TCC's Statement of Faith and Historic Creeds

The following beliefs are at the heart of all we say and do at Trinity Community Church. The Statement of Faith is a confessional document that spells out our particular doctrinal positions along with their Biblical references. It also functions as a contemporary summary of the evangelical tradition we embrace. The discussion of divergent views on other doctrinal issues has its place but is not the focus of this statement. While the TCC Statement of Faith is important as a contemporary summary of Christian belief, so the Historic Creeds are also very important to us because they connect us with our Christian past. They also connect us with Christians outside of TCC who may have slightly different positions on other issues. The Creeds function as guidelines for our theology and they give us wonderful, time-tested summaries of Scriptural truth. The Apostle’s Creed (third-fourth century A.D.), is a summary of our faith, the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325/381) is a summary of the Trinity, and the Chalcedonian Creed (A.D. 451) is a summary of Christ. In short, the TCC Statement of Faith and the Historic Creeds:

• Reflect our belief in the essentials of the faith.
• Inform us of contemporary and historic Christian doctrine.
• Identify us as orthodox, Bible believing, evangelical Christians.
• Unify us as a fellowship of believers.

TCC Statement of Faith

I. The Trinity
We believe in one living and true God, eternally existing in one essence, yet three co-equal persons: God the Father, source of all being; God the Son, eternally begotten of the Father, without beginning; and God the Holy Spirit, proceeding eternally from the Father and Son.
Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-3; Ephesians 4:3-7

II. God the Son - Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit and virgin born. We believe in his miracles, sinless life, his teachings and his substitutionary and atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, intercession for his own and his personal, visible return in power and glory to earth. Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-14;3:16-17; Acts 1:1-11; Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 7:23-25

III. God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who has come to convict the world of sin and to reveal the need of faith in Jesus Christ. He indwells, teaches, comforts, guides, empowers and gives gifts of service to all who believe.
John 16:5-15; Acts 1:8; 1Corinthians 12-14; Galatians 5:16-25

IV. The Written Word of God
We believe that the Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired and preserved Word of God that is authoritative for faith and practice.
Matthew 24:35; 2Timothy 3:16-17; 2Peter 1:20-21

V. Humankind
We believe that all humans are made in the image of God with dignity and value for the purpose of living in a relationship with God. But, through the sin of our first parents we are born with sinful natures, we actively sin and we are morally unable to overcome sin by ourselves.
Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-24; Romans 5:12-19; 1Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 2:1-3

VI. Salvation
We believe that salvation comes through Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, suffered, died on the cross, was buried, arose from the grave, ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father. He secured the forgiveness of our sins that we would be free from its power in this life and its penalty in the next by giving us eternal life. He did this for all those who repent and believe.
John 3:1-21, 6:35-51; Romans 3:9-28, 5:12-21, 6:23, 10:9-13; 1Corinthians 15:1-8

VII. The Christian Life
We believe that when a person is converted they are forever in union with Christ, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. They should live for the glory of God and the good of humankind.
Matthew 22:34-40; 1Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 1-2

VIII. The Church
We believe the church is the community (assembly) of all true believers for all time, invisible yet visible, local yet universal whose foundation and head is Jesus Christ her Lord. We believe God has given the church the task of sharing the gospel of the love of Jesus Christ to the world.
Deuteronomy 4:10; Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1-3; Ephesians 1:22-23; Hebrews 10:23-25

IX. Means of Grace
We believe the means of grace to be the reading and preaching of the Word, prayer and the ordinances/sacraments, which are baptism and communion. These are the regular activities practiced within the community of believers that God uses to give grace in connection with their faith and, in turn, these are expressions of their belief and allegiance to God.
Matthew 28:16-20; 1Corinthians 11:23-32; 2Timothy 4:2; Hebrews 4:16; 1Peter 1:23-25

X. The Last Things
We believe in the blessed hope of the personal and visible return of Jesus Christ in power and glory. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, eternal life for those who believe and eternal misery for those who reject Jesus Christ.
Acts 1:9-11; 1Corinthians 15; 1Thessalonians 5:1-11; Revelation 20:11-15

XI. Unity and Community
We believe in the unity of the church, both locally and universally. We recognize differences among Christians in the non-essentials and endeavor not to press for uniformity in these areas but unity around the essentials. We embrace authentic community where we can be transparent together, struggle together, be victorious together, be personal with one another and loving in a fragmented world.
salm 133; John 13:34-35; Acts 2:42-47; 1Corinthians 1:10-13; Galatians 5:1-5,10