DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

and church covenant



I. DOCTRINAL STATEMENT


The body of Christ at Trinity Community Church affirms the following historical creeds of the universal church:

 

1.  The Apostles Creed;

2.  The Nicene Creed (381); and

3.  The Definition of Chalcedon (451)

 

In addition, the body of Christ at Trinity Community Church affirms the following Doctrinal Statement, which includes doctrines distinctive of historical Protestantism:

 

  • We believe that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God as it was given in the original manuscripts, and preserved in the 66 books contained in the Old and New Testaments. Thus, Scripture alone is fully trustworthy and the final authority in all matters it addresses, especially Christian faith and practice. (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20-21 and 3:16)
  • We believe that there exists one God who subsists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Through God’s work of creation and salvation, each of the three divine persons is revealed in the Bible as co-eternal and co-equal in power and glory. (Deut 6:4; Matt 3:16-17 and 28:19; Phil 2:5-11; 2 Cor 13:14)
  • We believe that, for his own glory, God created everything from nothing; that God created man, both male and female, in his image; that Adam and Eve, the first human beings, were created upright and holy; that everything God created was “very good.” (Gen 1:1, 27, 31; Acts 17:26; Heb 11:3; Rev 4:11)
  • We believe that man sinned and fell from the original state of righteousness and holiness. Consequently, the whole human race is by nature dead in trespasses and sins, and under the just judgment of God. Also, the creation has been subjected to futility until it is set free from its bondage to corruption through the salvation of mankind. (Eccl 7:29; Rom 5:12 and 8:19-21; Eph 2:1-5)
  • We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity; that he is the infinite God-man, having been miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, and born of the Virgin Mary. (John 1:1-2 and 14; Lk 1:35)
  • We believe that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; he physically suffered and died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinful human beings, thus satisfying the just judgment of God; he was physically buried; he physically rose again on the third day (though in a glorified form), thus vindicating the effectiveness of the Son’s payment for sin, and decisively triumphing over sin, death, and the devil. (Rom 3:23-26; 1 Cor 15:3-5 and 42-49; 2 Cor 5:21; Col 2:15; Heb 2:14 and 4:15)
  • We believe that Jesus Christ physically ascended back to the Father. At the right hand of the Father, he makes intercession for, defends, and prepares a place for his people. (John 14:1-2; Acts 1:9; Heb 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2)
  • We believe that the Father, together with the Son, sent the Holy Spirit to do the work of regeneration by imparting resurrection life to all who will repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, all those united by faith to Jesus Christ obtain: justification (God’s declaration that a Christian is righteous on the basis of Christ’s perfect righteousness), sanctification (God’s work to cleanse, and then to transform a Christian into the likeness of Jesus Christ as the person works to live a more righteous and holy life), and perseverance unto glory (the final state, when fully sanctified Christians will perfectly bear the likeness of Jesus Christ). (John 11:25 and 15:26; Acts 2:38; Rom 8:9 and 29-30; Phil 2:12-13; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Pet 1:2; 1 Jn 3:2)
  • We believe that water baptism and observance of the Lord’s Supper, together with the observance of the Lord’s Day in local churches, are of perpetual obligation to Christians. (Matt 28:19; Acts 2:38; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Heb 10:25)*
  • We believe in the physical and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the bodily resurrection of all people, the final judgment of the world, and Jesus Christ’s final victory over sin, death, and the devil. Jesus Christ will condemn the wicked to eternal punishment in hell and receive his people unto himself to live forevermore in the heavenly kingdom of God, the new heavens and new earth. (Matt 25:31-46; John 5:25-29 and 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor 15:24-28; Rev 20:11-16 and 21:1-8).

           * Trinity Community Church will only administer water baptism to professing believers following their explicit confession of faith in Jesus Christ.



II. CHURCH COVENANT


Having repented of our sin, having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, and having been baptized with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we covenant to live with one another in the body of Christ at Trinity Community Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God:

 

  • We will not neglect to meet with one another to worship God on the Lord’s Day, and we will exhort one another every day to flee from sin and pursue righteousness.
  • We will bear with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace by praying with and for one another, confessing sin and forgiving one another, bearing one another’s burdens, rejoicing with those who rejoice, and weeping with those who weep.
  • With a cheerful and grateful attitude, we will faithfully steward our God-given time, talents, and treasures by regularly and sacrificially supporting the ministry, providing for church expenses, providing relief for the poor, and promoting the evangelization and discipleship of all peoples.
  • We will devote ourselves to the study of God’s Word and prayer. We will raise any children under our care in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. We will seek the salvation of our family, friends, and acquaintances. We will walk uprightly in the world, seeking to be true to our word, just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, exemplary in our conduct, and zealous in our efforts to adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ with our good works. To this end, we will uphold the sanctity of human life from conception to death, and we will uphold the sanctity of marriage, which God instituted to be a lifelong union between one man and one woman.
  • In order to continue living as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, we will, if possible, unite with a like-minded church if and when we remove from this church.

 

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen!



TRINITY COMMUNITY CHURCH CONSTITUTION (PDF)