Our Doctrinal Statement
1. The Scriptures
That the Holy Bible was divinely inspired by God and given to man as the only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man. By the "Holy Bible," we mean that collection of sixty-six books (Genesis to Revelation) of the Old and New Testaments, which we believe is the very Word of God. Because inspiration without preservation would be meaningless, and the original manuscripts of the Bible are no longer in existence, God has supernaturally and providentially preserved His Word, without error, for us today in the AV 1611 (King James Version) of the Bible. We believe that this preserved Bible is the final authority for us in all matters of faith, doctrine, and practice. Finally, we believe that Christians should not only believe the Book, but also do what it commands and teaches. (Psalm 12:6-7; 11 Timothy 3:15-17; James 1:22-25; ll Peter 1:21)
2. The True God
That there is but one true and living God, eternally existing and manifesting Himself to us in three divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who are equal in every divine perfection and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption. (Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 45:21-22; Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; 14:10, 26; 15:26; I John 5:7)
3. The Son of God
That the Lord Jesus Christ, eternal with the Father, was begotten of the Holy Ghost in a miraculous manner, born of Mary, a virgin, and is both the Son of God and God the Son. He is both true man and true God; one person with two natures; tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 2, 14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 4:14-15)
4. The Holy Spirit
That the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, converts the repentant sinner and places him into Christ, seals the believer, interprets the Scripture, and endues God’s children with power to be bold witnesses. (John 16:8-11; John 3:5-6; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14)
5. Satan
That Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as the Almighty, he fell and drew after him a host of angels. He is now the malignant prince of the power of the air, and the unholy god of this world. We hold him to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of God and Jesus Christ, the accuser of the brethren, and the author of all false religions. He is destined, however, to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son and the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire, a place prepared for him and for his angels, as well as all of the unbelievers of the ages. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17; John 8:44; II Corinthians 4:4; I Peter 5:8-9; Revelation 12:9-10; 20:10)
6. Creation
In the Genesis account of creation, and that it is to be accepted literally, and not allegorically or figuratively; that man was created directly in God’s own image and after His own likeness; that man’s creation was not a matter of evolution or evolutionary changes of species, or development through interminable periods of time from lower to higher forms; that all animal and vegetable life was made directly; and God established that they should bring forth only "after their kind." We reject any form of theistic or atheistic evolution. (Genesis 1:1; Exodus 20:11; John 1:3; Romans 1:20; Revelation 10:6)
7. Sin
That man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; so all men are sinners by birth and by choice and are of themselves utterly unable to remedy their lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
8. Salvation
That salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace. It is received by repentance toward God and by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who shed His precious blood on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again, and that the new birth is instantaneous and not a process. (John 1:12; Acts 20:21; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; I Peter 1:18-19)
9. Eternal Security
That all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are secure in Christ forever. However, we believe that God’s Word clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:34-39; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:30; 1 John 5:13)
10. Heaven and Hell
That the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do, at death, immediately pass into His presence and there remain in conscious bliss until the resurrection of the body at the Rapture when soul and body reunited shall be present forever with the Lord. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery in hell until the Great White Throne Judgment at the close of the millennium. Then soul and body reunited, shall be cast into the lake of fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting torment. (Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; II Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:1-15)
11. The Church
That a New Testament church is a congregation or assembly of baptized believers, associated together by a covenant of faith, based solely upon the Word of God. The officers of ordination are pastors and deacons, and the Scriptural ordinances are water baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control. We believe the mission of the church is to win the lost, baptize them, and teach and instruct them in the Word of God so that they too will win the lost. (Matthew 18:15-20; 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 6:1-7; 1 Corinthians 11:20-34; I Timothy 3:1-13; II Timothy 2:2)
12. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
That salvation must precede water baptism. We believe that Scriptural baptism is the immersion in water of a believer, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost under the authority of the local church. It is to picture, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, showing forth our death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Salvation and baptism are prerequisite to the privilege of church membership. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance in which members of the church, by the sacred use of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, are to commemorate the love of Christ shown at Calvary. This ordinance should always be preceded by solemn self-examination, realizing that we are showing forth the Lord’s death till He comes. Observance of the Lord's Supper here at Trinity Baptist Church in a privilege of church membership, in which we observe a "closed" Lord Super. (Matthew 3:16; 28:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-31; Colossians 2:12)
13. Separation
In the Biblical doctrine of separation which encompasses three things: (1) the separation of the local church from all affiliation and fellowship with those who deny the verities of the "faith which was once delivered to the saints," and from those individuals and organizations similarly associated including Charismatics, Hyper-Calvinists, and Promise Keepers; (2) the separation of the individual believer from all worldly practices that may dishonor the Saviour; and (3) the separation of church and state. (Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 6:14-7:1; II Thessalonians 3:6, 14, 15; 1 John 2:15-17; I John 9-11; Jude 3)
14. Giving
That God’s method of financing His earthly work of spreading the Gospel to all nations, the care of the churches, and the support of the ministry is by the tithes and offerings of God’s people given through their local church. We believe that the time to tithe is upon the first day of the week. We believe God has established that the tithe is the Lord’s, and that every Christian should also give other offerings, sacrificially and cheerfully. (Proverbs 3:9-10; Malachi 3:8-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; I Timothy 5:17-18)
15. Missions
That all men everywhere are lost and condemned, and that the command to go and preach the Gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable. God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation and tribe who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8)
16. The Second Coming
In the imminent return of Jesus Christ for all New Testament believers. This rapture of the saints will be followed by the seven-year Tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic kingdom which was promised to the nation Israel. (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33; Acts 1:11; I Corinthians 15:51-55; I Thessalonians 3:13; Revelation 1:7)
17. Unchaste Conduct
That God has commanded that no intimate physical activity be engaged in outside of marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography is a sinful perversion of God’s original intent for a physical relationship between a husband and wife. (Genesis 2:24; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:20-32; I Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; I Thessalonians 4:l-8; Hebrews 13:4)
18. Abortion
That human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, inexcusable taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)
19. Civil Government
That God has ordained and created all authority which consists of three basic institutions: (1) the home; (2) the church; and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and are governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and has balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:21-6:4; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 2:13-15)
