Doctrinal Statement for Operation Save America
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry… that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-14
“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
I Corinthians. 13:2
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” – Augustine
INTRO:
This statement is an affirmation of what OSA believes to be essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Consequently, any recognized leaders, teachers, or authorized speakers on behalf of OSA must adhere to these theological essentials.
- We believe the Bible, comprised of the 66 canonized books of Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; II Peter 1:21)
- We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the Trinity. (Isa. 9:6; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:21,22; John 1:1-3, II Cor.13:14)
- We believe in God the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; that He is Holy, that He is Just, that He is Merciful, and that He is Love, immutable in His character and attributes, He is the all-knowing – declaring the end from the beginning – all-wise, all-powerful Ruler of all. (Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 147:4,5; Ephesians 4:4-6; Rom. 16:27; I John 4:8)
- We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, eternal Son of God, fully man, fully God; in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His bodily and visible return in power and glory. (Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-4 and 1:29; Acts 1:11 and 2:22-24; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-4 and 4:15)
- We believe in the person and the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who convicts sinners, regenerates believers, whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a godly life, and to be a bold witness for the gospel, and who imparts spiritual gifts to the Saints of God for the edifying of the body and for the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ. (Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9-14; Galatians 5:16-18; Titus 3:4-6)
- We believe that all men are sinners, separated from God and under His righteous judgment, that Jesus Christ is the way of salvation, and that for salvation Jesus shed his blood; that through repentance of sin and faith in Christ man can be reconciled to God and justified in His sight; Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ received by faith alone. Furthermore, we believe that God will reward the righteous with eternal life in heaven, and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell. (Luke 24:46-47; John 3:16-18; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Ephesians 1:7 and 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7)
- We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the Church. The Church manifests itself through local bodies of believers who gather regularly to encourage one another toward holiness and to establish the Lordship of Christ on the earth by making disciples through the proclamation of the Gospel. Christ has commanded that biblically qualified men should be raised up to teach, uphold sound doctrine, administer discipline and observe ordinances/sacraments. All Christians should be an active part of the local church and submit to the leaders God has placed above them. (Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 1:22-23.)
- We believe God instituted marriage and the family as the foundation and bedrock of human society. God created man in His image, male and female, equal in dignity and value but with different complementary roles and functions; men as leaders in the home, church, and state, providers and protectors, women as helpers, nurturers, child-bearers, and homemakers. The primary God-ordained function of sex is procreative, pleasure – while important – is secondary to that of bearing children. Thus, God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of monogamous marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that men abrogating their responsibilities and women usurping their roles is one of the most destructive forces in our society today. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Eph. 5:22-28)
- We believe God instituted three great governments amongst men – family, church, and civil – and has established officers of authority in each. The authority they possess is given to them of God, therefore instances wherein they act contrary to His law and Word, they abdicate their authority and Christians have a duty to obey God rather than man. (Matt. 28:18; Rom. 13:1-6; Eph. 5:22-33; I Tim. 5:17; Acts: 5:29)
- We believe that human life is sacred from fertilization to its natural end; and that we must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of our fellowmen. We believe our work to establish justice for the preborn must not compromise the fundamental value of image-bearers of God. We believe that abortion, the national sin of America, is murder and should be fully criminalized as such, and thus we only support legislative efforts that are consistent with these principles. (Psalm 139:13; Prov. 24:11,12; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 22:37-39; Romans 12:20-21; Galatians 6:10)
- We believe that God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Therefore, Christians should have a robust commitment to Christian charity on those matters upon which scripture is either less clear, or silent. (Matthew 15:9, Romans 14:4, James 4:12, Galatians 5:1,13)
- We believe that Christians, and especially leaders, ought to live a life that is in keeping with the fruit of the Spirit, evidencing genuine conversion and commitment to the Lord. In contrast, uncharitable speech, lying, slandering, back biting, gossip, outbursts of anger, and persistent hostility are evidences of spiritual immaturity, and should be repented of and mortified in the life of a believer. Christians should strive whenever possible to both act and speak with love, gentleness, and patience toward one another. (Matt.18:15-20; Galatians 5:16-24, James 3:9-12, Titus 3:2)