Beliefs
What We
Believe
Doctrinal Distinctives & Statement of Faith
The Bible
Each word and every word of the original manuscripts of the Bible was given by inspiration of God. It is true and authoritative on every subject it speaks to. The KJV is the best translation of the best text and is the Bible that we use at Dayspring.
Evangelism
Christ died for all people. Every person can be saved if he or she will hear, understand, and believe the gospel. Therefore it is our great responsibility to carry the gospel to every person we can possibly reach. We reject the Five Points of Calvinism as unbiblical and as a great hindrance to evangelism.
Sin, Death, and Salvation
The Biblical account of creation also describes how a literal Adam and Eve disobeyed God, thus becoming sinners. Their sin brought the judgment of God upon them; they died spiritually and began to die physically at the moment they sinned. Sin and death were passed on to their offspring. All humans are sinners by birth and deed and are in desperate need of a Savior.
Creation
The Bible declares that the universe was created in six literal days just a few thousand years ago rather than coming into existence through the Big Bang and the process of evolution over billions of years. We reject completely theistic evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and any other theory whereby professing Christians try to accommodate the Bible to “science.”
Eschatology
We believe in the pretribulational return of Christ to rapture his bride, the Church. This will be followed by seven years of tribulation on the earth which will end when Christ returns to earth to establish his 1,000 year reign. When the Millennium, is over Christ will judge the lost at the Great White Throne and the redeemed will enter into eternity with the Lord.
Separation
We believe that Christians should live a life that is set apart unto God. In this separated life there are many things that we should do for God and also some things that, for the Lord’s sake, we should not do. Mature Christians should be able to identify those things that are displeasing to God and avoid them.
Dispensationalism
We believe and teach that God has worked in different ways at different times to bring his divine plan to pass. Some of these different ways are obvious and beyond dispute: God treated Adam and Eve differently before and after the Fall; He gave the Law to Moses but took it away when it was fulfilled on the Cross. This makes it clear that Israel and the Church are not the same thing and that literal Israel has a future in the plan of God.
The Gospel
Because God loves mankind He determined to provide a way of redemption so that we could be delivered from the consequences of our sin and live with him forever. Since there is nothing that sinners can do to make themselves acceptable to God He sent His own son, the God- man Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin in our place. He shed his blood and gave his life to redeem us. Salvation is offered by God to us as a gift that is received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. No work or merit of our own, either before or after salvation, has any part in our redemption. At Dayspring we emphasize the necessity of distinguishing grace from works and using biblical, understandable terminology in proclaiming the gospel. The most important message in the world must be preached with clarity.
1. The Bible, in its original documents, is the inspired Word of God, the written record of His supernatural revelation of Himself to man, absolute in its authority, complete in its revelation, final in its content and without any errors in its statements. Psalms 89:34, John 10:35, II Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 6:18, II Peter 3:16.
Although we do not believe the translators of the Authorized King James Bible were inspired, we do believe that the Authorized King James Version, based upon the Textus Receptus, is the best translation. Therefore, the Authorized King James Bible shall be the Bible used by Dayspring.
2. There is one God, eternally existent, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He is manifested in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:2, Isaiah 7:14 & 9:6, John 14:9, I Timothy 3:16, I John 5:7.
3. The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God who took on flesh and dwelt on earth. He was without sin and gave Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice by shedding His blood and dying on the Cross. He then came back from the dead. This was to pay for all of the sins of mankind. Acts 13:38-41, II Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 9:2–28; 10:10–14, I Peter 2:24, I John 3:5.
4. God is absolutely sovereign, and in His sovereignty, He gave man a free will to accept or reject the salvation that He has provided. It is God’s will that all would be saved and that none would perish. God permits man’s destiny to depend upon man’s choice. John 6:64–65, Acts 10:34, Romans 9:30–32, I Corinthians 1:21, Ephesians 1:5–14, II Thessalonians 2:13, I Timothy 2:4, I Peter 1:2, II Peter 3:9.
5. Each member of the human race is fallen, sinful, and lost. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of man. The moment a person receives Christ as Savior, immediately, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, who is sealed until the day of redemption. Luke 24:49, John 7:39, Romans 3:23, I Corinthians 6:19, Ephesians 1:13, Titus 3:5.
6. Man is saved by undeserved mercy through faith, and nothing of man enters into his salvation. It is a free gift. Man’s efforts, regardless of how good or well intended, before or after salvation, have nothing to do with it. Salvation is by the finished work of Christ and nothing can be added to it. Romans 11:6, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8–9, Colossians 2:13, Titus 3:5.
7. The Church began with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and is composed of all true believers. By the Holy Spirit we are all baptized into one body of Christ. Water baptism is not essential for salvation but is a testimony to the world. Water baptism is to be done by immersion to show the death, burial, and resurrection. Acts 1:8, Acts 2:1–4, Acts 8:38, Acts 10:47, I Corinthians 2:14, I Corinthians 6:19–20, Ephesians 4:5.
8. Every child of God possesses eternal life, being justified by faith, sanctified by God, sealed with the Holy Spirit, is safe and secure for all eternity, and he cannot lose his salvation. However, a Christian can, through sin, lose his fellowship, joy, power, testimony, and reward, and incur the Father’s chastisement.Relationship is eternal, being established by the new birth. Fellowship, however, is dependent upon obedience. I Corinthians 3:11–17, I Corinthians 5:1–5, I Corinthians 11:30-–32, Hebrews 12:5–11.
