What we believe? What a good question. This is a close facsimile of the full doctrinal statement of the Dallas Theological Seminary. It is close to what we believe, but I wanted to say that there may be a couple points in this statement that we may not fully agree with either. We are working on developing our own. But for now, this will do. Creating an argument over a trivial point here is senseless, because we might not agree with it fully either.
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believe that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, which we understand to be the whole book called the Bible; that it is inerrant in the original writing and that its teaching and authority is absolute, plenary, supreme and final. That the Holy Spirit guided the holy men of old in all that they wrote - 2 Timothy 3:16, Deuteronomy 4:2, 2 Peter 1:21. |
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believe the Godhead eternally exists in three persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are the one God, having the same nature and perfection - Romans 1:20, Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 8:6. |
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believe in the Personality and Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, begotten of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, truly God and truly man - John 1:1-14, Matthew 1:20-23, John 14:9, Philippians 2:5-8, 1 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 1:1-3. |
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believe in the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit, the source and power of all acceptable worship and service, the infallible interpreter of the infallible Word, the one who indwells every true believer and is ever present to testify of Christ, seeking to occupy us with Him and not with ourselves or our experiences. This is done by convicting men, regenerating the believing sinner, indwelling, guiding, instructing, and empowering the believer for godly living and service - John 15:26, John 16:7-15, Acts 1:8, Romans 8:26-27, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Galatians 5:22-23, Romans 8:9. |
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believe that Jesus Christ became the sinner's substitute before God, that He died as a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, that He was made a curse for the sinner, dying for our sins according to the Scriptures. The shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ as Savior are born of the Holy Spirit and thus become children of God - Romans 4:4-5, Romans 5:8, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 1:12, 1 John 2:2, Hebrews 2:9, Hebrews 9:22, Galatians 3:13. |
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believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of Jesus Christ; that He ascended into Heaven and sits on the right hand of God as the believer's High Priest and advocate - Luke 24-39, Acts 1:10-11, Ephesians 4:10, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 8:1-2. 1 John 2:1. |
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believe that Christ, in the fullness of the blessings He has secured by His death and resurrection, is received by faith alone; and that the moment we trust Him as our Savior we are passed out of death into everlasting life, justified from all sinful activities, accepted before the Father according to the measure of His acceptance, loved as He is loved, and made one with Him. At the time of acceptance of Christ as Savior, Christ comes to dwell within the believer and to live out His life of holiness and power through the believer - Hebrews 9:15, Romans 3:28, Romans 4:3, Romans 4:23-25, Ephesians 1:3, John 17:23, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 4:6-7, John 14:23. |
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believe in the personal return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that the coming again of Jesus Christ is the "Blessed Hope" set before us for which we should be constantly looking. Our citizenship is in Heaven from whence we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ - Acts 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, John 14:1-3, Titus 2:13, Philippians 3:20-21. |
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believe that the souls of those who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation do at death immediately pass into His presence, and there remain in conscious happiness until the resurrection of the body at His coming, when soul and body reunited shall be with Him forever in glory - Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5:8, Luke 16:22, 25, Philippians 1:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:15, 18. |