What we believe …

  Essential Historic Christian Doctrines:

God’s Word

  The Bible is God’s Word, written by men who were uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit.  It is without error, the final authority on truth, and thus, serves as the sole authority for holy living.

God

  There is one God who eternally exists in three distinct persons:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  These three persons possess all the attributes of Deity and co-exist in perfect harmony.  This co-existence is called the Godhead in Scripture and over the centuries, believers have chosen to call this Godhead the Trinity.  According to Scripture, God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and is sovereign over all things.

Jesus Christ

  Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, is the visible image of the invisible God, the Father.  He is both God and man.  He left heaven, was born of a virgin, and completely fulfilled the Father’s will by living a sinless life.  As our substitute, He voluntarily paid for our sins by dying on the cross as a perfect sacrifice.  He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death.  He ascended to heaven to become the only mediator between man and God.  He will return to earth to consummate history and reign as King of Kings and Lord or Lords. 

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity, draws sinners to Christ, making them aware of their sins and coming judgment.  He causes sinners to be saved by the process of regeneration and then seals them for salvation by indwelling them.  He equips every believer for service, gives them understanding of spiritual truth, and provides them with guidance and power for holy living.

Man

  God created humans in His spiritual image to have fellowship with Him.  Adam and Eve were the first humans and, in their original state, were without sin; but they willfully defied God by disobeying Him.  This disobedience was sin.  By sinning, Adam plunged himself and all of his descendants into the depravity of sin.  Thus, all humans are sinners and are marred by rebellion and disobedience toward God.  Sin separates man from God and as a result, all men need God’s saving grace to end this separation and establish a relationship with Him.

Salvation

  Eternal life is a free gift that God offers to us.  We receive this gift by faith in Christ alone.  Faith is trusting in what Christ did for us on the cross.  When we place our faith in Christ, we must allow Him to become the Lord of our lives.  This means that we must be willing to repent (change) from our sinful way of living and begin to live according to His will.  Those who trust Christ have the assurance of spending eternity in heaven.  Those who do not trust Christ will die in their sins, face the judgment, and spend eternity away from God in hell.

  Distinct Baptist beliefs:

Baptism

  Baptism is one of only two ordinances in the church; the other is the Lord’s Supper.  Baptism is not necessary for salvation but is a symbol of salvation.  By immersion, baptism perfectly illustrates salvation by picturing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  Although not necessary for salvation, baptism is strongly associated with salvation and should be experienced by every believer.  The Scriptural order is:  trust in Christ for salvation first, then baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Lord’s Supper

  As with baptism, the Lord’s Supper (often call communion) is symbolic.  It was first instituted by Christ as He ate the Passover meal with His disciples just before His crucifixion.  Jesus commanded that his followers celebrate the supper in remembrance of His death on the cross.  Although not necessary for salvation, the Lord’s Supper clearly illustrates what Jesus did for us on the cross and should be regularly observed by believers.  The unleavened bread and juice symbolize His body which was broken and His blood which was shed for our salvation.  Because of its sacredness, the Lord’s Supper should never be observed carelessly.  Before taking the supper, every believer should examine himself spiritually, repent of any known sin, and then partake with a pure heart and conscience.

Eternal Security

  Those who have trusted in Christ have received eternal life, the righteousness of Christ, spiritual adoption as God’s children, and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.  Since salvation is based on God’s grace, apart from man’s works, no amount of good works can either acquire or retain it.  The same grace that saves also keeps.  Scripture teaches that those who are “truly” saved cannot lose their salvation.  Their salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by their self-efforts.  God’s Spirit enables the true believer to persevere in faithfulness until the end.

Priesthood of the Believer

  All believers are servants and ministers of God.  According to Scripture, every believer can approach God’s throne for himself through the mediation of Christ.  There is no need for a “third party” to tell the believer how to pray, how to understand the Bible, or how to live.  The church does not have a special class of priests but instead, Scripture teaches that all believers are made “priests unto God.”  There is only one mediator between God and men and that mediator is Jesus Christ.

Church Government

Baptists believe in the autonomy (self government) of the local church.  We believe that each church has the right to manage its affairs without the interference of any authority except that of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, each Baptist church is owned and operated by its own congregation.  At Trinity, we have chosen to be led by a group of elders who are chosen and ordained by the body with the senior pastor acting as chief elder.  We have also chosen to voluntarily participate in the Southern Baptist Convention and share in funding the cause of Christ world-wide through a plan called the Cooperative Program.