The following is a brief statement of faith in which the ministry of Department of Christian Defense embraces as biblical truth
THE WORD OF GOD
We believe that Scripture alone (sola Scriptura) is the sole infallible rule of faith for the church fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts. Scripture is sufficient above all things, hence the ultimate authority and starting point for spiritual life and all theology. All truth necessary for salvation is taught implicitly or explicitly in Scripture alone (John 8:31-32; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 3:16).
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one true, living, and immutable God eternally existing in three distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of the three distinct persons are coequal, coeternal, and coexistent sharing the nature or essence of the one true God. Being distinct in person, but by virtue of their distinguishing offices, function together in harmony in the works of creation, providence, and redemption (Jer. 10:10-11; Gen. 1:1; Matt. 28:19; John 1:1-3; Rom. 1:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 2:18; 4:5-6; Col. 1:15-20; Titus 3:5-7; Jude 1:20-12; Rev. 5:13-14). The true God is triune.
GOD THE FATHER
We believe God the Father is eternal, infinite, and perfect in judgment and holiness. He is the ultimate Cause of all things. He is personal and exists purely as spirit—without body parts (2 Chron. 6:18; Hosea 11:9; John 4:24; Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 1:17). He is personal and concerned of every detail and affair of man; answering the prayers of His people. The Father justifies, that is, He “declares” righteous all those who put their faith in Jesus Christ saving them from their sins and thus adopting them as sons of God (John 1:12-13; 3:16-18; 6:27; Rom. 5:1; 8:15-17. 33; Eph. 1:4-5; 1 Pet. 1:3).
JESUS CHRIST
God the Son. We believe in Jesus Christ is the unique, one and only Son of God, second person of the Holy Trinity; being eternal God yet distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit (Gen. 19:24; Dan. 7:9-14; Matt. 28:19; Mark 14:61-63; John 1:1, 18; 5:17-18; 8:24, 58 et al.; 20:28; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 2:9; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:3, 8-13; 1 John 5:20; 2 John 1:3; Jude 1:4-5; Rev. 1:8, 17; 22:13). He is the unchangeable Creator of all things (John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:2, 10-12) and was worshiped as God (Dan. 7:14; Matt. 14:33; John 9:38; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 5:13-14).
Hypostatic Union – the two natured person. He is truly man and truly God (John 1:1, 14; Rom. 9:5; 1 Cor. 2:8; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:7-8; Heb. 1:8-13) being conceived by agency of the Holy Spirit through the virgin birth (Matt. 1:18). He lived a sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21).
Atoning work (see below). We believe in His substitutionary life, vicarious cross work, and physical resurrection from the dead (John 19:30; Acts 1:11; Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14, 20-22), and His physical ascension into heaven (John 2:18-22; 16:28; 1 Cor. 15:1-4) and now sits at the Right Hand (in terms of power/authority) of God the Father (Mark 14:62; Acts 1:11; 7:56). He continuously intercedes and advocates for His people for whom He died and will return bodily to earth (1 Tim. 2:5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 7:24-25).
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the distinct person of the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal, and coexistent with God the Father and God the Son. He convicts the world of sin righteousness, and judgment. He regenerates, that is, makes alive, all those whom God foreknew and predestined to the Spirit’s effectual calling. He indwells all believers and sanctifies and empowers them for works of service perpetually interceding on their behalf as their advocate (Matt. 28:19; John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-8, 13-14; Acts 5:3-4; Rom. 8:9, 29-30; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; Gal. 5:22-26; Titus 3:5-7; Heb. 3:7; 10:15-18).
SALVATION
Original sin and total inability. We believe that man was created by God in His own image (Gen. 1:26); he sinned and thereby suffered physical, spiritual, and eternal death being alienated from God. As a result of the original sin, all human beings are conceived and born with a sinful nature (Rom. 5:12) being unregenerate, radically depraved and thus, incapable of saving themselves; they are spiritually dead with no ability to come, please, or submit to God, therefore, they are under divine condemnation (Jer. 17:9; John 3:14-16, 19; 6:44, 8:12, 43-44, 47; 10:26-28; Rom. 3:10-19; 5:10; 8:7-8; 9:21-22).