9. A true child of God has two births; one of the flesh, the other of the Spirit, giving him a flesh nature and a Spirit nature. The flesh nature is neither good nor righteous. The Spiritual man does not commit any sin. This results in warfare between the Spirit and the flesh, which continues until physical death, or the return of the Lord. The flesh nature of man does not change in any way with the new birth, but can be controlled and kept subdued by the new man. John 3:3–7, Romans 7:15–25, Romans 8:8, Galatians 5:17, I Peter 1:23, I John 1:8, I John 3:9, I John 5:18.
10. There will be a resurrection of the saved and of the lost: of the saved unto eternal life and of the lost unto eternal conscious punishment. These two resurrections are separated by at least 1,000 years. Daniel 12:2, Matthew 25:41, I Thessalonians 4:13–18, Revelation 20:1-5.
11. We believe in the personal, pre-tribulational and premillennial return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 26:17–21 & 27:1, Luke 21:36, I Thessalonians 5:9–11, II Thessalonians 2:1–8, Titus 2:13, Revelation 3:10, Revelation 4:4.
12. Satan is a real person, the author of sin, and he and his angels will be eternally punished. Isaiah 14:12–15, Ezekiel 28:15 & 17, Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:10.
13. God can heal, but physical healing is not in the atonement. God heals miraculously today when it is His perfect will to do so. Healing cannot be claimed through the guarantee of the atonement. At times, it is God’s will for sickness not to be removed. II Corinthians 12:8–10, James 5:14– 16.
14. The gift of tongues (languages) was a manifestation of the Spirit’s power solely for the demonstration of God’s wisdom, purpose and power in the establishment of the early church and always was in a language that was in use. We believe that tongues fulfilled its purpose in the first century and ceased to be used before the completion of the New Testament. We further believe that the modern tongues movement is not of God. Acts 2:16–18, I Corinthians 14:22.
15. The true child of God is not under the law but under grace – saved by grace and disciplined by grace. Romans 6:14, Romans 11:6, II Corinthians 3:17.
16. “Repent” (metanoeo) means a change of mind. Repentance in salvation means a change of mind from any idea of religion that man may have and to accept God’s way of salvation. Repentance does not in any sense include a demand for a change of conduct before or after salvation. Matthew 21:32, Acts 20:21, II Corinthians 7:8–10. One of the counterfeits Satan is using today is the misuse of the word “repent.” To insist upon repentance that in any sense includes a demand for a change of conduct either toward God or man is to add an element of works or human merit to faith. Penance is payment for sin. Penitence is sorrow for sin. Works add something of self in turning from sin. But “repent” (metanoeo) means a change of mind. Repentance in salvation means a change of mind from any idea of religion that man might have and accepting God’s way of salvation. Nowhere does Scripture use the phrase, “repent of sin to be saved.”
17. It is every Christian’s privilege and duty to make clear God’s plan of salvation wherever and in whatever vocation he or she may be. Mark 16:15, I Thessalonians 2:4.
18. The general plan of salvation in God’s Word in a brief outline that is believed and practiced by Dayspring is as follows:
(a) Establish the fact that all men are sinners. Isaiah 64:6, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, James 2:10.
(b) Establish the fact that the penalty of sin is death. Ezekiel 18:20, Romans 6:23.
(c) Establish the fact that you must be perfect to enter Heaven. Habakkuk 1:13, Revelation 21:27.
(d) Establish the fact that man can do nothing to obtain this perfection. Romans 4:5, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8–9.
(e) Show how God provided a sin-bearer and imputes to man His righteousness. Isaiah 53:6, II Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9, I Peter 3:18.
(f) Establish the fact that man needs only belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior for salvation. John 1:12, John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9.
(g) Establish the fact that man can be certain of his salvation now and that his salvation cannot be lost because eternal life is eternal. John 6:37 & 39, John 10:28, Hebrews 10:10–14, I Peter 1:5.
19. Concerning Creation, Dayspring believes:
(a) The first eleven chapters of Genesis are literally true and are the real history of the early Earth (Matthew 19:4, 24:37).
(b) The universe was created by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:1, 2; Colossians 1:16). In its original state it was completely perfect (Genesis 1:31). Because of the disobedience of the first humans, Adam and Eve (who were real, literal people created on the sixth day of Creation) all creation was sentenced by God to death and decay and eventual destruction (Genesis 1:27, 2:7–3:19). We reject all concepts of a pre–Adamic race as is taught by the “Gap Theory.”
(c) God created the universe by His spoken word (2 Peter 3:5) in six literal twenty–four–hour days (Exodus 20:11).
(d) In the young earth view supported by the genealogies and other references to time found in the Bible.
(e)That the biblical Flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 6–8) was a real, global event which was the result of the judgment of God on sinful mankind (Genesis 6:5, 1 Peter 3:6).
(f) That the Flood caused much of the observable geology of the Earth, including most of the fossil graveyards of untold numbers of plants and animals that are found worldwide.
(g) That Noah and his family survived the Flood (Genesis 7:13, 8:18) and are the ancestors of all mankind now living. They spread over the face of the Earth after God confused their languages at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
20. Dayspring Bible College holds to the doctrines historically known as the Baptist Distinctives.
1. The sole authority of Scripture.
2. The autonomy of the local church.
3. A regenerated church membership.
4. The priesthood of all believers.
5. The separation of church and state.
6. Two ordinances for the local church:
a. Baptism by immersion of believers only.
b. The Lord’s Supper as a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice.