A Trinity Church of Portland theology class, November 2026. Most churches teach new birth, baptism, church membership, and the Lord's Supper as four separate subjects. Scripture tells them as one story: a garden, a gardener who failed, and a better Gardener who did not. In this class we start in Eden, where Adam was given the work to glorify, grow, and guard. Then we follow that work through to Christ and his church. We cover how the dead come alive, why baptism is the front door into membership, the surprising beauty of church discipline, and the Table as the family meal. This class is for anyone, whether you've been at Trinity for years, it's your first Sunday, or you're still not sure what you believe. You can download the companion booklet at trinityportland.com/life-in-the-garden.
Transcript
Thomas Terry begins by welcoming the class and encouraging participants to take notes in the provided booklet, which outlines the biblical passages and logical structure of the teaching. He opens with prayer, asking God for humility and receptive hearts as they explore the topic.
He paints a vivid picture of a couple moving into their first home, using the imagery of a house, a key, a front door, and a family meal to frame the discussion. The sermon will address four interconnected subjects: how a person becomes a Christian (born again), baptism, church membership, and the Lord’s Supper. These are distinct yet form one story, much like the elements of a home.
Pastor Terry asks, “What is a church?” and explains that the Bible describes the church as a particular people with a specific mission, not merely a building or a Sunday gathering. He acknowledges common questions about the relationship between baptism and membership and promises to provide biblical answers.
He divides the teaching into four movements: born again (who can live in God’s house), baptized (how they enter God’s house), belonging (what they do inside), and the Lord’s table (how they are fed).
Starting at the beginning, he revisits Genesis 1:27–28 and 2:15, explaining Adam’s role as the first priest-king tasked to glorify God, grow the garden, and guard it. Adam failed, leading to humanity’s exile from the garden. Yet God promised a Redeemer who would restore this role—Jesus Christ, the perfect priest-king who fulfills the garden commission through the church.
Pastor Terry then addresses who can live in the garden: only those born again. He cites Ephesians 2:1–2 to describe humanity as spiritually dead, incapable of self-rescue. Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 reveals the necessity of being “born of water and the Spirit” to enter God’s kingdom. This new birth, or regeneration, is God’s work alone, as Ezekiel 36:25–27 promises.
He emphasizes that faith and repentance are responses flowing from regeneration, not the cause of it, supported by 1 John 5:1 and Ephesians 2:4–10. The new birth results in a transformed life marked by new desires, sorrow over sin, love for God’s Word, and community.
Next, Pastor Terry explains baptism as the public sign of inward regeneration, quoting Matthew 28:18–20 and Romans 6:3–4. Baptism identifies believers with Christ’s death and resurrection and welcomes them into the church family. He clarifies that baptism does not save but is a command and a public declaration of faith, citing 1 Peter 3:21 and Acts 10.
He stresses that baptism is the “front door” into the church, which is the “house,” and that membership is the covenant relationship that follows. He references Acts 2:41–42 and 1 Corinthians 12:13 to show that baptism and being added to the church body are inseparable.
Pastor Terry addresses common questions, affirming that baptism and membership do not save but are acts of obedience and belonging. He encourages those baptized elsewhere to join membership at Trinity and gently urges believers who have not been baptized to take that step.
The third movement, belonging, explores what church membership means. He distinguishes between attending a church and belonging to a church family. Using Scripture (Ephesians 2:19, 1 Corinthians 12:27, 1 Peter 2:9), he describes the church as a local body of believers committed to following Jesus together.
He highlights the mutual promises of membership: to help one another follow Christ and to receive help in return. The church is a place of worship, teaching, prayer, fellowship, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and mutual accountability.
Pastor Terry explains the role of church discipline as a loving, restorative practice rooted in Scripture (Matthew 18, 1 Corinthians 5, Hebrews 12). Discipline is portrayed as pursuit, not punishment, aiming to restore wandering members and protect the holiness of the church. He contrasts church discipline with cancel culture, emphasizing its private, patient, and redemptive nature.
He shares a testimony of restoration through discipline and encourages the congregation to embrace this biblical practice as an expression of God’s love.
Finally, the Lord’s Table is presented as the family meal that nourishes believers until Christ returns. He reads 1 Corinthians 11:23–26, explaining that the Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice, a participation by faith, and a proclamation of the gospel.
The meal points back to the garden’s tree of life and forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9, 22:14). He urges self-examination before partaking, clarifying that worthiness is not perfection but faith and repentance.
Pastor Terry concludes by summarizing the four doctrines as distinct yet unified: regeneration, baptism, membership, and the Lord’s Supper. Together, they tell the story of God making the dead alive, bringing them into His family, giving them a mission, and feeding them until the new creation.
He closes with a prayer, asking God to help the church cherish these truths, use their spiritual authority wisely, and grow in godliness. He apologizes for going over time and blesses the congregation.