Faith and election. Faith is a grace-gift (χαρίζομαι, “granted,” Phil. 1:29) given by God to His elect (Acts 5:31; 13:48; Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29; 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5-7). All those who put their trust/faith in Christ as Lord and resurrected Savior repenting of their sins, God justifies and granting them eternal life (Acts 10:43; John 5:24; Rom. 4:4-8; 10:9, 13). These God has sovereignly elected and predestined to an inward effectual call, which resulted in their coming in/believing in Christ (John 6:37-39; Rom. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:4-5). Saving faith is the result, not the cause, of God’s alone work in regeneration, that is, the new birth, thus, regeneration precedes faith (John 1:13; Acts 13:48; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 John 5:1).
Justification. Justification is the pronouncement or declaratory act of God the Father pronouncing (not making) a sinner innocent, that is, just or righteous before Him (Rom. 4:4-8; 5:1; 8:33; 2 Cor. 5:19-21). Faith is the instrumental precondition of justification (Rom 5:1). While good works are the fruits and demonstration of actual justification (Eph. 2:9-10; James 2:14-26).
The very ground of justification is the vicarious substitutionary atoning work of Christ in His perfect life (preceptive obedience) and sacrificial death on the cross (penal obedience), which is biblically defined as the Gospel of the Son, and constitutes the righteousness of Christ, which is neither infused (as in Roman Catholic doctrine), nor is it imparted; rather, it is imputed to the believer’s account through faith (Rom. 4:6: Θεὸς λογίζεται δικαιοσύνην χωρὶς ἔργων, “God imputes/credits righteousness apart from works”; 2 Cor. 5:19-21). This righteousness that believers possess is a totally foreign, alien righteousness (extra nos), not of or in the sinner, but is in heaven with God.
Propitiation. We believe that through His perfect life and His glorious cross-work, Christ IS the ἱλασμός for the sins of believers – in that He propitiated (appeased) God the Father. The propitiation of God the Son resulted in both the actual forgiveness of sins and the removal of the sin-wrath – being accomplished ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, “on behalf of us” (Rom. 8:32; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 5:25)– thus being definite and substitutionary. The propitiatory atoning work of God the Son was not a vague non-specific universal work for which no one is actually saved (only made savable), rather it was a definite atonement and according to His perfect sovereignty and pleasure of His own will (Mark 10:45; John 1:29; Rom. 8:32; 1 John 2:2).
Those that are justified have become new creatures, being adopted into God’s family, and delivered from the condemnation of His wrath, thus, receiving eternal life. They will persevere to the end in communion with Christ, with assurance of their salvation (John 5:24; 6:39; 10:27-28; Rom. 4:8). The
THE CHURCH
We believe in the universal church, a real living spiritual body of which Jesus Christ is the head and all who are regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, which consists of true professing believers in Christ and the triune nature of God; thus confessing Christ the Son as YHWH; and trusting in His substitutionary cross work alone as the very ground of their salvation–not by works, but by grace alone.
We believe that God has commissioned the members of the local church the primary task of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost for the glory of God. The members of these churches are called saints because they have been called by God and because they make known and give evidence of their obedience of their calling by their profession of doctrine and they behavior (Eph. 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; 2:42; Heb. 10:23-25; Gen. 17:10; 1 Pet. 1:13-16).
THE SACRAMENTS
We believe that the sacraments (sometimes called, ordinances) are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace to be to be administered to the church until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are only two ordinances expressed in the NT, which are mandated by the Lord Jesus to the church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are to be dispensed by the minister of the Word who is ordained or qualified to perform such duties.
We believe that Christian baptism is with water into the name of the true triune God is sign and seal of the covenant of grace signifying union and fellowship with God and His engrafting believers into Christ the Lord. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration of His death, containing His spiritual presence. These ordinances are to be administrated to all professing Christians, thus, not to be administrated to the unregenerate lest they fall under God’s judgment (Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 6:3-5; I Cor. 11:23-26)
MARRIAGE
We believe that God instituted marriage between man and woman. Same sex marriage (or same sex relationships) is an abomination before the Lord (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Tim. 1:10; see ~ The Biblical Position on Homosexuality)