We believe in the absolute authority of the Bible consisting of sixty‑six books compiled in the Old and New Testaments. We also believe that the very words (verbal) and the entire truth (plenary) of the original writings are the inspired (God breathed) Word of God.¹ The Bible therefore, is completely inerrant and infallible in all matters of which it speaks. The Bible is God’s final revelation given to man and is our rule of Faith and Practice, superior to all human reason and knowledge and is the only source of authority given to the Church.²

1. 2 Timothy 3:16‑17
2. 2 Peter 1:19‑21

We believe that there is one and only one living¹ and true God.²   We further believe that in the unity³ of the Godhead there are three persons:⁴ Father, Son and Holy Spirit.⁵ Each of these are Co‑equal, Co‑existent, and Co‑eternal in all divine attributes.⁶ God is Eternal (without beginning or end), Omnipotent (all‑powerful), Omniscient (all knowing), Omnipresent (everywhere, always present), and Holy in all His attributes, power and glory.⁷

1. Joshua 3:10  ; 6:4‑5
2. Deuteronomy 4:35
3. 1 John 5:6‑8
4. Matthew 3:16‑17
5. 2 Corinthians 13:14
6. Genesis 1:26
7. Matthew 28:18‑20

We believe that God the Father is from everlasting to everlasting, existing as Spirit,¹ and is totally sovereign (in control) in His relationship to His universe and creation. His substance and being are in Himself.² God the Son came to earth to do the will of God³ the Father to complete His plan of Salvation.⁴

1. John 4:24
2. Exodus 3:14
3. 1 Peter 1:2
4. Romans 1:7

We believe that Jesus Christ is the pre‑existent, Son of God who created all things.¹ He took upon Himself the likeness of Man (incarnation) to become the living Word² without ever giving up His deity.³ As God, in the flesh, He possessed full and total deity and was totally without sin. This was accomplished by a virgin birth⁴ conceived by the Holy Spirit⁵ of God. While on earth Jesus Christ was fully man, yet without sin. His purpose in coming to earth was to fulfill the will of the Father in providing redemption and forgiveness of sin for a lost mankind. It is only through His sacrificial death on the cross and His bodily resurrection to life that Eternal Life is offered to mankind.⁶ Presently Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession for the Saints.⁷ Jesus Christ will return in the air to rapture His bride, the Church, before the beginning of the Tribulation period.⁸ Following the seven year Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to earth to set up the reign of His Kingdom. Jesus Christ is the central theme and focal point of all Scripture.

1. Colossians 1:16; 2:8‑9; 3:9
2. John 1:1‑3,14; 10:10; 20:31
3. Philippians 2:5‑11
4. Luke 1:26‑35
5. Matthew 1:18‑25; 16:16
6. 1 Timothy 1:15; 2:5‑6
7.  Hebrews 7:25
8.  1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person equal with God the Father and God the Son and of the same nature. He was active in Creation and the formation of the Scriptures.¹ He is presently convicting the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.² He is indwelling each believer, teaching truth, sealing the believer unto redemption,³ energizing believers in prayer,⁴ worship and service and is the ever present source of comfort and help. We further believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit to empower each believer for service within the body.⁵

1. 2 Peter 1:20‑21
2. John 14:16‑17,26; 16:7‑11
3. Ephesians 1:13‑14
4. Romans 8:14-16,26
5. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 12:1-13

We believe in the reality and personality of Satan¹ and that he was created by God.² Through pride and rebellion the angel, Satan, became the enemy of God.³ Satan is the god of this age who has blinded the minds of those who believe not.⁴   He is the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience.⁵ Satan accuses the brethren before God day and night.⁶ Through deceit, the Devil transforms himself into an angel of light⁷ while continually seeking to frustrate the purposes of God and to ensnare and destroy the sons of men.⁸ The Devil was conquered by Christ on the cross⁹ and is condemned to be cast into the Lake of Fire, which was prepared for the Devil and his angels.¹⁰ This will take place after the Millennium and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.¹¹

1. 1 Peter 5:8
2. John 1:1‑3, Colossians 1:15-17

3. Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-19

4. 2 Corinthians 4:4 10. Matthew 25:41
5. Ephesians 2:2 11. Revelation 20:10
6. Revelation 12:9-10
7. 2 Corinthians 11:14
8. Ephesians 6:11‑12, 1 Peter 5:8
9. Colossians 2:12-15, Hebrews 2:14

