The Holy Spirit

The third person of the Trinity executes the will of God in this world through humanity by leading, guiding, filling, teaching and convicting. The Holy Spirit is not merely an impersonal force, but is a person, displaying the qualities of personhood (intellect, emotions and will). He equips believers upon conversion by giving them gifts to be used for the building up of the church, and by bearing fruit through their yielded lives (John 16:5-16; I Corinthians 12; Isaiah 61:1-3; John 3:1-8; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13; Galatians 5:16-25).

 Man

Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God's creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by the condition of disobedience toward God called "sin." Sin is what separates man from God (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 56:1-2).

eternity

Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God, through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence (John 3:16; I John 2:25; Revelation 20:15).

salvation

Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's propitiation for our sin can man be saved from God’s wrath. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith (Romans 1:16 & 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:17 & 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

The Scriptures

Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security (John 10:29; II Timothy 1:12; 1 John 5:10-15; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).

The Church

All who have placed their faith in God through His Son Jesus Christ are a part of the universal body of believers known as the church. The purpose of the local church is to glorify God by leading people to Christ and bringing them to maturity in Christ through prayer, biblical teaching, discipleship and fellowship. The members of the local church are to live their lives in humble submission to other Spirit-filled believers and to the God-appointed leaders of the church. Calvary Bible Church is an autonomous local assembly that is led by Jesus Christ, who gives direction as the head of this body through our leaders (Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:41-47; I Corinthians 12-14; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:19-22; I Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Non-essentials

We affirm that the doctrines of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the atoning work of Christ on the cross, the bodily resurrection and salvation by grace through faith in Christ make up the essential, distinctive nature of Christianity. In regard to these essential doctrines, there can be no conflicting opinions of those who call themselves true followers of Christ. However, we acknowledge that there are peripheral, or non-essential, doctrines that are important, but not critical to the follower of Christ as it relates to our salvation. Some of these doctrines include the relationship between election and free will in salvation, the exact timing and nature of the rapture, the extent and use of certain spiritual gifts and the specific functions of women in ministry. While our church will be diligent to establish positions as it relates to these non-essentials, we will not allow these peripheral doctrines to cause division within the church. We will accept into our body those who have differing views on the non-essential doctrines, but will not allow those of a differing opinion to fracture the church. While we celebrate diversity along all lines (i.e., race, ethnicity, gender and theology), we will ultimately pursue the unity of the church (John 17; Matthew 23:23).