Calvary Baptist Church
STATEMENT OF FAITH
(A) The Holy Scriptures. We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testament Scriptures,as it is in truth, the Word of God, the Holy Bible is the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, God-breathed and are, therefore, the final authority for faith and practice—life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to Man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical, historical and contextual meaning. We believe that God has preserved His Word in the original languages in the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament and the Majority/Received Text for the New Testament. We reject the modern practices of Textual Criticism and also reject dynamic equivalency as a method of translation. We believe that God has preserved His Word for English speaking people in the King James Version. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only English translation used by the church thus solidifying doctrinal unity of faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Psalm 12;6-7; 119:89, 105, 130, 160; Isa 40:8; Matt 4:4, 5:18; John 17:17; Rom. 15:4; Eph. 6:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; Rev 22:18-19
NOTE: Christians must make their own decision about which translation\paraphrase to use and should take time for serious study of the matter. It is important given that the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice.
(B) Dispensationalism. We believe that the Scriptures interpreted in their natural, literal sense reveal divinely determined dispensations or rules of life that define man’s responsibilities in successive ages. These dispensations are not ways of salvation, but rather are divinely ordered stewardships by which God directs man according to His purpose. (Gen. 1:28; Rom 15:4; 1 Cor. 9:17; 2 Cor. 3:9-18; Gal. 3:13-25; Eph. 1:10; 2:8-9, 3:2-10; Col. 1:24-27; 2 Tim 2:15, 3:16; Rev. 20:2-6)
(C) The Godhead. We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Gen. 1:2, 26; Deut. 6:4; Is. 6:3; Matt. 28:19; John 10:30; 14:10, 16-17, 26; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 5:9)
(D) The Person and Work of Christ.
(1) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal and only begotten Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God in His righteousness and redeem man from his sinfulness. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 3:16; 8:58; 14:9; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8)
(2) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25, 4:25, 5:8-9; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
(3) We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father where, as our High Priest, He solely fulfills the ministry of Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25, 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2)
(E) The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.
(1) We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, not a mystical force, who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 1:13-14)
(2) We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)
(3) We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the church to do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-7, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)
(F) The Total Depravity of Man. We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God; but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12-15; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
(G) Salvation. We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace alone and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that all sins are forgiven at the moment a person repents and accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. (Luke 13:3; John 1:12; Acts 20:21; Rom. 10:9, 13; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:18-19)
(H) Eternal Security, the Free Will of Man, and Assurance of Believers.
(1) We believe that once a person is saved, he is kept by God’s power and remains secure in Christ forever. We reject the theological system known as Arminianism. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)
(2) We believe in the free will of man to accept or reject Christ’s offer of salvation and that Christ’s offer of salvation is a bona fide offer to every man. No one is automatically predestined to be saved or damned. Those who are saved are predestinated to eventually and finally be completely conformed to the image of Christ. The election or choosing of God in salvation is understood in and cannot be separated from the context of His foreknowledge. We reject the false teaching of limited atonement and the doctrinal system commonly known as Calvinism. (2 Pet. 3:9; Luke 14:21-23; John 3:16-18; Rom. 8:29; 1 Pet. 1:1-2)
(3) We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
(I) The Church.
(1) We believe that the local church (the ecclesia-called out assembly), which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again, baptized, believers. (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27; Heb 10:25)
(2) We believe that the true mission of the church is found in the Great Commission: First, to make individuals disciples; Second, to build up the church; Third, to teach and instruct as He has commanded. The Commission to give the gospel to the world is clearly and unmistakably given to the church. (Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20-21)
(3) We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament. (Matt 16:18, 28-18-20; Acts 1:8, 13:1-4; 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
(4) We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or controls. The church is free to self-govern as it follows the Lord Jesus Christ as its head, the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and is led by its pastor. It is not to be interfered with or bound by any hierarchy of individuals, organizations, associations or agencies. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; Eph 5:23; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)
(5) We recognize water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matt. 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-38; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)
(A) Baptism is an act of obedience which is symbolic of the new birth of salvation. It is not the means of conveying saving grace. Any “baptism” that takes place prior to salvation is invalid. We reject the unscriptural practice of infant baptism and false doctrine of baptismal regeneration.
(B) The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is the remembrance of the precious sacrifice of Christ, freely given for us. It is an ordinance not a sacrament.
(J) Separation. We believe that believers should maintain a godly testimony and live in such a way that that their lives do not bring reproach upon their Savior. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldliness and sinful pleasures, practices, associations, and immodesty. The church, as the bride of Christ, is separated unto Him and should seek to be conformed to His holy image. We stand against any and reject all worldly philosophies that seek to destroy or undermine the truth of Biblical Christianity. (Rom. 8:29; 12:1-2; 14:13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11)
(K) The Second Comingof Christ. We believe in that blessed hope, the personal, and imminent return of Christ, Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1 Thess. 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:9; 2 Thess. 2:2-4; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)
(L) The Eternal State.
(1) We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment in a literal Hell. (Matt. 25:46; Luke 16:22-26; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
(2) We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord in Heaven, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. The New Jerusalem shall be the final and everlasting abode of the redeemed. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6; 21:2-4)
(3) We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)
(M) The Personality of Satan. We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the tempter and instigator of the Fall of Man; that he is the accuser of the brethren and is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Gen. 3:1-6; 14-15; Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 12:10; 20:10)
(N) Creation. We believe that the Genesis account of creation is neither allegory nor myth, but a literal, historical account of God’s creation of the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)
(O) Civil Government. We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. We believe that we must obey the state unless it requires us to act contrary to our faith at which time we must obey God rather than the state. (Matt. 22:15-22; Acts 5:29; Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:23; Titus 3:1-2; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)
(P) Human Sexuality.
(1) We believe that the term “marriage” has only one, legitimate meaning, and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, covenantal union, as delineated by Scripture. Marriage ceremonies performed in any facility or space owned, leased, or rented by this church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one man with one woman as their genders were determined at birth. Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the church’s statement of faith, doctrines, and biblical positions will govern. (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:22-23; Mark 10:6-9; 1 Cor. 7:1-9)
(2) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage as defined in (1) above. We believe that any other type of sexual activity, identity or expression that lies outside of this definition of marriage, including those that are becoming more accepted in the culture and the courts, are contradictory to God’s natural design and purpose for sexual activity. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9-10; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)
(3) We believe that God creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, unchangeable genders together reflect the image and nature of God, and the rejection of one's biological gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person. (Genesis 1:26-27)
(Q) Family Relationships.
(1) We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12)
(2) We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:1-7)
(R) Divorce and Remarriage. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)
(S) Abortion. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 1:21; 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:44)
(T) Euthanasia. We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift of God and must be respected from conception until natural death. (Ex. 20:13, 23:7; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28)
(1) Thus, we believe that an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God.
(2) Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment.
(U) Love. We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48, 22:37-39; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)
(V) Lawsuits Between Believers. We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)
(W) Missions. We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available, scriptural means to go to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. We believe that world evangelism is the primary mission of the local church. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)
(X) Giving. We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to financially support his local church. We believe that God has commanded and has established the tithe as a basis for giving, and that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel around the world. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of his tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8:1-5, 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)