Tree Of Life Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee

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What We Believe And Teach:

God

	In The God Of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex. 3:6, Acts 3:13)
	Elohim Exists Eternally As (Gen. 1:1, Gen. 1:26, Deut. 6:4, Isaiah 48:16, Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 8:14-17, 1 Peter 1:2)
	As Father - (Psalms 89:26, Isaiah 63:16, Jer. 31:9, Luke 10:21-22, John 4:23, 1 Cor. 1:3, Rev. 3:5)
	As Son    -  (Psalms 2, Prov. 30:4-6, Isa. 9:6-7, Isa. 53, Micah 5:2, Luke 1:31-33, John 1:29-34,John 3:16-18, John 8:58, Col. 1:15-20)
	As Holy Spirit  - (Gen. 1:2, 2 Sam. 23:1-3, Psalms 51:11-12, Mark 3:28-29, John 14:16-17, 26, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:38, Acts 13:2-4)
	That God Is Unchanging (Psalms 102:27, Mal. 3:6, Heb. 1:10-12, Heb. 13:8)

Yeshua (Jesus) The Messiah

	That Yeshua came into this world born of a virgin (Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:30-35)
	That Yeshua is the root and offspring of David, the bright and the morning star (Numbers 24:17, Matthew 1:1-17, Revelation 22:16)
	That Yeshua's purpose was to make atonement for sin (Lev. 16:15-17, Psalms 22, Dan. 9:24-26, Isa. 53, John 3:16-17, Rom. 3:23-26, Heb. 2:17, Heb. 9:11-14)
	That Yeshua died and was resurrected from the dead (Psalms 16:9-10, Jonah/Matthew 12:39-41, Romans 14:9, 1 Cor. 15:3-4,20)
	That Yeshua will return again to Zion (Isa. 59:20, Zech. 14:4, Acts 1:10-11, Acts 3:19-21)
	That Yeshua will re-establish the throne and kingdom of David, which will last forever (Isa. 9:6-7, Jer. 23:5-8, Luke 1:30-33, Acts 2:25-36)

Bible

	That the Holy Scriptures, consisting of the Tenach (Old Testament) and the B'rit Hadassah (New Testament) are the only infallible and authoritative word of God.
	The Oral Traditions (Talmud) and other commentaries, both Jewish and non-Jewish, may serve as rich and meaningful teachers about our faith in the God of Israel. However, these works are not authoritative, only the Scriptures are (Matthew 15:3-6, Mar 7:8-9, Col. 2:8, 1 Tim. 1:3-4).
	That the Holy Scriptures are:
	Divinely Inspired - (Deut. 6:4-9, Psalms 19:7-11, John 6:63, 1 Cor. 2:13, 2 Tim. 3:16a, 2 Peter 1:20-21)
	The Final Authority - in all matters of faith and practice (Psalms 119, Prov. 3:1-6, Col. 3:16, 1 Tim. 4:13, 2 Tim. 3:15-17).

Torah (Law) - Hebrew for Instructions/Guidelines

 

	That the Teachings of Moses (Torah) were given as a guide for holy living (Deut. 28:9, Psalms 1:1-3, Rom. 3:31, Rom. 7:12, 1  John 5:3)
	Yeshua affirmed the Torah in Matthew 5:17-20, "Don't think I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yod or a stroke will pass from the Torah."
	That we cannot earn our salvation by keeping the Law (Gen. 15:6, Gal. 3:24-26, Rom. 4:13, Rom. 8:3-4, Heb. 7:18-19)

Man

 

	That man was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-31, Gen. 5:1, Gen. 9:6, Ecc. 7:29, 1 Cor. 11:7, James 3:9)
	That through disobedience, man fell from his created state and became separated from God (Gen. 2:17, Gen. 3:22-24, Eph. 4:17-18)
	After the fall of Adam and Eve, all are born with a sinful nature (Ps. 14:1-3, 53:1-3, Isa. 64:6, Rom. 3:9-12, 23, Rom. 5:12)
	God made a way for man's reconciliation through the atonement made by the Messiah Yeshua (Lev. 8:15, Dan. 9:24, Rom. 5:1, 10, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Col. 1:20-22)
	After death, all mankind will experience a literal, physical resurrection. The wicked will be condemned to eternal separation from God by judgment in the lake of fire. Believers in Yeshua are promised everlasting life and fellowship with God. (Job 19:25-27, Isa. 26:19, Ezek. 37:1-14, Dan. 12:2-3, 13, Matthew 25:31-46, John 5:21-29, Acts 24:14-15, 1 Thes. 4:13-18, Rev. 20:4-15)

Salvation

 

