At Calvary...
...we strive to have the most biblical stance on all matters of doctrine. This is easy to say and has been said by many churches throughout history but what keeps us on track is our expositional method of teaching through the "whole counsel of God" (the 66 canonical books of the Holy Bible) -- line upon line and verse by verse. If there is a word that describes our stance on doctrinal tenets it would be: B-A-L-A-N-C-E. We, therefore, hold to (for the most part) the "Calvary Chapel Distinctives" on matters of doctrine, biblical interpretation, and philosophy of ministry.
We do not believe in "doctrinal perfectionism," though this is our aim, and we do not believe that we are perfect in all areas of doctrine. We know that differences in many churches & denominations exist because, in God's sovereignty, He is allowing it to accomplish His purposes; perhaps in reaching different types of people via different denominations, etc. We know that all differences will be reconciled in the day that we are face-to-face with Christ! While we are in this world we hope that we would not have disunity in regards to the non-essential issues of doctrine (as represented on this page) while our Statement of Faith page contains our beliefs on the essential matters of the historic Christian faith. We pray for unity in all matters but not at the cost of truth.
We do not believe in "doctrinal perfectionism," though this is our aim, and we do not believe that we are perfect in all areas of doctrine. We know that differences in many churches & denominations exist because, in God's sovereignty, He is allowing it to accomplish His purposes; perhaps in reaching different types of people via different denominations, etc. We know that all differences will be reconciled in the day that we are face-to-face with Christ! While we are in this world we hope that we would not have disunity in regards to the non-essential issues of doctrine (as represented on this page) while our Statement of Faith page contains our beliefs on the essential matters of the historic Christian faith. We pray for unity in all matters but not at the cost of truth.
What We Believe about the following:
Baptism
We believe in the believer's baptism by full immersion in water. We baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by the authority or name of Jesus. (Matt 28:19) We believe that when someone is saved they are then commanded to be baptized as is recorded in the book of Acts.
Romans 6:3-4 describes baptism as representing a burial with Christ, in His death, and new life, by His resurrection. Being immersed in the water symbolizes His death for us, and we partaking in it, and bursting forth out of the water is symbolic to the historical event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that baptism identifies the believer with Christ as a witness to the world, and the Church. In other words it is an outward sign of an inward commitment, and often validates the authenticity of the believer.
The overwhelming majority of verses dealing with what constitutes "salvation" in the New Testament (around 150) exclude any mention of baptism. About 4 verse couple baptism with salvation, therefore we do not believe in baptismal regeneration (salvation by baptism). Paul explained in Ephesians 2:8-10 that we are not saved by works, baptism however is a work (a witness) that God has prepared for us as believers.
Oftentimes, even today, it is unclear if someone is truly committed to Christ until they are baptized, and in that respect it is very closely linked with the issue of salvation. That was the case in Jesus' day, a Jew being baptized was almost considered treason. I would question anyone who claimed salvation, yet refused to be baptized.
Therefore we believe that a Christian is saved by faith alone through belief and confession (Romans 10:8-10). Paul would go as far as to say, "I thank God that I baptized none of you"...and "God did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." (1 Corinthians 1:14 & 17) If baptism was what saves us it would be considered part of the gospel.
It really depends where the individual being baptized is placing their trust/faith. The danger is that someone might think they are saved because they were baptized, placing their trust in their baptism, rather than in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and resurrection. Our faith is not to be placed in the event of baptism, but in what it represents and is connected to, which is the good news of the Gospel.
Having said all of that, we do believe that baptism is essential for the believer because it is commanded by Christ, and it is practiced by all those who believe in the book of Acts. Some of whom were obviously saved before being Baptized as in Acts 10, and the thief on the cross.
Romans 6:3-4 describes baptism as representing a burial with Christ, in His death, and new life, by His resurrection. Being immersed in the water symbolizes His death for us, and we partaking in it, and bursting forth out of the water is symbolic to the historical event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that baptism identifies the believer with Christ as a witness to the world, and the Church. In other words it is an outward sign of an inward commitment, and often validates the authenticity of the believer.
The overwhelming majority of verses dealing with what constitutes "salvation" in the New Testament (around 150) exclude any mention of baptism. About 4 verse couple baptism with salvation, therefore we do not believe in baptismal regeneration (salvation by baptism). Paul explained in Ephesians 2:8-10 that we are not saved by works, baptism however is a work (a witness) that God has prepared for us as believers.
