Along with Christians throughout history and around the world, we believe the following:
There is one God, existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Father is the Creator of all things. He created humans in His holy and perfect image, but they rebelled against Him and fell into sin, creating a divide between God and Man.
Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man, perfectly human and perfectly divine. He exists in eternity with the Father, and was sent to earth by the Father, becoming human to save sinners. He was born of a virgin and was crucified for the sins of the world. He rose from death and ascended into heaven. One day He will return to judge the whole world. Through His perfect life, death and resurrection, Jesus became the bridge between God and humanity, restoring the relationship broken by sin.
The Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith in the hearts of believers, giving assurance of eternal life in the resurrection of the dead. He inspired people to write the Bible, the true Word of God, which is the final authority for faith and life. He gives gifts to each believer, enabling them to serve God and others and uniting all believers as one Church.
The only salvation from sin and the only source of eternal life is found by God’s grace, through faith in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.
As members of Hope for the First Nations, we believe the following:
Faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ supersedes any denominational differences or barriers. HFtFN is not affiliated with any particular denomination or sect and is supported by Christian believers of many different congregations.
Through sin, we have become separated not only from God, but from one another as well. The love of Christ restores unity to relationships with our brothers and sisters of all cultures and ethnicities. We recognize that much harm has been done to our Native brothers and sisters in the name of Christ, and as we seek reconciliation, we hope to represent more truly the image of a loving and gracious Creator.
Becoming like Christ does not mean conforming to the customs of any one culture. Many times throughout history the false message has been given that for Natives to become Christians, they must become white men. Our earnest prayer is that the Anishinaabeg (and all people) would come to know and worship Christ, the Creator’s Son, within the framework of their own rich and beautiful culture. We believe that God hears the honest and sincere praises of His people, whether in a cathedral with organ music and quiet prayer or in an open field with drum music and joyous dancing.