	That by grace, through faith, we are saved. It is a gift of God (Gen. 15:6, Hab. 2:4, Rom. 3:38, Rom. 5:1, Eph. 2:8-10, Heb. 11:6, 39).
	That salvation is only available to those who place their faith in Yeshua's atonement (Deut. 18:18-19, Psalms 2:10-12, John 3:16, Acts 4:10-12, Gal. 3:22, Eph. 2:4-6, Heb. 10:10)
	That good works or righteous acts do not produce salvation (Acts 15:7-11, Rom. 3:20,27, Gal. 2:16, Gal. 3:18-22, Gal. 5:1-4, Rom. 2-6, Heb. 11:6, 39, Titus 3:5a)
	In regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 11:19, Joel 2:28-29, Romans 2:28-29, 1 Cor. 2:12-13, 2 Cor. 5:17, Titus 3:5b)
	That true salvation produces holy lives (Rom. 12:1-2, 9, Romans 16:19, Gal. 5:22-25, 1 Peter 1:14-16, 1 John 3:3-6, 9, 10).
	As stated by Dr. David Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, p. 284, listed below are five aspects in the salvation process given in the B'rit Hadasha (Renewed Covenant)
	Believing that Yeshua is Messiah and trusting Him (Acts 16:31, Rom. 10:9)
	Acknowledging him publicly (Romans 10:9, Luke 12)
	Turning from sin to God (Mark 1:15, Acts 2:38)
	Being immersed (Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16) (This is not Baptismal Regeneration)
	Holiness, without which no one will see God (Heb. 12:14).
	A person who meets the first four but leads an ungodly life gives public evidence that he is not saved.

Israel

 

	In God's end-time plan for the nation of Israel and for the world, consisting of both the:
	Physical Restoration of Israel (Isa. 11:11-16, Isa. 62:1-4, Jer. 12:15, Ezek. 36:1-24, Joel 3:16-18, Matthew 23:37-39) and:
	Spiritual Restoration of Israel (Ezek. 36:25-32, Hosea 3, Zech. 12:10-14, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:14-33, Romans 11:26-27, Rev. 7:3-8)
	In covenant keeping, God has and will keep His covenant with Israel (Isa. 50:1, Jer. 33:25-26, Hosea, Romans 11:1-29, Gal. 3:15-17)
	Romans 11 teaches that Non-Jewish believers become part of Israel by faith in Yeshua, but they do not replace physical Israel. The church does not become "spiritual Israel" as taught erroneously in replacement theology.

Jewish People

 

	That Jewish people are actual physical descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, whether through the mother's or the father's blood line (Gen. 26:2-5, Acts 3:25, Acts 7:8)
	Other non-physical descendants of Abraham (Gentiles) who have taken on a Jewish identity by conversion to Judaism and have been recognized by the Jewish community are Jews. The following are verses from Scripture concerning Gentile conversion to Judaism: Gen. 17:10-14, Ex. 12:44,48, Acts 2:5, 9-11, Acts 16:1-3.
	According to the Scriptures, Jewish people who place their faith in Israel's Messiah, Yeshua, continue to be Jewish (Acts 21:17-26, 39, Acts 23:6, Acts 26:4-5)

Non-Jewish Believers In Messiah

 

	Non-Jewish people (Gentiles) who place their faith in Yeshua are "grafted into" the olive tree of faith (Acts 10:34-35, Rom. 10:19-21, Romans 11:13-25)
	Non-Jewish people who place their faith in Yeshua, are sons and daughters of Abraham (Gen. 17:5, Hosea 2:23, Romans 3:27-30, Romans 4:11, 16, Gal. 3:7-9, Gal. 3:28-29)
	That Non-Jewish believers are fellow heirs (Not associate members!) of Elohim (Romans 8:15-17,     Eph. 3:1-6, Gal. 3:29)

Body Of Believers In Messiah

 

	That the renewed covenant body of believers in Messiah is composed of both Jews and Non-Jews who have received Yeshua the Messiah as their promised Redeemer. (Acts 15:13-18/Amos 9:11-12,           Acts 11:1-18, Romans 1:16, Gal. 3:26-29, Gal. 5:6)
	The "middle wall of partition" has been broken down and Jews and Non-Jews now worship the God of Israel together as one (Acts 15:7-11, Romans 10:12, 1 Cor. 12:13, Eph. 2:11-22, Eph. 3:6-10)

Messianic Judaism

 

	That we should imitate the faith of the first century believers who were part of Judaism, in a sect, originally called "The Way" (Matthew 23:1-3, Acts 2:42-27, Acts 3:1, Acts 5:42, Acts 24:14, 1 Cor. 5:8)
	That Messianic Judaism acknowledges the continuity of faith in the one true God, revealed throughout the Scriptures, and ultimately manifested in God's Son Yeshua (Psalms 2:7-12, Isa. 53, Heb. 1:1-3, Heb. 4:14-15, Heb. 9:15, 1 John 4:14-15)