is
different. Every
true church is a
thing of beauty in
its own unique
way.”

3. Class Material Available Online
• INSTRUCTIONS:
– Go online. Password is “grace4you”
– Go to www.christourhopechurch.com
– In Search bar, type & enter “connecting”
– Click on “Continue Reading”
– Each session is listed & downloadable
– HINT: At the back of each lesson, there is
an Answer Key for all fill-in-blanks.

4. Overview
• #1- Jesus & The
Church
• #2- The Gospel &
The Christian
• #3- Beliefs &
Doctrinal
Distinctives
• #4- Roots,
Relationships &
Rule
• #5- Mission &
Ministries
• #6- Church
Membership

5. The Great House of Christianity:
“[Christianity] is more like a
hall out of which doors open
into several rooms. If I can
bring anyone into that hall, I
have done what I attempted.
But it is in the rooms, not the
hall, that there are fires and
chairs and meals. The hall is a
place to wait in, a place from
which to try the various doors,
not a place to live in. For that
purpose the worst of the
rooms (whichever that may be)
is, I think preferable.”
- from C.S. Lewis’
Mere Christianity

6. Session #3:
Beliefs & Doctrinal Distinctives
• If Christianity itself is like
a Great House…
• Christian denominations
are simply the various
rooms in that Great
House.
• And individual churches
are like cozy furniture in
those various rooms.
• The PCA is just one safe,
cozy (but busy!) room in
God’s Great House.
God’s
Church

7. We Believe
Classic Christianity:
• Christ Our Hope takes its
stand on all the ancient
truths of orthodox
Christianity.
• Like all evangelical churches,
we hold to The Ancient
Church’s classic creeds:
– Apostles’ Creed (2nd Century)
– Nicene Creed (325 AD)
• We firmly hold to the
essential truths of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.

8. We Believe
Reformation Theology:
• We believe in “Sola
Scriptura!”…
– The Bible is God’s Word.
– The Bible is absolute truth.
– The Bible is our ultimate
authority in all matters.
• We believe that salvation is
by Christ alone through
faith alone because of
God’s grace alone.

9. We Are a
“Confessional” Church:
• Christ Our Hope has more than a
simple Statement of Faith.
• We affirm the timeless truths of
the Bible that are explained in
the Westminster Confession of
Faith (WCF was drafted 1643-1647).
• The purposes of the WCF are to:
– summarize & organize the Bible’s
teachings in a clear, coherent way
– examination of all pastors/elders/deacons
– maintain “standards” for church teachings
– instruct & disciple all in Christian doctrine

10. The WCF is widely accepted as the
Best Summary of Christian Doctrine:
“One of the most important
confessions of faith ever penned…
is the Westminster Confession of
Faith… though human confessions
and creeds are penned by fallible
people without the benefit of the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I stand
in awe at the profound level of
theological and biblical precision
manifest in the [WCF]. I would
argue that the Westminster
Standards are the most precise and
accurate summaries of the content
of biblical Christianity ever set forth
in creedal form.”
- R.C. Sproul in
Truths We Confess

11. Christ Our Hope is both
Evangelical AND Reformed
By Evangelical, we mean…
• We believe the Bible is truth.
• We believe that one must be
born again to become a true
Christian.
• We believe that all of life is to
be lived under the lordship
of Jesus Christ for the glory
of God The Father.
• We believe that believers are
called to a missional lifestyle
of active evangelism & self-
less service for Jesus’ sake.
By Reformed, we mean…
• We aim to be God-centered
in our worship.
• We aim to be Christ-focused
in our preaching & teaching.
• We aim to be Gospel-driven
in our motives and methods.
• Therefore, we are grace-
oriented in all things...
• All while we remain
theologically-grounded; our
theology will always drive our
ministry methodology.

12. Q: What are COHc’s
Doctrinal Distinctives?
• GOD’s SOVEREIGNTY- We have a high view of God’s total sovereignty
in all things- creation, providence and salvation. (Rom 8.28-30)
• GOD’s AMAZING GRACE- We believe in more than the necessity of
grace, but the priority of that grace in order for anyone to be saved. This
really is what makes grace so amazing! (Eph 2.1-10)
• THE CENTRALITY of the GOSPEL- We believe the Gospel is the A-
to-Z of the Christian life and must constantly be taught for the salvation
of unbelievers and the spiritual health of Christians. (Rom 1.15-17, 15.20)
• THE UNITY & CONTINUITY of OT & NT- We believe that the Bible
tells one consistent story by way of a covenant of grace. (Gen 17.7 ~Gal 3.17)
• GOD’s CHURCH & CHRIST’s SACRAMENTS- We are intentionally
“connectional” with other like-minded churches & denominations. We
have a high view of the Church’s sacraments or “ordinances”: (Rom 4.11)
– We believe the infant baptism of believers’ children is a sacred “entrance” sign.
– We also believe in the real spiritual presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper.

13. Philosophy of Ministry: How do we
apply our beliefs & distinctives?
GOSPEL
TRUTHS
Secondary
Christian
DOCTRINES
CONSCIENCE
ISSUES & Concerns
• We desire to always boldly proclaim
the Gospel’s essential truths.
– We aim to lead with Christ and
emphasize the grace of His gospel.
– We aim to major on the majors &
minor on minors.
• Yet we will teach all the Bible’s
significant but secondary truths
with true humility towards those
who differ from us.
• We practice freedom of conscience
on all matters of Christian liberty.
– Yet, for the glory of God, we do aim
to be wise & winsome in all things.Our Teaching Priorities
[1 Cor 15.3-5]
[Mt 28.20]
[Rom 14]
# 1
# 2
# 3

14. Next time:
SESSION # 4-
Roots,
Relationships &
Rule