Hampton
Friends Church

The Bible. All Scripture, both of the Old and New Testaments, is given by inspiration of God, and is without error in the original autographs. It is the only infallible rule of faith and practice and is fully authoritative and trustworthy, fully sufficient for all believers now and always, and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; Psalm 19:7-11, Psalm 119, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, 2 Peter 1:20-21).

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God. We believe in one eternal, omnipresent, unchanging, personal God; perfect in holiness, wisdom, love, power, and justice without preceding cause or beginning; creator and preserver of all things, visible and invisible. He exists as one divine being and yet as a trinity of three distinct persons, identical, inseparable, and equal in divinity, power and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Psalm 139:7-12, Romans 1:20, Malachi 3:6; John 14:9-16, Colossians 1:16-17; Matthew. 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

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Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinners. (John 1:1-14; Luke 1:30-35; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 1:18-25) Jesus accomplished our redemption through the shedding of His blood in death on the cross as a representative, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical, resurrection from the dead. (Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5) The Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

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The Holy Spirit. We believe in the Holy Spirit, not as an impersonal principle or influence, but as a divine person, and though distinct from the Father and Son, proceeding from both, with whom He is equal in authority, power, and glory. He is the divine agent in conviction of sin, regeneration, sanctification, and the believer’s assurance. He is given as an indwelling presence to every believer to be a teacher, guide, and source of comfort. He purifies the heart of the believer and imparts, at His own choosing, spiritual gifts for service and the building up of the body of Christ. He produces in believers the fruit of the Spirit so that they may conform to the image of Christ. (John 15:26, 16:13-14, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 5:22-23, Acts 9:31, Ephesians 4:7-13).

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Sin. We teach that man was created by God in His image. Man was created free of sin with a rational nature, intelligence, and moral responsibility (Genesis 2:7, 15-25; James 3:9). God’s intention in the creation of man was that man should glorify God, enjoy fellowship, and accomplish God’s purpose for man in the world (Isaiah 43:7; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11). By Adam’s sin of disobedience to the revealed will and Word of God, man lost his innocence; incurred the penalty of spiritual and physical death; became subject to the wrath of God; and became inherently corrupt and hopelessly lost.

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Salvation. We affirm the truth of John 14:6 that salvation can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ. By the grace of God the Father, the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the agency of the Holy Spirit, sinners may be reconciled to God and recovered from their fallen state through justification, regeneration, sanctification, and ultimately the resurrection of the body. (Galatians 1:3-5; Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:5, Romans 5:1-5, Titus 3:5-7; Colossians 3:9-11, 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

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Last Things. We believe that upon death the mortal body returns to the dust from which it came. The spirits of the righteous will experience joy and life in the presence of God, but the unrighteous will be separated from His presence in the darkness and torment of their evil. We believe in the literal and personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth at a time not revealed. We believe that Christ will consummate His kingdom over all people and nations by His final triumph over Satan. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will finally judge all persons of their belief in Him as demonstrated by commitment of their lives to the way of the cross; the lost to everlasting punishment and the redeemed to eternal blessing and life. (Genesis 3:19; Psalm 103:14-16; Ecclesiastes 12:6-7; Luke 16:19-31, 23:39-43; Matthew 24:42-44, 25:31-46; John 5:28-29, 14:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18; Rom. 6:5; Philippians 2:9-11; 3:21, Revelation 20:10-15; 21:1-8, 2 Corinthians 5:10).​