Statement of Faith
SCRIPTURE (THE WORD OF GOD)
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the
inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete
as the revelation of God's will for salvation, and the supreme and
final authority in all matters to which they speak.
II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 19:7-11; Hebrews 1:1
THE TRINITY, GOD THREE IN ONE:
We believe in one true God, existing eternally in three Persons,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three Persons are equal in power
and majesty, yet performing distinct, but harmonious functions.
II Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew
3:13-17
GOD, THE FATHER:
We believe that God is sovereign of all the created universe, and
that He is holy, under no constraints or other authority. We
believe that He does what He pleases, when and how He pleases, and
that His purpose for creation is to display His glory and name.
Isaiah 14:24-27, 29:15-16, 43:6-7, 46:8-10, 55:8-9; Romans 9; I
Samuel 2:2; Daniel 4:35; Revelation 4:11
GOD THE SON, JESUS CHRIST:
We believe that Jesus Christ is God's eternal Son, and has
precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections as God the
Father and God the Holy Spirit. He is not only true God, but true
Man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. We
believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His
bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, His
priestly intercession on behalf of His people, and His personal,
visible, premillennial return from heaven.
John 1:14; Luke 1:26-35; Acts 1:11; Acts 2:22-36; Hebrews 1:1-4
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT:
We believe in the Holy Spirit, His personality, and His work in
regeneration, sanctification, and preservation. His ministry is to
glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and implement Christ's work of
redeeming the lost and empowering the believer for godly living and
service.
John 3:5-8; John 14:16-18; Ephesians 1:13-14; I Corinthians 6:11;
John 16:7-14
SPIRITUAL GIFT(S):
We believe that God chooses which gift to give each believer, and
that speaking in tongues and the other sign gifts gradually ceased
as the new Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority
became established. We do not judge either the salvation experience
or earnestness of those who believe otherwise.
Romans 12:1-8; I Corinthians 1:22, 12:4-11, 13:8, 14:20-22; II
Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; Hebrews 2:4
THE CHURCH:
We believe that the Church is the spiritual body of which Christ is
the head and is composed of all persons who through saving faith in
Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This body
expresses itself in local assemblies whose members have made a
credible confession of faith and have associated themselves for
worship, instruction, evangelism, and service. We also believe in
the interdependence of local churches and mutual submission of
Christians to each other in love.
Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18,24; I Corinthians 1:2; II
Corinthians 5:17; Romans 16:5; II Thessalonians 1:1; Acts 2:47;
Acts 11:26; I Corinthians 4:17; Matthew 28:19-20; Romans 6:3-5; I
Corinthians 16:1; II Corinthians 8:23-24; Ephesians 5:21
CHURCH ORDINANCES:
We believe that Jesus Christ instituted the ordinances of baptism
and the Lord's Supper (communion) to be kept only by born again
believers who understand their condition before God and stand
accountable before Him. A believer is to be baptized by immersion
as an outward sign of an inward work of grace by the Holy Spirit.
The Lord's Supper or communion is to be observed continually until
He comes.
Acts 8:34-39; Romans 4:10-11 (baptism is a sign like circumcision);
Matthew 28:19;
I Corinthians 11:23-29
SATAN:
We believe that Lucifer was a spiritual creation of God, who
rebelled, and became Satan, placing himself in mortal combat with
his Creator. He is hateful and cunning, intending to destroy God's
creation and usurp God's sovereign role. Although he is extremely
powerful, he does not have God-like attributes, therefore, does not
control or know human thought as God does. He achieves his purposes
and control by placing external temptation in front of man. Man,
however, makes the decision to succumb to the temptation or
refrain. Because believers are indwelt by God's Spirit, they cannot
be demon possessed (possessed by Satan's evil angels).
Isaiah 14:3-17; Ezekiel 28:11-19; Revelation 20:10; Matthew 4:1-11;
II Corinthians 11:13-15, 6:14-16; James 1:12-15
THE CONDITION OF MAN:
We believe that man is born totally depraved and corrupted, hating
God and unable to please, obey, communicate, or respond to Him. All
men have sinned and come short of God's glory and without salvation
are lost and going to Hell for eternity.
Romans 3:9-19, 3:23, 8:5-8; Isaiah 53:6; II Thessalonians 1:7-9
THE PURPOSE OF MAN:
We believe that the primary and most important purpose of man is to
worship God and to bring glory to Him forever.