We believe in the existence of angels and  that they are spirit beings created by God.¹ Since angels were created with a personality having intelligence and a will, they were individually able to choose to either follow God or rebel against Him.² Since the fall of Lucifer, the highest of these powerful beings,³ there have been two orders of angels, good and evil. The good serve God and man⁴ while the unbound evil aid Satan in his deception.⁵ The Lake of Fire was prepared for the Devil and his angels.⁶ The Son of man will return one day with His angels to gather together His elect.⁷ Angels will also gather the lost to the Great White Throne to be judged. When the names of the lost are not found written in the Book of Life, angels will cast them into the Lake of Fire.⁸

1. Psalm 104:1‑4; 148:1‑5, Colossians 1:15‑17
2. Jude 6
3.  Isaiah 14:12-15,  Ezekiel 28:12-19
4. Matthew 18:10, Hebrews 1:13‑14
5. Ephesians 6:11‑12, 2 Corinthians 11:13‑15, Revelation 12:9
6. Matthew 25:41
7. Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31,  Mark 8:38
8. Matthew 13:40-43,  Revelation 20:11-15

We believe the Biblical account of creation¹ to be a literal, historical, and true account of how in six days² God brought all things into existence by His sovereign power.³ We believe that God’s creative acts were immediate and without any evolutionary process. Man was created by a direct work of God and not from previously existing forms of life.⁴ All men are descended from Adam and Eve, first parents of the entire human race.⁵

1. Genesis 1:1‑2:25
2. Exodus 20:11
3. John 1:1‑3, Colossians 1:15‑17
4. Genesis 2:7
5. Genesis 3:20

We believe that God created man in His image and likeness on the sixth day of creation.¹ Man’s being consists of body, soul and spirit.² Man was created upright and holy of nature, but with the freedom to choose good or evil. Every person is individually and directly accountable to God for their actions. Indeed, one day all will stand before God to be judged.³

1. Genesis 1:26‑31; 2:7
2. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
3. Romans 14:10‑12, Hebrews 9:27

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female.¹ God created the distinct genders to complement each other and to exemplify the relationship Christ has with the church.²

1. Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7,Psalm 139:13-16, Matthew 19:4
2. Ephesians 5:22-33

We believe that God created marriage to be exclusively the union of one man and one woman,¹ and that sexual activity is to occur exclusively within that union.²

1. Genesis 2:18-25, Matthew 19:4-6,Ephesians 5:22-33
2. 1 Corinthians 6:9-18, Hebrews 13:4

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image.¹ Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, individuals that are physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death.² We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.³

1. Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7
2. Genesis 9:6, Exodus 20:13, Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5, Luke 1:13-17
3. Romans 13:9-10

We believe the essence of sin is in the elevation of the will of man over the will of God.¹ Sin is missing the mark of God’s holy standard, the transgression of God’s holy Law.² When people sin, they sin against God. Every sin is an affront to God which He alone can forgive. The Bible states that the wages of sin is death.³ Therefore, the unforgiven sinner stands condemned and separated from God for all eternity. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.⁴ After Man’s creation, God placed Adam and Eve in a garden in Eden. Adam and Eve fell from their holy state of creation by sinning against God in disobeying His personal command.⁵ The results of Adam’s sin have been transmitted to his posterity, so that each individual comes into the world as the inheritor of a nature that has been corrupted by sin.⁶ The Bible states that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.⁷ We believe that through sin man is a fallen creature, is in a state of total depravity, and has no spiritual ability to save himself from condemnation.⁸   The Scriptural teaching that all men must be born again shows the extremity and universality of man’s depravity.⁹

1. Isaiah 53:6 6.
2. Romans 3:23; 1 John 3:4
3. Romans 6:23; James 1:15
4. 1 Timothy 1:15
5. Genesis 2:7-3:24
6. Romans 5:12‑21, 1 Corinthians 15:22
7.  Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:10‑12,23, 1 John 1:8
8. Romans 8:7, Ephesians 2:1‑3, 1 Corinthians 2:14
9.  John 3:3‑7

We believe the Scriptures teach that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated¹ wholly of grace^,2 and accomplished through the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.³ We believe in salvation through the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ, shed for the remission of sins.⁴ The great gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification,⁵ that judicial act of God accompanied by the pardon of sin and the imputation of divine righteousness. We believe that by Christ shedding His blood in His death on the cross He fully satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God regarding sin.⁶

