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Doctrinal Beliefs of DIBS

• Doctrinal Emphasis of DIBS
• Doctrinal Attitude of DIBS
• Doctrinal Statement of DIBS

			The Doctrinal Emphasis of DIBS
		Disciples' Institute of Biblical Studies holds to standard evangelical beliefs. In addition to that, DIBS emphasizes the following five doctrines in its teaching and training. While many evangelicals hold to these beliefs, many do not. We at DIBS want to be marked by our stand on these points. It is, in part, the clarity and consistency of these beliefs in its teaching which makes DIBS so unique and important. The purpose of listing these points is not to be argumentative, but to let people know where we stand on these significant issues about which evangelicals are by no means unanimous. 1. The gospel of grace. Salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. The faith that saves consists of trusting in Christ to save because of His death on the cross for our sins. To be saved a person does not have to do any works or promise to do any works. Assurance of salvation is based on God's promise in the gospel, not man's goodness. We need to be clear in our gospel message, but one of the greatest forms of an unclear gospel is silence. Believers need to be fervent in telling the gospel. 2. Grace-based Christian living. Spirituality comes from intimacy with God and is based on faith. It is faith that we are loved, accepted, and blessed because of God's grace, not because of our goodness. It is faith in what the Bible says about the person and work of God. It is faith that walks in the light of the glory of Christ. As we focus on the glory of Christ as revealed in Scripture, we are transformed into the same image of glory. Believers cannot work their way into fellowship with God. Works are the result of spirituality, not the cause. 3. Christian liberty for edification. We must obey God when He commands something of us. But where the Bible does not explicitly direct us, each believer has liberty to seek God's will for his life. Neither legalism nor license are to guide the believer, but what edifies. Christian living and growth are hindered by both legalism and license. We are to avoid doing those things which cause weaker brothers to fall into actual sin. However, doing things which merely upset the legalist is not a violation of Scripture. We are to seek peace with all people. And while we must be at peace with the legalists, whether the legalists are at peace with us is their responsibility. We cannot be held responsible for their becoming hostile toward us due to our exercise of grace. Christ's own example of infuriating the Pharisees by knowingly violating their legalisms shows the limits of what is acceptable. 4. Rewards. Our manner of life has a direct impact on the rewards we receive from God both now and in the future. If we live righteously by faith in Christ, we will receive rewards. Those rewards include the possibility of ruling and reigning with Christ in the Kingdom and the position of authority one would have in the Kingdom. Failure to live for Christ by faith can result in harsh discipline of the believer, however that punishment never includes the loss of salvation. 5. The necessity and sufficiency of the Bible. Since Christian living is by faith, and since faith comes from hearing the Word of God, successful Christian living requires meditating on all the Bible. Believers have the duty of studying and learning all the Bible, not just favorite texts. The Bible is not only necessary for Christian living, it is sufficient. While other areas of study may help us understand the Bible better and may help us see how to apply it better, the Bible contains everything we need for successful living and godliness.
			The Attitude of DIBS toward Doctrine
		In order to preserve doctrinal purity in the Church, the Bible instructs us to separate from those who deny certain cardinal doctrines. As for all other doctrines, the Bible instructs us to maintain doctrinal purity by teaching the truth in an atmosphere of openness and freedom.         What makes a doctrine a cardinal doctrine is that the Bible directs us to separate from (that is, cease ministering with) and to censure those who deny that doctrine. Those doctrines are as follows: The Scripture is authoritative in all matters. Jesus is the Messiah who came in the flesh as Messiah and is coming again in the flesh as Messiah (hence, Premillennialism). Salvation is by grace through faith alone. Christian living is by grace through faith (in contrast to performance-based spirituality, legalism, and license). The resurrection of believers is future and physical.         To separate over doctrines which the Bible does not tell us to separate over is factionalism, which the Bible severely condemns. To fail to separate over doctrines which the Bible does tell us to separate over is equally condemned by Scripture.
			Doctrinal Statement of DIBS
		The doctrinal position of DIBS is based on the cardinal doctrines listed above. The following points expand on those cardinal doctrines and illustrate the general theological orientation of DIBS. 1. The Bible. The Bible is the Word of God, accurate and true in its statements, understandable by mature believers who are guided by the Holy Spirit, and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice. God inspired the original manuscripts. A translation is valid to the degree that it correctly reflects to its audience the meaning of the Bible as God inspired it. But no translation can do that perfectly. The interpretation of Scripture is to follow the principles of grammatical-historical hermeneutics. We hold that the meaning of the Old Testament is not changed by the New Testament, but that the New Testament is to be interpreted in the light of the Old. 2. The Trinity. God is eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are all equally God, they share the same attributes, they are distinct in their persons, and they share a perfect unity. 3. Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and lived a perfect, sinless life. He died on the cross suffering the wrath of God as the perfect substitute for sinners, He was buried, and He rose again physically on the third day. He ascended to heaven where He makes intercession for us, and from which He will return to receive believers to Himself and to set up His kingdom on earth in literal fulfillment of His promises to Israel and the Church. 4. Salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith, a free gift to all who believe. At the moment of salvation the believer is born again and is eternally secure. Due to the new birth, good works are the natural outgrowth of the new inner man, although sinful works continue to be the natural conduct of the flesh. Salvation does not depend on any promise or intention to live a good life or to desist from sins. However, such a changed life is the expected and normal experience of those who are truly saved. 5. Christian living. Christian living is also by grace through faith. The believer is expected to walk by faith in the light of the glory of God. Such faith produces a transformation of life that cannot be achieved in any other way. It also produces a joy and a peace that exceeds anything that the world has to give. One cannot work his way into fellowship with God. Good works are the effect, not the cause of spirituality. On the other hand, one can live a good life, pray, read his Bible, witness, and fellowship with other believers and still not be in fellowship with God. 6. Christian living involves liberty. There are things God commands and things He prohibits. Obedience to Him is not an option. However, there are things concerning which He has not commanded us. In those matters we are to seek to do the things which edify. In those matters of Christian liberty we are to avoid both the extreme of legalism (saying that adherence to man-made rules is necessary for spirituality, or imposing man-made rules that restrict the liberty of the believer) and the extreme of libertinism (claiming that one has license to do whatever he wants, without regard to what edifies or what God has commanded). We are to avoid doing those things which cause weaker brothers to depart from the faith or unwittingly fall into sin. The decision of what one is to do in these matters of liberty is a personal decision. It is every believer's right and responsibility to keep himself free from the yoke of bondage of legalism. 7. The future. The future, physical resurrection of believers into glory with Christ is a certainty. However, there are degrees of rewards for believers which are dependent on how they walk in faith. Some of those rewards are experienced in the present, but there are other rewards which will be received in the Millennial Kingdom. How believers live now makes a difference in how they will be rewarded later.

     Although DIBS does not have a formal position on some other issues, people often ask where DIBS stands on certain points of doctrine. To help prospective applicants know where we are coming from on some of those issues, see the following articles. It should be remembered that these articles present summary conclusions, not detailed proofs.