Series Episode #2 The Local Church & The Biblical Non-Negotiable's

Series Episode 2 – The Local Church: Worshiping the One True and Triune God

In this second episode of our series, The Local Church: The Biblical Non-Negotiables That Make Us His Church, we dive into one of the most essential and defining elements of our identity as God’s people: our calling to worship the One True and Triune God.

Worship isn’t a side topic or a stylistic preference—it is central to who we are as the Church. Drawing from 1 Peter 2:9, we explore how God has called His people out of darkness and into His marvelous light so that we might declare His praises. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture reveals a consistent truth: God’s people exist to worship Him.

But Scripture also insists that we must understand who this God is. The Bible clearly proclaims there is one God, and yet this one God is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In this episode, we unpack the biblical foundation of the Trinity and why this doctrine isn’t optional, but it is essential to Christian faith and worship. To lose the Trinity is to lose the very God of Scripture.

Join us as we discuss what it means for the local church to faithfully worship the Triune God in our gatherings, in our homes, and in our daily lives. If we are truly His church, then worshiping the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in spirit and in truth must remain a core, non-negotiable part of our identity.

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Transcript

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You're listening to the Cornerstone Perspective podcast. Be sure to hit that subscribe button and share with your friends. In this episode, we're continuing our series called The Local Church: The Biblical Non-Negotiables That Make Us His Church. Now, if we are His Church, then these are the things that must be a core foundational element of who we are. And that core foundational and non-negotiable element that we're talking about in this episode is our calling to worship the one true and triune God. And this isn't a side topic. This is a central topic to who we are as God's people and essential to the identity of the local church. In 1 Peter 2 9, Peter reminds believers scattered, struggling, and in need of encouragement of their true identity. This he says, You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. Now, from Peter to the book of Revelation, Scripture declares that God's people, both Jew and Gentile, exist to worship the one true God who redeemed them. But it also matters deeply that we understand who this God is. Scripture is clear from beginning to end that there is only one true God. Genesis opens with the words, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And Deuteronomy 6.4 declares, The Lord our God, the Lord is one. But then Paul echoes this in 1 Corinthians 8:4. There is no God but one. Biblical faith is rooted in the oneness of God, one true God. But what's also true is this one true God is revealed in Scripture as triune, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We see hints of this even in Genesis. God says this, let us make mankind in our image. This becomes unmistakably clear in the New Testament, especially at Jesus' baptism, where the Son is in the water, the Spirit is descending from heaven like a dove, and the Father speaks of his approval from heaven about his son. And Jesus affirms the triune identity of God in the Great Commission where he commands his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. One name, three persons, one God. Understanding this isn't a theological luxury, but it's essential to Christian worship. We worship the Father who chose us, the Son who redeemed us, and the Spirit who indwells and empowers us. Our worship flows from who God actually is. And this is crucial. It's a crucial point for the local church today. Worshiping the one triune God, the one true triune God, is not optional and it's not negotiable. It's not a doctrine we can edit, ignore, or downplay. The Trinity is at the very core of biblical Christian faith, and to lose the Trinity is to lose the God of Scripture, the gospel, and the very foundation upon which the church is built. Any church that abandons the triune nature of God really abandons biblical Christianity itself. So as we gather in our churches, in our homes, in our small groups, or just in our daily routines, we do so as God's chosen people, his royal priesthood, his treasured possession. And we exist to declare his praises. And our worship is directed towards the one true and triune God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And if we are to walk in the identity of God's holy church, then we cannot be distracted from one of the most core, foundational, and non-negotiable elements of our identity. And that is individually and corporately worshiping the one true and triune God in spirit and in truth, declaring his praises. Why? Because he called us out of darkness, he saved us, he redeemed us, and he set us free. Hey, thank you for listening to the Cornerstone Perspective podcast. And as always, be sure to hit that subscribe button and share with your friends.