These are the statements of faith that guide us in our mission to bring people to Jesus; bringing heaven to earth.
What We Believe at our Non-Denominational Church in Murfreesboro, TN
What we believe:
These are the statements of faith that guide us in our mission to bring people to Jesus and heaven to earth.
01 - The Bible
We believe the Old and New Testaments, a collection of 66 books written by human authors, is inspired by the Holy Spirit and inerrant as originally given. It is the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of mankind and constitutes the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 12:6, 119:105, 160; Proverbs 30:5
02 - One True God
We believe God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and the Redeemer of mankind. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and are one God.
Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
03 - Jesus
We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is coequal with the Father. He is fully God and fully man. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived without sin, and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven’s glory and is now at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest. He will one day return to earth to restore creation, with a new heaven and a new earth, culminating in the completion of God’s will to make right what was wrong.
Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13
04 - The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make us aware of our need for Jesus Christ. He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation to provide power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved for the purpose of building the Church. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily. Baptism in the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. It is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.
2 Corinthians 3:17; John 14:16-17, 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18; Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 19:1-6
05 - Human Beings
We believe human beings are the supreme object of God’s creation, made in His own image. In the beginning, humanity was innocent and endowed by God with freedom of choice. Through the temptation of Satan, humanity transgressed the command of God and fell from innocence, ushering in a sin nature that spread to all people and corrupted all creation. This nature separates people from God and leads to death. Only the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, can restore human beings to their created purpose and relationship with Him. Regardless of each person’s choice, all people are uniquely created in His image, loved by God, and worthy of Christian love and respect.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2; Ephesians 2:8
06 - Salvation of Mankind
We believe salvation is God’s free gift to us, received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty and be born again. When we turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 1:12; 2:8-9; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1
07 - The Church and Its Mission
We believe the Church is the body of Christ, made up of all who have placed their faith in Him. It exists to glorify God through worship, discipleship, fellowship, and mission. The Church is called to make disciples, serve others, and reflect the character of Jesus to the world.
We also believe the Church lives as a sign of God’s coming kingdom. Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Until Christ returns to make all things new, believers are called to live as ambassadors of heaven on earth, bringing restoration, justice, love, and truth wherever they go.
Matthew 6:10; Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:42–47; Ephesians 4:11–16; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Revelation 21–22
08 - Godly Living
We believe God is defined by His love and His holiness. Those who are in Christ are empowered by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of sanctification, the act of daily becoming more like Jesus. Therefore, it is the goal of the believer to be separated from sin and no longer conformed to the thinking of the world. This is a progressive process that occurs through the joint efforts of humans in cooperation with the indwelt Spirit. It is a daily choice to die to ourselves and live for the Messiah Jesus.
1 Peter 1:14-16; Romans 12:2; 2 Timothy 2:21; Galatians 2:20
09 - Eternity
We believe people were created to exist forever. We can spend eternity separated from God by our sin and rejection of Jesus in a real place called Hell (a place not meant for us but for the devil and demons). Alternatively, we can accept the free gift of redemption by the sacrifice of Jesus and spend eternity with Him.
John 3:16; John 14:1-7; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9
Our Values
We can be the best at everything we do. However, if we do not love, we are nothing. Everything we do must be clothed in rich and genuine love!
1 Corinthians 13:2; 1 Peter 4:8
As believers, we have an indescribable joy because our hope is in Christ. But it is a joy that we must choose to exercise. We bring our joy to the table!
1 Peter 1:6,8-9; John 15:9-11
Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers. Our strength as a church is that we focus on what unites us, not what divides us. We are diverse but unified around the Gospel of Jesus.
Ephesians 4:1-6; Matthew 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; John 13:35-37
The idea of patience in the Bible is tied to perseverance and endurance in the faith. Why? Because life is hard but Jesus is greater! We persevere through struggles with joy because our hope is in Him. We must be patient with ourselves, patient with others, and patient in seeing the work of God fulfilled.
John 16:33; Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 12:1
Shouldn’t believers be kind? The Bible says they should! Everything we do, every truth we proclaim, every response we give to objection or hate should be done with kindness. The Gospel does not give us an exception to who receives our kindness.
Ephesians 4:32; Luke 6:35; Galatians 6:10
Goodness is the act of doing good to others, or, having a heart of generosity. We are generous with our love, our time, our resources, and our giftings. We are generous because God has been so generous to us!
Luke 6:33-35; Romans 12:9-13; John 3:16
Someone who is faithful is someone who evokes trust and faith. That is why God is worthy of our faith – He evokes trust. We are called to do the same. We are to be truthful, reliable, and supportive. We are to be faithful to the Scriptures, faithful in our pursuit of Christ-likeness, and faithful to one another.
Hebrews 10:23; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; Hebrews 3:2
Rick Warren once said, “Humility isn’t thinking less of ourselves, it’s thinking of ourselves less.” We are called over and over to have a posture of humility, not only to God but to each other as well. In doing so, we see the needs of others and we are able to serve, learn, and grow with others. Humility is the beginning of all growth.
Matthew 11:29; Colossians 3:12; Philippians 2:3
Paul asks us to “take every thought captive.” There is a clear directive from Scripture that our growth is our responsibility. We understand that discipline is our choice, but also a fruit of the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives. When we do the work of submitting our lives to God, we will reap a harvest. (Galatians 6:9).
