What We Believe

We believe the Bible is God’s Word
We believe there is one, and only one, true and living God
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe all people matter to God
We believe in The Church
We believe in eternity


We Believe the Bible is God’s Word

The message we believe, teach, preach and seek to follow is derived from God’s word, the Bible. We believe its truth is timeless and right for any people, of any culture, of any era, and thus must not be changed.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. -Isaiah 40:8

While methods of the church can and should change over time, the message always remains the same.

  • We Believe the Bible is Divinely inspired.
  • We Believe the Bible is true.
  • We Believe the Bible is God’s written revelation of Himself to this and every generation


We Believe there is One and Only One True and Living God

  • He is the Maker and Ruler of Heaven and earth, He is eternal.
  • He is unchanging in His nature.
  • He exists in three forms or persons as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.Who is God?

Who is God?

“… I am the LORD, the merciful and gracious God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness.”
Exodus 34:6

We Believe In Jesus Christ

He left heaven and came to earth as one who was fully man and fully God.

For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body. -Colossians 2:9

We believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and lived a sinless life. He died on the cross as complete payment and sacrifice for our sins, rose on the third day and ascended back into heaven and is now the mediator between God and mankind. He will one day return to earth and will rule and reign forever and ever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

We Believe All People Matter To God

Although everyone has the capacity for doing good, we all have a rebellious streak within us called sin.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. -Romans 3:23

But, despite our rebellion, God still loves us and does not want to see anyone perish. -2 Peter 3:9

How much do we matter to God?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16

  • We believe that Jesus died to bring us into relationship with God
  • We believe that when any person, regardless of their past, if they will sincerely pray a prayer something like this:

Dear God, thank you for loving me, and for Jesus dying on the cross for me. I know I have turned away from you and I am sorry. Please forgive my sin and make me a new person on the inside. I commit to following you for the rest of my life. Amen.

At that moment, we become a child of God (John 1:12)

  • We believe that we are saved for good works, but not by doing good works (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

We believe in The Church

  • We believe that Jesus is the ultimate head of the church, not any one person, group or denomination.

We voluntarily chose to cooperate with other Southern Baptists because we feel the best way to further the Gospel is to work in cooperation with other believers here and around the world. But, the Southern Baptist denomination has no power or authority in how we or any other church operates.

  • We believe that because Jesus is the head of the church we are to continue His work and ministry in our world today.
  • We believe that the church is made up of baptized believers who desire to unite as one body to see that Christ’s message of help, hope and salvation is shared with the world.
  • We believe in two ordinances of the church.

Baptism

Baptism represents both a burial and a resurrection. The act of baptism has a three-fold meaning:

  1. That we believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again to save us from our sins
  2. That because we have put faith in Him, we have died to our old way of life and risen to walk as a Christ follower
  3. That through Christ’s resurrection power we expect to live forever in heaven

Who should be baptized?

The New Testament teaches that only those who have believed in Jesus should be baptized. (Acts 2:41, 8:12-13)

At Calvary Baptist Church, we wait until our children are old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of baptism before we baptize them.

Why be baptized by immersion?

  • Because Jesus was baptized that way (Mathew 3:16)
  • Because every baptism in the Bible was by immersion
  • Because the word Baptize means “immerse or dip into water”
  • Because it best symbolizes a burial and resurrection

Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper was established as a church ordinance based on the following scripture passages: Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19; I Corinthians 11:25; I Corinthians 10:16-17.

The Lord’s Supper was given to help us remember three important truths:

  1. Jesus died for our sins
  2. Just as our physical lives require food in order that they might live and grow, so our souls must feed upon the Bread of life if we are to grow in him.
  3. That Jesus is coming again

Who should observe the Lord’s Supper?

Only those who are already believers should partake of the Lord’s Supper

We Believe in Eternity

All persons were created by God to live somewhere in eternity. Hebrews 9:27

Everyone will either exist eternally separated from God in hell or be with God in heaven after they die. The good news is that God allows us to decide our own fate. God invites whosoever will to come, but He never forces himself upon us.

Summary Statement

Baptists in general and our church in particular have long held that the sole authority for faith and practice is the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Further, we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We acknowledge that every believer has the right to interpret the Bible for themselves with the understanding that differences in thought and interpretation will exist.

Keeping this in mind, we encourage the adherence to the following statement:

  • In Essential Beliefs- Unity
  • In Non-Essential Beliefs- Liberty
  • In All Our Beliefs- Charity