These are the statements of faith that guide us in our mission to bring heaven to humanity through the love of Jesus.
Non-Denominational Church in Murfreesboro, TN - What We Believe
Our Beliefs
01 - The Bible
The Old and New Testaments are a collection of 66 books, written by human authors, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and inerrant as originally given. They are the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of mankind and constitute 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 - Eternal Security
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5
03 - One True God
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 co-equal 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
04 - Godly Living
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
05 - Human Beings
God created humans in His own image – male and female – His ultimate creation. As God’s ultimate creation, humans are intended to exist forever. Through disobedience, we incurred both physical and spiritual death. We are all born with a sinful nature and are separated from the life and character of God, but can be saved by grace through faith in Jesus as we repent and turn towards Him. Humans are given a choice to exist with God via repentance and acceptance of God’s gift, or exist without Him by choosing to follow our own way. Regardless of each person’s choice, all humans 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 - The Sacraments
The Council of Trent defined a sacrament as “a visible sign of an invisible grace.” We celebrate the Lord’s Supper regularly as a church as a remembrance of God’s love and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The act not only marks the sacrifice of Jesus, but also reminds us of “until He comes.” One day Jesus will return!
Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Baptism by water is the first step of obedience for a believer. It is an outward sign of an inward change. More than that, baptism IDENTIFIES us with Christ in a very public fashion. It proclaims that we have died to ourselves and are living for Christ. As Watchman Nee says, “So baptism is no small thing. It means for me a definite conscious break with the old way of life.”
Galatians 6:14; Romans 6:2-4
07 - Heaven to Humanity
We believe in the second coming of Christ. When this occurs, God will join the new heaven and new earth together in a glorious marriage, restoring and making right what has been broken. Until then, Jesus said to pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). We are called to live out the character of Christ in advance of this eschatological end, as He was the model of “heaven on earth” (see John 1:1,14).
John 1:1; John 1:14; Matthew 6:10; Revelation 21 & 22.
08 - Salvation of Mankind
Salvation is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it. 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
09 - Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal 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 return again someday 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
10 - Eternity
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 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9
11 - The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal 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
12 - Leadership
Those who would seek to be in a leadership position within the Church must first and foremost be true followers of Jesus Christ, immersed in the Word of God, faithful, not self-willed, not prone to anger or violence, sober, of good behavior, and communicators of sound doctrine.
I Corinthians 11:1-34; Titus 1:6-7; I Timothy 3:2; 2 Timothy 2:2
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).