We believe that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation.⁷ Indeed, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.⁸ Neither is there salvation in any other.⁹ Repentance is a change of mind and purpose toward God prompted by the Holy Spirit and is an integral part of saving faith.¹⁰

In order to be saved the sinner must be born again,¹¹ being regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit, becoming a new creation, the recipient of a new nature,¹² thereby becoming a child of God.¹³

We believe in the eternal security of the believer, that it is impossible for one born into the family of God ever to be lost because he is forever kept by the power of God.¹⁴

1. John 6:44
2. Ephesians 2:8-10
3. Hebrews 9:11-15
4. Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22
5. Romans 5:1
6. Hebrews 9:26; 10:12
7. John 3:16-17,36
8. Romans 10:8-13
9. Acts 4:12
10. Luke 13:3, John 16:7-11, Acts 3:19
11. John 3:3-8
12. 2 Corinthians 5:17
13. John 1:12-13
14. John 10:27-30, Romans 8:28-39, 1 Peter 1:5, 1 John 5:13

We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual body, the church,¹ of which Jesus Christ is the Head.² The formation of the church began on the day of Pentecost³ and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture.⁴

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and that believers are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies.⁵ The officers of the local church are pastors (who are also called elders and bishops) and deacons. These officers must meet biblical qualifications.⁶ The local church is self-governing and free from any external authority or control.

The purpose of the church is to glorify God. This purpose is achieved through worship, exercising spiritual gifts, building itself up in the faith, instruction in the Word, fellowship, observing the ordinances, and communicating the gospel to the world. As all believers are individually equipped by God for service, it is their reasonable duty to present their bodies for such service.⁷ Since believers are not to be conformed to the world,⁸ it is the duty of the local church to discipline sinning members in the manner directed by Scriptures.⁹ The objective of discipline is the restoration of individuals to fellowship with God and the community of believers.

We believe that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: Believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Communion). In baptism by immersion the believer testifies to his faith in the crucified, buried and risen Saviour, and his union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life.¹⁰ It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible body of Christ, the local church.¹¹ We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His sacrificial death until He comes, and should be preceded by solemn self-examination. The elements of communion are only representative of the body and blood of Christ.¹²

1. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
2. Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18
3. Acts 2:1-21, 38-47
4. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52,  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
5. Hebrews 10:25
6. 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9
7. Romans 12:1
8. Romans 12:2
9. Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
10. Romans 6:1-13
11. Acts 2:41-42
12. 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

We believe that at death the souls of the redeemed pass immediately into the presence of Christ.¹ At the rapture our soul and body will be reunited and glorified forever with our Lord.² At death the souls of the unsaved are kept under punishment until they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment.³ We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.⁴

We believe in the personal, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ before the

seven-year tribulation to translate His church from the earth.⁵ We believe that immediately following the removal of the church from the earth, the righteous judgment of God will be poured out upon an unbelieving world during the seven-year tribulation period.⁶

We believe that at the end of the tribulation period, Christ will come to earth to occupy the throne of David and establish His Messianic kingdom for a thousand years on earth.⁷

After the thousand year reign of Christ, Satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire and all of the lost will appear before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. Upon receiving their judgment, the lost will be committed to an eternal conscious punishment in the Lake of Fire.⁸ The saved will enter the eternal state of glory with God, after which the elements of this earth will be dissolved and replaced with a new earth wherein only righteousness dwells. A city will come down out of heaven and will be the dwelling place of the saints where they will enjoy fellowship with the triune God and one another for ever and ever.⁹

1. Luke 23:43, Philippians 1:23, 2 Corinthians 5:8
2. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17,Philippians 3:20-21,1 Corinthians 15:35-44,50-54
3. Luke 16:19-26
4. John 5:28-29, Romans 8:10-11,19-23
5. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Titus 2:13, John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
6. Revelation 4-19
7. Revelation 20:1-7, Luke 1:31-33, Acts 2:29-30
8. Revelation 20:10-15
9. Revelation 21:1-22:5

This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Calvary Baptist Church’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Pastors and current Deacon Board shall be the church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application on any question not otherwise addressed by the Constitution.