Operation Dignity International
STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Scriptures
We Believe in the Holy Scripture; accepting fully the writings in the Old and New Testaments as the inerrant Word of God; verbally inspired in all parts and therefore altogether sufficient as our only infallible and authoritative rule of faith and practice. Psalm 119:160, Proverbs 30:5a, II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:19-20.
The True God
We believe in the one true God; who is an intelligent, sovereign, spiritual, and personal Being; perfect, infinite, and eternal in His being, holiness and love, wisdom, and power; absolutely separate from and above the world as its Creator, yet everywhere present in the world as the Upholder of all things. He is revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three distinct persons but without division of nature, essence of being, and each having a distinct ministry in God’s relation to His creation and people. Genesis 1:1, Exodus 15:11, Psalm 83:18, 139:7-9, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30, 15:26.
Jesus Christ
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the second Person of the Triune God, the eternal Word an Only Begotten Son; that without any change in His divine Person , He became man by miracle of the virgin birth, thus to continue forever as both true God and true Man, one Person with two natures; that as Man He was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin; that as the perfect Lamb of God HE game Himself in death by the shedding of His blood on the cross, bearing there the sin of the world, and suffering its full penalty of divine wrath in our stead; that He arose from the grace in a glorified body; that as our great High Priest HE ascended into Heaven, there to appear before the face of God as our Advocate and Intercessor. John 1:1,14; 13-16; Matthew 1:18-25; Galatians 4:4-5; Philippians 2:6-10; I Corinthians 15:3-7; Hebrews 4:14-17; I John 1:1,2.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity. He has all the divine attributes (eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, etc.) and should not be treated as an influence, but as a person. He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment; that He regenerates, indwells, baptizes, seats, and anoints all who become children of God through Christ; that He further empowers, guides, teaches, sanctifies, and fills believers who daily surrender to Him. John 3:5, 14-16, 17,26,16:7-14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 15:3-7; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18.
The Condition of Man
We believe all men are by nature and choice sinful and lost; that man was the direct creation of God, made in His image and likeness, that by personal disobedience to the revealed will of God, man became a sinful creature, the father of a fallen race, which is universally sinful in both nature and practice, thus alienated from the life and family, under the righteous judgment and wrath of God, and has within himself no possible mans of salvation. Genesis 1:27, 3:6; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23, 5:12, 19; Galatians 3:11.
Salvation
We believe in salvation by grace through faith; that salvation is the free gift of God, neither merited nor secured in part of in whole by any virtue or work of man, but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have as a present possession the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, Sonship in the family of God, deliverance and security from all condemnation; ever spiritual resource needed for life and godliness, and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish; that his salvation affects the whole man; apart from Christ there is no possible salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; John 1:12, 3:14; 10:28-29; Romans 8:1; Philippians 1:6.
Christian Living
We believe in righteous living and godly works; not as a means of salvation in any sense, but as its proper evidence and fruit; and therefore as Christians we should obey the Word of our Lord, seek the things which are above, walk as He walked, accept as our solemn responsibility the duty and privileges of bearing the gospel to a lost world; remembering that a victorious and fruitful Christian life is possible only for those who in gratitude for the infinite and undeserved mercies of God have presented themselves wholly to Christ. Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:1-3; Philippians 2:16.
Satan
We believe in the existence of Satan who originally was created a holy and perfect being, but through sin and wicked ambition rebelled against God and His people; he is the leader of all other evil angels an wicked spirits, the deceiver and god of this present world; that his powers are vast, but strictly limited by the permission will of God who overrules all his wicked devises for good, that he was defeated at the cross, and therefore his final doom is certain; that we are able to resist and overcome him by submitted to God, putting on the armor of God, by the blood of the Lamb, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 14:12-15; Ephesians 6:12; I Peter 5:8; I John 3:8; Revelation 13:9-11, 10:10.
Adopted 2007, Operation Dignity Board of Directors