Hope for Today Outreach (HTO)

Statement of Faith

Hope for Today Outreach exists to display the excellencies and glories of God in Jesus Christ. HTO is committed to empowering and reaching all people, especially the poor and the needy, with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ and through its social outreach ministries and resources.

Hope for Today Outreach takes a holistic approach to human development by attending to the material and spiritual needs of the individual and the family to the glory of God.

God

We believe God is the most loving, gracious, and merciful Being in the universe. God is Three-in-One: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Triune God is Creator and Maker and Sovereign Lord of heavens and earth. We believe God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have eternal existence, and are equal in substance, power, and attributes. The uncreated God is totally sovereign and possesses exhaustive knowledge and foreknowledge of the past, present, and future.

Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15.

Jesus Christ

We believe in the absolute deity and humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Son of God and the Second Person in the Trinity, who is both sovereign Lord and Savior. We believe in the atoning and substitutionary sacrifice of Christ that made salvation possible to all who would profess faith in Him. Jesus the God-Man is the perfect Radiance and exclusive Revelation of God.

Genesis 18:1; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 14:7-11; 17:1-5; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 8:6; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 13:8; 19:16.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the full deity of the Holy Spirit, the Third Person in the Trinity. As the Spirit of God, He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. Through illumination, He enables men and women to understand the Bible, know the mind of God, and lead them to the truth. The Holy Spirit convicts men and women of sin and judgment, and prompts them to repentance and righteous living. He promotes Christ, regenerates individuals, and leads them to the saving knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit empowers Christians in worship to God, fosters Christian character, and distributes spiritual gifts to individuals toward the effectiveness of the Church to the glory of God.

Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Psalms 51:11; Isaiah 61:1-3; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18; 1 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; Revelation 1:10; 22:17.

The Bible

We believe the Bible including both Old and New Testaments is the inspired and infallible Word of God. God through the Holy Spirit inspired men of old to write the Scriptures. The Bible is trustworthy and reveals God’s character and his plan for humanity. All Scripture is a testimony to Jesus Christ, who is himself the special revelation of God.

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 1 Peter 1:25.

Humanity

We believe the Triune God created male and female in his own image and likeness to serve, honor, and bring glory to him. Therefore, gender is a gift from God and a pivotal aspect of God’s special creation. We believe both male and female are born in a sinful state, and consequently, are separated from their Maker, but can be redeemed only through the salvific and loving work of Jesus Christ. In God’s design, he created both male and female with the gift of life and free will to express self-agency and self-determination, but not apart from their Creator. By an act of the will, man sinned against God and hence introduced sin into the human race. But, God, who is rich in mercy, love, and grace, orchestrated the means to bring humanity back to the loving fellowship with him.

We assert and uphold the fully dignity of every person, race, gender, ethnic group, and people group. As a result, we reject any oppressive power or force that attempts to enslave or exploit men and women. Because God’s restorative program toward us is holistic, we take a holistic approach to human development, which incorporates both the spiritual and physical dimension. Christians are called to love all people indiscriminately and intentionally, and imitate Christ through love, service, and sacrifice.

Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Matthew 16:26; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:19-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14-25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; Colossians 1:21-22; 3:9-11.

Salvation

We believe Jesus Christ is the only way to God, and no salvation apart from personal faith in Christ our Redeemer. In salvation, God provides eternal redemption to the individual who accepts freely his grace and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Through Jesus’s substitutionary death, burial, and victorious resurrection, God’s holy and just demands against us are fully satisfied. Jesus who loves us paid for our sins with his blood.

Genesis 3:15; Matthew 1:21; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; Acts 2:21; 4:12;; 17:30-31; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 10:9-10,13; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2-23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5.

The Church

In the New Testament, the metaphor of the “body” is used as a reference to the Church of Jesus Christ; thus, the Church is called the body of Christ. It includes all of the believers of all ages—those of every tribe, nation, people, and ethnic group. Jesus is the “Head” of his church, and believers are the members of his body. As a whole, the Church represents God’s redeemed community and people in the world who are fully equipped to advance the Kingdom of God and carry out his agenda. God has gifted every Christian with special gifts and talents for the service of the church and the edification of its members to the glory of God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 21:2-3.

Christian Evangelism and Mission

It is imperative for the Christian and Christian churches to be energetically involved in the task of evangelism, mission, and fruitful discipleship, which is the heart of the Great Commission, and the salvation-history. The Great Commission also entails the effective teaching and spreading of the good news and hope of Jesus Christ to the unsaved and the lost for the joy and fame of God. The ultimate goal of Christian evangelism and mission is to see King Jesus highly exalted, admired, and greatly honored among the nations and peoples of all the earth.

Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 9:37-38; 10:5-15; 24:14; 28:18-20; Luke 10:1-18; 24:46-53; John 14:11-12; 17:15; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2; 8:26-40; 10:42-48; 13:2-3; Romans 10:13-15; Ephesians 3:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:5; 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 22:17.

Christian Stewardship and Social Outreach

The Bible is not ambiguous about the enormous responsibility of the Christian and Christian ministry to demonstrate acts of kindness and compassion toward the poor, the marginalized, and the needy. We are called by God to love and serve those in need with our talents, skills, possessions, and time. Caring for the poor, the needy, the homeless, and the imprisoned is an integral part of the Biblical story of God’s restoration of humanity and the good news Jesus preached.

The love and glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ is the vehicle that motivates us to “remember the poor,” show them acts of kindness and compassion, and to walk in solidarity with the hungry, the oppressed, and the disheartened. We help these individuals realize that they are created in God’s image and that they matter to God. By restoring their self-worth and human dignity, we are fostering a life of sustaining hope and holistic development.

Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Deuteronomy 8:18; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4,19-21; 19:21; 23:23; Luke 12:16-21,42; 16:1-13; Acts 2:44-47; 17:24-25; Romans 6:6-22; 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2; 16:1-4; Philippians 4:10-19; 1 Peter 1:18-19.