We Believe: Our Faith Declaration
1. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, that it was written by men divinely inspired by Him and is therefore the only infallible authority in matters of faith and conduct. (2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
2. We believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, eternal in His being, perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in human affairs, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He gives eternal life to all who come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. (Psalm 90:2; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Romans 11:33)
3. We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal and only Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, of virgin birth, sinless in His life, making atonement for the sins of the world by His death. We believe in His bodily resurrection, His ascension and visible, premillennial return to the world according to His promise. (1 John 5:20; Matthew 1:20; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 1:9-11)
4. We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from God to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. In His ministry, the Holy Spirit regenerates, sanctifies, teaches, empowers for service, and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ. (John 14:16-17; John 16:7; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7)
5. We believe that all people, by nature and by choice, are sinners but that God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. We believe, therefore, that those who accept Christ as Lord and Savior will rejoice forever in God’s presence and those who refuse to accept Christ as Lord and Savior will be forever separated from God. We believe that every human being is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith. (Romans 3:10-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Ecclesiastes 12:14; John 3:18)
6. We believe in the universal church a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and of which all regenerated people are members. We also believe in a multitude of local churches, each a company of believers in Jesus Christ associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that to these local churches were committed the ordinances of baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper, and that God has laid upon these churches the task of proclaiming to a lost world the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Furthermore we believe that each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from interference by an ecclesiastical or political authority. Nonetheless, we support cooperation with other persons and groups in programs that promote the work of God’s universal church, and we uphold the rights of civil government when these do not infringe upon our obligations to God. (Acts 2:1-4; Acts 2:41-47; Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 5:28-29; Romans 13:1-6; Matthew 10:28)
7. We believe that Christians are to follow the Savior’s example in ministering to human physical needs. Such acts of love are good in themselves; and when done in the name of Jesus, they bring glory to God.
8. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen.19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 Cor. 6:9, 12-19; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
9. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23; Tit. 1:6
10. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)
MEMBERSHIP
The members of Trinity Baptist Church are individuals who have professed belief in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord and who have been baptized by immersion. They are in substantial agreement with the faith, practice and covenant of this church; and have been received into the fellowship by a majority vote of the Congregation.
Further, we believe that membership in our church body is a joyous privilege. However, membership also confers responsibility on each of us. We covenant together to support one another in times of rejoicing and in times of need. We each pledge to use our time, spiritual gifts and talents to edify the body and to financially support the church to the best of our ability. We also strongly encourage members to attend Sunday School, Worship Services and other functions as they are able.
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Any person professing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, having been baptized by immersion, and holding views of faith and practice in conformity with those of this church, may be received into its membership by letter or by statement of Christian experience. All applications for membership shall be made through the Personnel Team to the Board of Deacons and may thereafter be acted upon at any business meeting of the Congregation.