God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and are one God.

Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; Genesis 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is coequal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; Romans 1: 3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15

The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.

2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2

The Bible is God’s Word to us. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the verbally inspired words of God. Written down through human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, without any error in the original writings, it is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living.

2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12-13; Psalm 119:105, 160, Psalm 12:6

Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1

Envisioned by God, established by Jesus Christ, and energized by the Holy Spirit, the church is universally united under faith in Christ (comprised of every man and woman, past, present, and future, who has put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior) and local in carrying out the ministry of Christ. The purpose of the church is to carry out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Jesus Christ has ordained the church to corporately celebrate baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Deuteronomy 7:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Matthew 28:19-20;

Ephesians 1:22-23

Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.

John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5

At Calvary, we consider it important to express clearly and publicly what we believe God has revealed to us in the Scriptures. We believe there are core truths that are central to the Christian faith. While we acknowledge differences of opinion exist on numerous questions of doctrine and biblical interpretation, we consider these core truths to include a high view of Scripture, and salvation through faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone. With a high view of Scripture and a firm grasp of the key elements of our salvation and Christ's person and work, we are ready to continue to grow in our understanding. Understanding our salvation as outside of us leads us to be transparent and open to exploring the meaning of Scripture, without having to be defensive over different views. We welcome a robust and healthy discussion of the Bible from the viewpoint of discovering the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. God's Word alone is inerrant and infallible, not our interpretations of it. Thus we will always be open to correction from Scripture and will refine our statement of faith as the Spirit teaches and guides us. So while we recognize that differences of opinion and interpretation do exist among the people of this local church and that robust, yet humble, discussion and debate on these matters is spiritually healthy, nothing contrary to our core beliefs will be publicly promoted. It should also be understood that acceptance of our full statement of faith is not a requirement for people who attend Calvary, as if to suggest that disagreement with any particular assertion disqualifies a person from being actively engaged in the ministries of this local body of believers. We welcome and embrace all who believe in and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, whether or not they can affirm every item in our statement of faith. The purpose of this summary and our full statement of faith is to make known where Calvary stands on issues of supreme importance to Christian faith and life.