Isaiah 43:6-7, 6:21; Ephesians 1:3-6, 6:11-12, 3:10, 3:20-21; I
Peter 2:9
SALVATION:
We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
This salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, and was
purchased by Christ's death on the cross, and was consummated by
his bodily resurrection for our justification. This salvation is
received through faith apart from any human merit, works, or
ritual. We believe salvation results in righteous living and good
works. We also believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates those who
trust Jesus Christ as Savior. We are saved forever and nothing can
separate us from God's love. We are eternally, spiritually shielded
and we can never, nor will God ever, bring about a separation
between the believer and Himself.
Hebrews 5:9, 10:10, 10:14-18; Romans 8:38-39; John 10:27-29; I
Peter 1:3-5;
II Corinthians 5:17; Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 5:22-26; Matthew 5:16
PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION:
As believers, we are in an ongoing process of being set apart from
the world of sin to the purpose of God in our lives. We actually
share and participate in God's holiness as the Holy Spirit is
active in our lives. The continuous result is a life increasingly
reflective of the character of God.
Philippians 2:12-15, 3:12-14; Ephesians 4:11-16; II Peter 1:2-11
CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOR:
In view of the fact that we are a set apart people, chosen of God
for His glory to holiness and purity of life, we believe that we
must be obedient to God, followers of Christ, setting a standard of
purity not only for our brothers in Christ, but also for the world
around us, for we are called to be reconcilers and ambassadors.
I Peter 2:9; Ephesians 1:3-14; II Peter 3:11, 3:14, 3:17-18;
Philippians 1:27;
I Corinthians 8; Ephesians 4:1; I Peter 1:13-16; II Corinthians
5:18-21
ETERNAL STATE OF MAN:
We believe that at death believers depart to be with Christ, there
to live with Him in conscious joy and worship forever. At death,
unbelievers are forever banished from the presence of God into Hell
in a conscious condition of terrible remorse and punishment.
II Corinthians 5:8; John 14:1-3; Luke 16:19-26; II Thessalonians
1:6-9;
Revelation 5:11-14, 20:11-15
LAST THINGS:
We believe the last days of God's plan for mankind will include the
following major events: The rapture of the church, a time of great
tribulation, the bodily return of Christ to establish Christ's
kingdom on earth for one thousand years, the ultimate and final
victory of God over all His foes including His arch enemy, Satan.
(See Eternal State Of Man section).
I Corinthians 15:50-54; I Thessalonians 4:13-17, 5:9-10; Acts
1:9-11; Daniel 9:24-27, 12:1-2; Matthew 24:16-46; Revelation
20:1-10; Daniel 2:44, 7:27; Revelation 21:1-27
This expression of the doctrinal position of Calvary Baptist Church
is by no means exhaustive. The beliefs and teachings of the Church
go far beyond this simple statement in that we hold the Bible in
it's totality to be the Word of God and it is our aim to proclaim
the "whole counsel of God." This brief statement is intended to
convey our fundamental position regarding a few of the basic Bible
truths.
THE BAPTIST DISTINCTIVES
A fellowship of true disciples. The church consists of a regenerate
membership. Each local church, while ministering to the
unconverted, is to be a fellowship of those who have placed their
trust in Jesus Christ. Each formal member of the local church
should profess Christ as Savior and participate in the life of the
local body.
A priesthood of believers. We are all priests as believers and are
equal in the sight of God. So we do not need special performers to
“do the service”, but each of us is responsible to participate in
the service as a believer-priest. Each member of the church is to
participate and share in the ministry and mission of the church
equally.
A congregation under the Word of God. Assembled believers should
look to the Scriptures as their authority in matters of faith and
practice. God’s Word is expressed in two ways: 1) in the
Incarnation of Jesus Christ where God spoke the loudest and the
clearest to humanity, 2) in the written words of the Bible. It is
in the Bible where we have the sole authority for matters of faith
and practice.
Participants in the Gospel ordinances. There are two biblically
commanded ordinances: Baptism and Communion. These are special,
symbolic events in the church which look back at His death and
resurrection, and look forward to His return. They enact the Word
of God in symbolic expressions of the Gospel. therefore, while the
participants in these events should be only believers, unbelievers
should be able and encouraged to observe.
