Core Doctrinal Distinctives
1. The Bible
The Inspired Word of God
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. 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 English Bible used by the
Dayspring Baptist College.
Psalm 12:6, Psalm 89:34, Proverbs 30:5, John 10:35,
John 17:17, II Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 6:18, II Peter
1:20-21, II Peter 3:16
2. The Trinity
One God in Three Persons
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, 44:6, 61:1, Matthew
28:18-19, John 1:1, 14, John 14:9, I Timothy
3:16
3. Jesus Christ
God Incarnate and Redeemer
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God who took on flesh
and dwelt on earth. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and
born of the virgin Mary, he was without sin, and he
gave Himself as a substitutionary sacrifice by
shedding His blood and dying on the cross. He then
rose from the dead. This was to pay all sins (past,
present, and future) of mankind, but only effective
for those who believe.
Acts 13:38-39, Romans 4:24-25, 1 Corinthians
15:3-4, II Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews
9:11-28, 10:10-14, I Peter 2:24, I John 3:5
4. God's Sovereignty & Human Free Will
Divine Sovereignty and Man's Choice
God is 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, 17, II Peter 3:9,
I John 2:2
Salvation & God's Grace
5. Regeneration
Born Again by the Holy Spirit
Each member of the human race is fallen, sinful, and
lost. Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential
for salvation of man. The moment a person trusts in
Christ as Savior, they are born again and
immediately indwelled by the Holy Spirit whereby
they are 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. Salvation by Grace
Grace Alone Through Faith Alone
Man is saved by grace (unmerited favor) through
faith in Jesus Christ 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 based on the finished work of Christ
and nothing can be added to it.
Romans 4:4-5, Romans 11:6, Galatians 2:16,
Ephesians 2:8-9, Colossians 2:13-14, Titus
3:5-7
7. The Church
The Body of Christ
The Church 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
The Christian Life
8. Eternal Security
Once Saved, Always Saved
Every child of God possesses eternal life, being
justified by faith, sanctified by God, sealed with
the Holy Spirit, and is safe and secure for all
eternity. 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. The Two Natures
Spirit and Flesh in Conflict
A child of God has two births—one of the flesh, the
other of the Spirit—giving man 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 it 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
Eschatology & Final Things
10. Resurrection & Final Judgment
The Future of All Mankind
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. Eschatology
The Return of Christ
We believe in the personal, pre-tribulational,
premillennial return of Jesus Christ for his own in
an event known as the Rapture. This will be followed
by a seven-year Tribulation period. The conclusion
of this event is the second coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ which will introduce the millennial reign of
Christ.
Isaiah 26:17-21, 27:1, Daniel 9:27, Luke 21:36,
John 14:1-3, I Thessalonians 5:9-11, II
Thessalonians 2:1-8, Titus 2:13, Revelation 3:10,
4:4, 20:1-7
12. Satan
The Enemy's Eternal Judgment
Satan is a real person, the author of sin and he and
his angels shall be eternally punished.
Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:15, 17, Matthew 25:41,
Revelation 20:10
Doctrine & Practice
13. Divine Healing
God's Will in Healing
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 5:4-16
14. Spiritual Gifts
Tongues & the Holy Spirit
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. Freedom in Grace
Grace vs. The Law
A 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. Repentance
A Change of Mind
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. It does not mean to "turn from sin," a
current day definition, and does not in any sense
include a demand for a change of conduct before or
after salvation. To insist on this is to add an
element of works or human merit to faith. Penance is
payment for sin. Penitence is sorrow for sin.
Matthew 21:32, Acts 20:21, II Corinthians
7:8-10
17. Evangelism
Our Responsibility to Share the Gospel
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 Gospel Plan
God's Way of Salvation
The general plan of salvation in God's Word is as
follows: (a) Establish the fact that all men are
sinners (Isaiah 64:6, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10,
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 in the person of Jesus Christ
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 to
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal
Savior for salvation (John 1:12, 3:16, Acts 16:31);
(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,
10:28, Hebrews 10:10-14, I Peter 1:5).
19. Marriage
God's Design for Marriage
God has ordained marriage and all that pertains
therein to be between a man and a woman.
Genesis 2:24, Mark 10:6-8, Hebrews 13:4
20. Creation
Genesis and the Created Order
We believe: (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).
21. Baptist Distinctives
Our Heritage and Practice
We hold to the doctrines known as the Baptist
Distinctives: (a) The sole authority of Scripture;
(b) The autonomy of the local church; (c) A
regenerated church membership; (d) The priesthood of
all believers; (e) The separation of church and
state; (f) Two ordinances for the local church: 1)
Baptism by immersion of believers only, and 2) The
Lord's Supper as a memorial of Christ's sacrifice.
22. Theological Exclusions
What We Reject
We do not accept the tenets of either Calvinism or
Arminianism or any other man-made theology.
