What we believe

ABOUT US:

STATEMENT OF FAITH

Disciple the Nations (DTN) recognizes that ours is a historic faith. We have a great affection for the labors of those who have gone before and have painstakingly written down the specifics of the Scripture’s teaching on doctrinal issues. We thank God for the creeds and confessions of the past whose doctrines clearly and accurately expound the word of God, such as the expressions found in the Apostles’ Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Nicene Creed, as well as the more modern, faithful, evangelical creeds, such as the 1853 New Hampshire Confession. These creeds are in no way above or equal to the Bible, but are valuable to us as instruments of edification and instruction.

DTN is committed to presenting a biblical theology, doctrine, and vision of missions and ministry that is in harmony with the Scriptures. The following statement of faith reflects the doctrinal beliefs and convictions of Disciple the Nations. Every individual member of our Board of Directors, administration, staff, missionary personnel, and volunteer team must affirm this statement. Churches that join the DTN Church Network will also affirm this statement.

SCRIPTURE

The Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the infallible, inerrant, and inspired Word of God and has been sovereignly preserved throughout the ages. The Scriptures give us a fuller revelation of the nature and character of God, His purpose for the redemption of mankind, and His mission for the church, and is the ultimate, sufficient, and final authority for all things that pertain to faith and practice.

THE TRIUNE GOD

There is one true and living God. He is spirit, light, and love. In the unity of the Godhead subsist three Persons equal in divine essence, perfection, power, and glory: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three Persons execute distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.

GOD THE FATHER

Our God is the uncreated, uncaused, self-sufficient Maker and supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. He is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in all His attributes. Our God is holy, gracious, just, and righteous. He is inexpressibly glorious and worthy of all honor and praise. He is sovereign over all and nothing can hinder Him from accomplishing His plan.

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God and second person of the Godhead, is truly God and truly man. In the incarnation, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life and became accursed in the place of sinners on the cross, where He paid the price for salvation for all who believe. He died, was buried, and on the third day, He arose bodily from the dead. He ascended into heaven where He intercedes for His church at the right hand of the Father. Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. He is the only Mediator between God and man. His kingdom will never end.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The fully divine, eternal Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, is the third person of the Godhead. He convicts men of sin and effects regeneration for God’s people. At regeneration, He baptizes the believer into the body of Christ and seals them unto the day of redemption. He indwells believers and sanctifies them for godly living and service. His ministry is to exalt and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

CREATION

God created from nothing the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He upholds the universe by the word of His power. All creation, including mankind, was made for His glory and He actively governs all creation according to His holy and wise providence.

MANKIND

God created man male and female. Man was created in the image of God and in a sinless state. The first man, Adam, voluntarily sinned and fell from his sinless condition and incurred physical and spiritual death. Consequently, all men are born into a state of sin and are sinners, not only by constraint, but by choice, and are therefore under God’s just wrath and condemnation and deserve eternal death as the punishment for their sin. Man, in his sinful nature, is spiritually dead, utterly depraved, and in need of a savior.

SALVATION

According to the inerrant revelation of God’s truth, which is found in the Scriptures alone, salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

Sola Scriptura:
Scripture Alone

Sola Gratia:
Grace Alone

Sola Fide:
Faith Alone

Solus Christus:
Christ Alone

Soli Deo Gloria:
To the Glory of
God Alone

Because of man’s sin, there is no hope for salvation on the basis of human merit or works. In order for man to be saved and reconciled to God, atonement must be made for sin. Jesus, by His perfect obedience to God in His sinless life and by His suffering, death on the cross, and resurrection, made full atonement for the sins of God’s people. His righteousness is imputed to all believers, securing full redemption (justification, adoption, sanctification, preservation, and glorification) for all who repent of their sins and trust in Him alone for salvation.

THE CHURCH

There is one universal, invisible Church, of which Christ is the Head. God’s people are called to unite with a visible, local body of baptized believers that submits to the authority of Scripture, preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ, administers the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and exercises biblical government and discipline. The local church is the ordinary means of edifying God’s people in Christ and spreading the gospel of God’s kingdom to the ends of the earth.

BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW & CULTURE

Jesus Christ is Lord and Scripture is the final and ultimate authority for truth. This conviction shapes our worldview and informs our positions on cultural issues such as the sanctity of human life, marriage, sexuality, social justice, ethnicity, and race. For example, we believe that life begins at the moment of conception and the unborn child is a living human being. For deeper insight into our beliefs on these other issues, see:

• The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
• The Nashville Statement: A Coalition for Biblical Sexuality
• The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
• The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel

LAST THINGS

Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly at the end of the age to judge the world in righteousness. There will be a bodily resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous; believers to eternal life in the presence of God, and the unsaved–those who do not know God nor obey the gospel of Jesus Christ–to judgment and everlasting, conscious torment. For this coming day, believers must remain watchful. Come, Lord Jesus!

To see our statement of faith with proof texts, click here.