A spiritual democracy at work. The autonomy and interdependence of
the local church is based on the priesthood of the believers. As a
community of believers they are united in Christ and are
interdependent with one another as the Body of Christ. Believers
are not united by an organization. As a believer-priest, each
member of the church is responsible for the church's government and
the selection of qualified spiritual leaders. The church and its
government has authority in three areas: 1) the spiritual maturity
and vitality of its membership, 2) the nature of the ministries the
church will participate in, and 3) the manner and extent the church
will participate with other churches and organizations.
A free church in a free state. The final Baptist distinctive is
that of religious liberty. This liberty is to express a faith
different from the majority and stresses the equality of all
persons. This liberty should not be confused with toleration which
makes a false distinction between seemingly superior and inferior
persons. A Baptist can live and worship under any government
system, however, they expect that the government should exercise
its authority in civil matters only, and that they will expect no
special rights from the government beyond religious liberty.
OUR VALUES
A COMMITMENT TO PRAYER. We believe that God desires His people to
pray and that He hears and answers prayer (Matthew 7:7-11; James
5:12-18). Because of this, the ministries of Calvary Baptist Church
desire to be characterized by a genuine reliance upon God that is
demonstrated by incorporating prayer in everything we do. We
believe the church "advances on its knees".
A COMMITMENT TO WORSHIP. We believe that the Worship of God begins
with a reverence for God expressed in submission to His will. We
also believe that a major factor in being a healthy church includes
corporate gatherings of the entire body for teaching, prayer, and
songs of praise. We want our worship services to be characterized
by a spirit of celebration and reflection maintaining a balance
between truth and spirit.
A COMMITMENT TO FRIENDSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS. We believe that
building friendships and relationships is a high priority.
Everybody needs to be loved and accepted. Through our Home
Fellowship Groups and other small group ministries, it is our goal
to express and receive that love. We believe that small groups are
the most effective means of building relationships, stimulating
spiritual growth and developing leaders.
A COMMITMENT TO SEE ALL OF GOD'S PEOPLE UNLEASHED TO CARRY OUT
THEIR PARTICULAR GOD-GIVEN MINISTRY. We believe that God has
uniquely gifted every believer and that every believer has a
special "calling" to minister. According to Scripture every
believer is a minister and has the potential of a very fruitful
ministry! We want to see God's people unleashed both in our
community and around the world to use their specific gifting to
advance God's Kingdom upon earth! We believe the church is to be an
army, not an audience.
A COMMITMENT TO GRACE ORIENTED MINISTRY. We believe that people
grow best in an environment of grace. Legalism kills. Grace gives
life. We believe that teaching and living a grace-oriented
lifestyle is the greatest witness to a watching world. We believe
that grace does not negate the importance of obedience to God's
Word. Grace frees us to obey Christ with the right heart and the
right attitude. We believe that the church (the body of Christ) is
supported through the grace-giving of its members!
A COMMITMENT TO GIVE AWAY OUR FAITH. We believe that reaching
spiritually lost people is one of the main reasons why God has left
His church here on earth. Scripture says that all believers are the
salt of the earth and the light of the world. Through friendship
evangelism, we see our community being reached for Christ. Our
desire is for all believers to get out of the salt shaker and into
the world in order to minister to hurting people with the life
changing message of Jesus Christ. We deeply believe that lost
people matter to God!
A COMMITMENT TO SIMPLIFIED MINISTRY. We feel that because of the
busyness of people's schedules in today's society, we want to free
people up to spend time with their families in order to develop a
strong and healthy home environment. We also want to free people up
so they have time to develop relationships with their unchurched
neighbors and friends so that they can share the message of Christ
with them.
A COMMITMENT TO RELEVANT BIBLE TEACHING. We believe that the Bible
is God's inspired Word, the authoritative and trustworthy rule of
faith and practice for Christians. We are committed to equipping
Christians, through the preaching and teaching of God's Word, to
follow Christ in every sphere of life. Our focus is on teaching
people God's Word in a way that applies to everyday situations of
life. Our desire is to help people see how Scripture is relevant to
their lives.
A COMMITMENT TO CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY. We believe that reaching
the lost of all cultures is the reason Jesus came to earth.
Missions is a major focus in the life of the church. We are
committed to giving generously toward missions. We further intend
to multiply our world-wide ministry by planting churches, by
preparing our people for leadership roles in vocational ministries
and para-church groups, by sending out missionaries and by becoming
a resource center and model to our community.
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