In 1994, Dr. Costa was ordained a minister in Brooklyn, NY, where he had served as an associate pastor for 7 years. In 1996, Blessed Hope Baptist Church of Long Island was formed. Pastor Costa holds a Bachelors Degree of Divinity and a Doctorate in Theology from the Blue Ridge Bible Institute of North Carolina. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Sav
iour Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13
What We Believe:
The Scriptures: We believe that the scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God; that they are the supreme and final authority for faith and practice and are perfectly preserved in the King James Bible - II Timothy 3:16; Psalms 12:6,7
God: We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That God is supreme in His person, absolute in His attributes, glorious in His perfection and eternal in His being - 1 John 5:7; II Corinthians 13:14
Jesus Christ: We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. His conception by the Holy Spirit, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, His bodily resurrection, His exaltation at God’s right hand, and His personal, imminent, pre-millennial, and pre-tribulation return - Matthew 1:20; Luke 24:6, 39; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; I Timothy 2:5; 3:16
Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, one with the Father and the Son, the indweller of every believer to enlighten, guide, and enable him in life, testimony, and service, and seal each believer until the day of redemption of the body – John 15:26, 27; Ephesians 1:13, 14
Man: We believe that God created man in His image and likeness (a triune being: spirit, soul, and body) in a state of innocence, but through temptation, he willingly transgressed, became dead in his trespasses and sins. As a result, his posterity (all men) inherited a corrupt nature are born in sin, and are under condemnation – Genesis 1:26; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10, 3:23, 5:12
Salvation: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; that He arose from the dead in His glorified body, ascended into heaven, and as our great High Priest and Advocate He ever lives to make intercession for us; that all who believe on His name are justified o the grounds of His shed blood and receive the gift of eternal life by the grace of God. Nothing prevents the salvation of the greatest sinner but his own voluntary rejection of the gospel – Ephesians 2:8, 9; Hebrews 7:24, 25; John 3:16-18
The Blood: We believe the blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross to be the only and all sufficient remedy for the sin of man; that the blood alone makes atonement for the soul – Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18, 19
