Welcome to Nashville Baptist Church, nestled in the charming town of Nashville, Michigan. We’re delighted to have you join us, and we wholeheartedly believe that everyone, including you, has a unique purpose and is warmly embraced in our community.
Our Beliefs and Values
The Bible
We believe that the Holy Scriptures, encompassing both the Old and New Testaments, are the very words of God, divinely inspired and meticulously crafted. They serve as the ultimate and unfailing source of guidance for our faith and the conduct of our lives. In their original form, they are entirely free from error and carry the essence of God’s own breath, making them an unparalleled and infallible source of divine wisdom and truth.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
The Trinity
We hold steadfastly to the belief in the one true and living God, whose eternal existence is characterized by a perfect and harmonious unity as revealed in John 17:3. This divine being exists as three distinct yet entirely divine persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as conveyed in Matthew 28:19–20. While each member of the Godhead carries out unique yet complementary roles throughout the course of redemptive history, they share the same essential nature, attributes, and divine essence. Consequently, they are all equally deserving of the same glory, honor, and obedience, as supported by passages such as John 1:1–4 and Acts 5:3–4.
God the Father
We affirm our belief that God the Father, in accordance with His divine will, created the entirety of the universe in a span of six actual days, all to magnify His glory. This creative act was accomplished through His Son, Jesus Christ, and He continues to sustain all creation through His powerful and gracious Word. The Father exercises sovereign authority over all aspects of creation, including its providence and the unfolding of His redemptive plan, showcasing His supreme rule and authority (Revelation 4:11; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3).
Jesus Christ
We firmly believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, who, driven by His love and in alignment with the Father’s divine will, willingly assumed human form as attested in John 1:1, 14, and 18. His conception occurred through the miraculous agency of the Holy Spirit, and He was born to the virgin Mary. Jesus, being both fully God and fully man (John 14:8–9), lived a sinless life. In a selfless act, He shed His blood and suffered death on the cross, securing redemption for all who place their faith in Him. He triumphantly rose from the dead three days later, ascended to Heaven, and now sits at the Father’s right hand as the Head of His Body, the Church. He is the sole Savior and Mediator between God and humanity, and He will return to earth with power and glory to fulfill His redemptive mission, as articulated in 1 Timothy 3:16.
The Holy Spirit
We affirm the role of the Holy Spirit in this age, whose primary purpose is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, leading the unredeemed toward repentance and faith. In the act of salvation, the Holy Spirit imparts new spiritual life, uniting the believer with Christ and the broader Body of Christ. This divine presence also sanctifies, seals, fills, guides, instructs, comforts, equips, empowers, and permanently indwells the believer. Moreover, the Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts to enable Christlike living and service (John 16:8; 13:15; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:22; 4:11–12; Romans 8:9–17; 12:4–8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4–5, 11–13, 19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 2:1–4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).
Salvation
We affirm our belief that the Lord Jesus Christ, in accordance with the Scriptures, offered Himself as a substitutionary atonement for our sins, thereby providing the sole path to salvation. Prior to the creation of the world, God, in His sovereign wisdom, chose those who would receive His unmerited grace. Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross served as the complete and exclusive payment for all sins, satisfying God’s righteous judgment. Salvation is accessible to anyone who repents, turning from sin, and places their faith in Christ by God’s grace alone. Upon salvation, the Holy Spirit transforms the individual into a new creation, declares them righteous in God’s sight, and secures their status as an adopted child of God for eternity. Genuine faith is marked by ongoing obedience, love for Jesus Christ, and a life dedicated to glorifying God and persevering until the end (Romans 8:37–39; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
The Church
We hold that when an individual places their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, they become an integral part of the Body of Christ, which represents the universal church with Jesus Christ as its Head. According to the Scriptures, believers are instructed to gather locally to engage in worship, prayer, the teaching of God’s Word, fellowship, the observance of baptism and communion, the development and utilization of their talents and spiritual gifts in service to the local body, and the mission of making disciples of all nations. This local assembly is recognized as the expression of the church, overseen by a group of elders, wherever God’s people consistently meet in obedience to this divine command. The members of the church are encouraged to collaborate in a spirit of love and unity, with the primary aim of bringing glory to Christ (Ephesians 1:22–23; Acts 2:42–46; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Matthew 28:18–20; Ephesians 4:16).
Things to Come
We hold a steadfast belief in the glorious, visible, and personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, eagerly anticipating His second coming. This blessed hope of His return significantly influences the personal life, service, and mission of every believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Additionally, we affirm our faith in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the lost. Those who are lost will be resurrected for judgment and will face eternal punishment in Hell, while the saved will experience the joy of eternal life in the new Heaven and new earth, dwelling in the manifest presence of God (Acts 1:3, 9; Hebrews 7:25–26).
Baptism and Communion
Our belief in Christian baptism centers on its role as a public proclamation of a believer’s salvation in Christ. This act symbolizes the believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, signified through the immersion in water. The Lord’s Supper, on the other hand, serves as a joint remembrance of Christ’s death by believers, an observance continued until His return, and it should be approached with careful self-examination (Acts 2:41; Romans 6:3–6; 1 Corinthians 11:20–29).
Our Purpose and Calling
We affirm our belief that God, in His image and likeness, created humanity—both male and female—without sin, with the purpose of glorifying Himself and partaking in His divine fellowship. It is our conviction that every believer and local church community is entrusted with the responsibility and privilege of glorifying God by actively engaging in the Great Commission, as mandated by Jesus Christ, which calls us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).