Oftentimes, even today, it is unclear if someone is truly committed to Christ until they are baptized, and in that respect it is very closely linked with the issue of salvation. That was the case in Jesus' day, a Jew being baptized was almost considered treason. I would question anyone who claimed salvation, yet refused to be baptized.
Therefore we believe that a Christian is saved by faith alone through belief and confession (Romans 10:8-10). Paul would go as far as to say, "I thank God that I baptized none of you"...and "God did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel." (1 Corinthians 1:14 & 17) If baptism was what saves us it would be considered part of the gospel.
It really depends where the individual being baptized is placing their trust/faith. The danger is that someone might think they are saved because they were baptized, placing their trust in their baptism, rather than in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and resurrection. Our faith is not to be placed in the event of baptism, but in what it represents and is connected to, which is the good news of the Gospel.
Having said all of that, we do believe that baptism is essential for the believer because it is commanded by Christ, and it is practiced by all those who believe in the book of Acts. Some of whom were obviously saved before being Baptized as in Acts 10, and the thief on the cross.
Government
We believe that the Civil Government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of human society, and that Magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only Lord of the conscience, and King of the Kings of the earth. (Romans 13:1-7, Acts 4:18-22, Acts 5:27-32)
Marriage
We believe in the creation and God as the Creator. We believe that God created mankind and that He created them male and female. As such, He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. We believe that God instituted marriage as a monogamous relationship between one male and one female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society and as such, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one man and one woman for one lifetime. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11, 6:18-20, and 7:1-3 and 8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; and 1 Timothy 1:9-11)
Abortion
Given the scientific fact that a human life begins at conception, the only moral norm needed to understand our (and the historic Christian Church's) opposition to abortion is the principle that each and every human life has inherent dignity, and thus must be treated with the respect due to a human person (Genesis 1:27). This is the foundation for the Church's social doctrine, including its teachings on war, the use of capital punishment, euthanasia, health care, poverty and immigration. Conversely, to claim that some live human beings do not deserve respect or should not be treated as "persons" (based on changeable factors such as age, condition, location, or lack of mental or physical abilities) is to deny the very idea of inherent human rights. Such a claim undermines respect for the lives of many vulnerable people before and after birth. (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139:13-14)
LGBTQ+
Firstly, we recognize that all people are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13-14) and are therefore worthy of our dignity, respect and opportunity to be forgiven and walk in unity with God who loves all people. Secondly, we recognize that all people are sinners (Romans 3:23, 5:12) and in need of God's saving grace (1 Corinthians 5:21). We believe that the Bible teaches that all expressions of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and "+") are not in accordance with God's original design and intention for sex, sexuality, gender and incompatible with the creation mandate (Genesis 19:1–13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:10). As we live in a fallen and broken world these are not the only distortions to sex since we believe that any sexual activity outside of a monogamous heterosexual marriage relationship is sinful and should not be practiced. While all of us have natural desires that go outside the bounds of a heterosexual monogamous marriage, these should not be acted upon, whether they are heterosexual in nature (sex outside of marriage, adultery, etc.) or homosexual in nature (sex between a male-and-male or female-and-female or multiple partners.) We believe that no matter what the situation, attraction, proclivity or inclination, God, who loves you, can fully forgive, redeem, restore, and transform you by the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:11) as He does in the lives of all born-again believers.
Israel
We believe that God is not done with the people of Israel, the people He made a covenant with in the Old Testament starting with Abraham. We believe that "Israel" does not mean "Jews" per se, though the modern nation of Israel is a Jewish State even though people of all faiths live in modern day Israel. We acknowledge God's hand in restoring the nation of Israel in 1948 as a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy in which God said numerous times that He would regather His people to a particular land, namely the historic land of Judea that is central to the Old Testament and historic Jewish faith (Isaiah 11:11, Jeremiah 23:3). The Bible teaches in Romans 9:1-11:36 that God has a future plan for Israel and that Israel will be saved. Whether this means every single person, the majority, or every person alive at the time, the Bible teaches that though the Jews are currently, "enemies of the Gospel," (Romans 11:28) that, "God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable," (Romans 11:29) and that God is able to, "graft them in again." (Romans 11:23).
We love, support, and pray for the people of Israel. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem as instructed in Scripture (Psalm 122:6) and we believe that Jerusalem (in Israel) is God's timepiece for future prophetic events.
We love, support, and pray for the people of Israel. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem as instructed in Scripture (Psalm 122:6) and we believe that Jerusalem (in Israel) is God's timepiece for future prophetic events.
