If you want to learn more about Calvary Baptist Church, the first thing to know is that we deeply love Jesus. We affirm what the Bible says about Him: that Jesus is God, who came into the world in human form. He is the only human being who ever lived a perfect, sinless life. And yet, he stood in our place to accept the penalty for sin. He lived the life we should have lived, and died the death we
deserved to die. Just as important, we also believe that Jesus rose from the dead. He not only suffered for our sins, but he triumphed over sin itself! The new life that he earned is available to us, and in that new life we live in relationship with God. Having a relationship with Jesus will literally change your life . . . If you have questions about how Jesus can change your life, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected]
Our message is clear and simple. We believe that the hope for Parkersburg and the nations is the Gospel. We believe that it is the “power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.” We want to saturate the city and the world with the good news by proclaiming it with clarity and love, and by practicing good deeds that glorify Jesus. We desire to be a blessing to the city and to the nations with our actions and our words. We believe this emphasis on the simplicity and power of the Gospel will also help us be unified. We can agree to disagree over matters that are not of first importance. But on the Gospel, we will be together. We refuse to argue over trivial matters because of the urgency of getting the Gospel to the nations. What we believe
Calvary Baptist stands in the line of Historic Christianity. The following nine statements summarize the theological identity of our church. The Nine Core Beliefs are:
1. THERE IS ONE TRIUNE GOD: There is only one true and living God who is the Creator of the universe. He exists eternally in three Persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. THE BIBLE IS GOD’S WORD: The Bible is God’s written revelation of Himself to mankind divinely given through human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is entirely true, totally sufficient, and completely authoritative for matters of life and faith.
3. PEOPLE ARE CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE: Human Beings are created by God to bear His image. They are the crowning work of His creation worthy of love, dignity, and respect regardless of matters like age, race, gender, or class.
4. PEOPLE ARE IN NEED OF REDEMPTION: Because of the Fall, the image of God in people is distorted but not lost. All people have disobeyed God willfully through sin; thus inheriting both physical and spiritual death and the need for redemption. All human beings are born with a sin nature and into an environment inclined toward sin. Only by the grace of God through Jesus Christ can they experience salvation.
5. JESUS IS BOTH LORD AND CHRIST: Jesus is both fully God and fully human. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the Cross as a substitute for mankind, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will one day return.
6. JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION: Salvation comes only through Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man. No other religion, belief, or person can reconcile God and man. He alone can provide forgiveness and eternal salvation.
7. SALVATION IS BY FAITH ALONE: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as a person repents of sin and receives Christ’s forgiveness and eternal life. This salvation is wholly of God by grace on the basis of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, not on the basis of human works. All the redeemed are secured in Christ forever.
8. THE CHURCH IS CHRIST’S BODY: We believe every Christian should be an active member of a local church, the body of Christ. It is through the local church that believers associate by common faith in Jesus Christ, share in the fellowship of the Gospel, observe the two ordinances of Christ (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), commit to biblical teachings, exercise spiritual gifts, seek to evangelize the world, and make faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
9. JESUS CHRIST WILL RETURN: God will bring the world to its appropriate end in His own time and in His own way. At that time, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. Christ will judge both the saved and unsaved. Those who have trusted Christ will receive a glorified body and dwell forever with the Lord. Those who have not trusted in Christ will spend eternity in hell, the place of everlasting punishment.
