What we believe

At a high level…

• We believe in God and trust the Bible He gave us. We look to the Word of God as our final authority, and we extend that authority to all of life. The Bible is the living the Word of God, and is completely reliable.
• We believe in the Dispensational approach of Bible interpretation, and reject the alegorical interpretation of the Scriptures.
• We believe that there is only one true God, eternally existing in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three are God, and all three are One as revealed in the Bible. There are no other gods.
• We believe in God the Father; perfect in holiness, infinite in wisdom, and measureless in power, who saves from sin and death all who come to Him through simple faith in Jesus Christ.
• We believe in God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who bore our sins on the Cross, laid down His life for you, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. His death paid for your sin in full.
• We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who is a divine person. He bears witness to the truth of the Gospel, and He is the agent in the new birth and the seal concerning God’s promises. He indwells, comforts, guides, teaches, and helps every believer.
• We believe in the Genesis account of creation; that man and the universe came into existence by God alone in the span of six literal 24 hour days. We reject all theories that are contrary to the Genesis account of creation.
• We believe that everyone is born a sinner, unable to save themselves on the basis of their own worth or by their own efforts. All people are lost (destined for eternity in Hell) without faith in Jesus Christ.
• We believe that our redemption has been accomplished solely by the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• We believe that Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ; it is a gift of God, not a reward or result of works. At the moment of salvation every believer is “born again”. They are given a new nature and permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
• We believe that everyone who is trusting in Jesus Christ receives eternal life, and is kept by God’s power and secure in Him forever. The Bible describes our future as being secure, and that we have an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade away, reserved in Heaven for us!
• We believe that once someone trusts Jesus Christ to be saved from sin they are called to live a new life by faith; the natural result of their new birth. All believers are called to “no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again for them.”
• We believe that when we are born again, we are adopted into God’s family and become part of the universal church, which God describes as the Body of Christ.
• We believe that the local church is a visible extension of the universal church, and that all believers should be part of a local, Bible believing church.
• We believe that when we are born again, all believers are given spiritual gifts – special spiritual abilities given by God through the Holy Spirit on behalf of Christ to each member of His church. These gifts are to be exercised by each believer for the mutual benefit of the body of Christ, and in the local church.
• The Bible teaches that the sign gifts of the early church (speaking in tongues, working of miracles, and healings) were used by God to confirm the message of the Apostles. Their use ceased as the Apostles died, and as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. We do not recognize the modern use of tongues and prophecy in the church.
• As a local church, we practice the two ordinances given to the early Church; Believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We view baptism as an act of Christian obedience for all who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, and the Lord’s Supper as a memorial of Jesus’ death, to be celebrated until He returns. We reject infant baptism and any position other than the symbolic view of communion.
• The Lord Jesus promised that He will return again for His church, and that the Church will be caught up to be with Him forever. This catching away, also known as the rapture, is the next event on God’s calendar according to the Bible. Since there is no prophesy that remains to be fulfilled before this happens, we believe that His coming back again can happen at any moment. We believe in the personal, dispensational, imminent, pre-tribulational and pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ, and reject other theories regarding the end times.

We hope this summary of our beliefs has been helpful. As you have read about what we believe and teach at Calvary you may have additional questions. Feel free to contact us via telephone or email any time, and we will be happy to help you find the truth by leading you in a study of God’s Word.