What We Believe

Accepting completely both Old and New Testaments in their original autographs (writings) to be verbally (every word) and plenarily (fully) inspired of God and, therefore, the only infallible authority of faith and practice.

Infinite, intelligent and absolute Sovereign of heaven and earth; existing co-equally as three distinct persons whose essence is one “ The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit “ each of whom is worthy of all possible confidence, honor and love as the only true and living God.

Who is the first person of the one triune Godhead, infinite (and eternal) and perfect being whose essence is Spirit, Light, Love and Fire; the One in Whom all things find their single origin, support and end.

Who is the second person of the one triune Godhead, the eternal Word and Only Begotten of the Father, our great God and only Savior, blessed forever; that without any essential change in His person, took to Himself the properties of humanity through the miracle of the virgin birth, suffered, bled and died as the perfect Lamb of God to atone for the sin of all humanity on Calvary's cross, but arose again from the grave bodily and ascended to the Father's right hand as our Intercessor, Advocate and victorious Redeemer.

Who is the third person of the one triune Godhead, co-equal, co-eternal with the Father and the Son; that He is the Divine Agent of creation, revelation and redemption and is active as the restrainer of evil in a darkened world, convicting men of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. As the instrument of the new birth, He liberates, baptizes, indwells, seals, equips, empowers, directs, teaches and sanctifies all those who are believers in Christ Jesus.

That, apart from any process of evolution, he was created, body, soul and spirit by the direct act of God in whose image he was made; that by personal and willful disobedience to the expressed will of God, man became a sinful creature and progenitor of a fallen race who are totally depraved, thoroughly evil in nature and practice, guilty before God and Absolutely incapable, apart from Divine enablement, to recover themselves from sin and damnation.

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.

That salvation is a free, unmerited, undeserved gift of God to fallen man; that this gift can only be received as a sinner turns in faith to the Person and redemptive provision of Jesus Christ, in whom all true believers have the forgiveness of sin, eternal delivery and security from condemnation, the present possession and abiding guarantee of everlasting life, the resource needed for life and godliness now and forever; that this salvation is immediate, life-changing, effecting the total man, body, soul and spirit and apart from Christ, there is no possible hope for salvation.

We believe that God immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image of God. Rejection of one's gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

We believe that God has ordained marriage and defined it as a covenant relationship between one man and one woman as their gender was determined at birth. Furthermore we believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman. We believe that God has commanded that no sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. Calvary Baptist Church will only recognize marriages between one man and one woman and its elders and staff will not participate in weddings that violate these beliefs. 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. Furthermore, the facilities and property of Calvary Baptist Church will only host weddings that represent our position on marriage.

We believe that any form of sexual activity outside of that prescribed by God in marriage, including those that are becoming more accepted in the culture, is sinful and offensive to God and contradictory to God's natural design and purpose for sexual activity.

Not that good works in any way procure salvation, but as its sure evidence and fruit of righteous living it is the obvious consequence of believing the Gospel; therefore, as Christians, we should walk in newness of life, be careful to maintain good works, seek those things which are above, abstain from the appearance of evil and present ourselves wholly surrendered to God whose blood was shed that He might cleanse us from all sin and purify unto Himself a people zealous of good works.

Who originally was created a pure and righteous being, but through selfishness and pride fell from his holy state and lofty position as the highest of heaven's angels to a depraved condition and lowly situation as the great adversary of God and His people; that as the deceiver and god of this present world, leader of all evil angels and spirits, resister of all that is good and accuser of the brethren, his power is supernaturally great, but his judgment of eternal hell is sure through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ in whose power alone the Christian may now resist and overcome the wicked one.

As an elect company of believers baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, which body finds its beginning at Pentecost and its completion at the coming of the Lord; that all the members of this spiritual body should assemble themselves together in local New Testament churches for worship, fellowship, prayer, instruction, witness and to observe the ordinances of baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper.

That His return will be personal, bodily and glorious; that when Christ comes, He will first by resurrection and translation, snatch away from this earth His church, after which, He will pour out righteous judgment upon the unbelieving world and then descend to earth in clouds of glory and in the company of His saints to reign 1,000 years over the kingdoms of this world.

That the redeemed from all the ages will, through resurrection of translation, be physically clothes with immortality to enjoy forever the eternal bliss of God's presence in the New Heaven and New Earth; that the unbelieving will be physically summoned to the Great White Throne Judgment of God and shall be cast from the presence of the Lord to suffer the everlasting conscious punishment of hell fire.

That in obedience to the teaching of God's Word, the believer should separate entirely from worldliness and ecclesiastical apostasy and, thus, to enhance unity among true believers.

FURTHERMORE, and be it resolved that we believe the following movements or religious trends to be contrary to the Bible and frustrating to the work of God:

The movement that advocates the organizational union of all professing Christendom and, ultimately, all religion.

 

The contemporary mood among many evangelicals that suggests a spirit of "tolerance toward liberal attitudes and ideals. The fruits of compromise may be seen in a weakening stand with regard to origins, eschatology, inspiration of Scripture and the application of the Gospel, etc. It is an attempt to make Biblical Christianity less offensive and, thus, more acceptable to the modern mind.  

 

The movement is to a certain degree the catalyst of contemporary ecumenism. The movement is characterized by an emphasis on the temporal spectacular gifts (tongues, healing, discerning spirits, prophecy, etc.); and experience is given a position equal to, if not greater than, the infallible rule of the Holy Scripture 

The trend is currently spiraling to tremendous proportions. It is belief that man, rather than God, is the ultimate authority for what is right or wrong. The emphasis of this philosophy is man's self fulfillment through his own reasoned ability (do your own thing) and is the controlling philosophy behind secular education.