DOCTRINE |

Calvary Community Church – Elkton, SD

Expanded Doctrinal Statement

The Scriptures:

We believe the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, to be the verbally inspired, inerrant, and the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. We believe the Bible is of supreme and final authority in faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. (Matthew 24:35, II Peter 1:20-21, II Tim. 3:16-17).

The Godhead:

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Genesis 1:1, John 10:30, Matthew 28:19, Acts 5:3-4)

The Father:

We believe that God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the Heavenly Father of all who have come to a saving knowledge of His only begotten Son (John 1:14; 20:17; Romans 4:11; I Peter 1:3-5).

The Person and Work of Christ:

We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Matt. 1:18-25, Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; II Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8, Col. 2:9).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. All who place their faith in Him alone are justified on the ground of His shed blood (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; I Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; I Peter 1:3-5).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; I John 2:1-2).

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit:

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a personality and deity, and that it is He Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; I Cor. 12:12-14; II Cor. 3-6; Eph 1:13-14).

We believe that He is the Divine Teacher Who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. By His endowment and enduement God’s people are enabled to serve the Lord acceptably. We believe that He is the Divine Witness, Seal, Earnest, Anointing, Guide, Teacher, and. Administrator (John 14:26; 16:7-13; Acts `1:5, 8; 2:4 Romans 8:14-27; 15:16; I Cor. 12:1-14, 14:40; Eph. 1:13-14, 17-18; 5:18; I John 2:20, 27).

Creation:

We believe that God created the entire universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11).

Satan:

We believe Satan was originally created by God as a holy being, enjoying heavenly honors as the chief angel, Lucifer. However, through pride and selfish ambition to be as the Almighty, he chose to rebel and was cast out of Heaven by God and drew a host of angels with him. We believe that Satan is the agent of the fall of man, the prince and power of the air, “that old serpent, the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world,” he is the father of lies, the author of the powers of darkness, and the lord of the antichrist, he is the arch-enemy of God and man, and that in God’s own appointed time he will suffer ultimate defeat at the hands of the Lord Jesus and will be tormented throughout eternity in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:12-17; Matt. 4:1-11, 25:41; John 8:44; I Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:9-10; 20:1-2, 7-10).

Humanity:

We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also the spiritual death which is separation from God, and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are now sinners by birth and by choice, positively inclined to evil, and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin without defense or excuse. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition without Jesus Christ. (Gen. 1:26-27; 2:17; Psalm 58:3; Rom. 1:20; 3:22-23; 5:12-21; 6:23; I Cor. 2:14; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19).

Sin:

We believe in the universality and exceeding sinfulness of sin and that there is no remission of sins apart from the shedding of the blood of the Son of God and man’s repentance (Ezekiel 18:4; Luke 24:46-47; Rom. 3:10-26; 6:23; 7:13-14; Hebrews 9:22).

Salvation:

We believe that salvation is a gift of God the Father through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.

We believe in the single substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ for sinners, One for all, and once for all; that salvation is completely of divine grace apart from any works of merit of the sinner; that one is born again in the atonement of Jesus Christ, wrought by God. Salvation is received by a sinner when he repents towards God and puts his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as his own personal Saviour; that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by a God-given, personal faith as Saviour, thereby have eternal life through Christ; and that unbelievers will suffer eternally for their sins.

We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, are forgivable (John 1:12; Romans 10:13; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; I Pet. 1:19-19; 3:9; Matt. 12:31-32; I John 1:9; 2:1-2).

Eternal Security:

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; I Cor. 1:4-8; I Pet. 1:4-5).

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

The Two Natures of the Believer:

We believe that every saved person possesses two natures, with provisions made for victory of the spiritual nature over the carnal, fleshly, soulish nature through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and that all claims to the eradication of the old nature in this life are unscriptural (Romans 6:13; 8:12-13; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:10; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 3:5-9).

Sanctification:

We believe in the positional sanctification of each believer in Christ at the time of salvation, and a practical sanctification which is progressive, depending upon the believer’s appropriation of divine means (John 17:17; I Cor. 1:2, 30).

The Church:

Section 1 – The Body of Christ

We believe that the Church, the Body of Christ, His Bride, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again believes of this present age; that it was constituted and empowered by the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; that it was purchased with the blood of Christ; that it was founded upon Christ; that its mission is to bear to the ends of the earth a Spirit-filled testimony to the judgment of God against sin and the salvation of sinners who repent towards God and exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:17-18; 28:18-20; Acts 2; I Cor. 3:11; 12:12-14; Eph. 1:2-23; 2:19-22; 5:25-27; Col. 1:18).

Section 2 – The Local Church

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures; that a local New Testament church is a body of believers in Christ that have followed the Lord through the waters of baptism, associated together under the direction and government of the Holy Spirit for worship, instruction, fellowship, service, and the spread of the Gospel to the uttermost part of the earth; that it is absolutely sovereign, under the administration of the Holy Spirit, in the handling of its own affairs and in determining its own relationship; that its relationship with other ecclesiastical bodies is one of fellowship only (Matt. 16:17-18; 28:19-20; Acts 14:27; 20:17; 28-37; I Cor. 3:9-17; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 5:25-27; Col. 1:18; I Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).

Section 3 – Spiritual Gifts

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of spiritual gifts to every believer. God also uniquely uses the offices of pastor-teacher and evangelist to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry (Rom. 12:3-8; I Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12).

The Ordinances:

We believe that there are two Christian ordinances and that they are symbolical, not sacramental: Baptism and The Lord’s Supper.

A.Baptism

We believe that baptism was clearly shown in Scripture to be an act of obedience by a believer into the water in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; that it sets forth in picture the essential facts in redemption – the death and resurrection of Christ, the essential facts in the experience of the believer – death to sin and resurrection to walk in newness of life, and the essential facts in the hope of the believer – that should he experience physical death he will be raised from the dead to participate in the eternal glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Romans 6:4).

B.The Lord’s Supper

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of the Lord’s death to be observed till He comes; that the elements – the bread and the fruit of the vine – are only symbols of His broken body and shed blood, and that our observance of it is a pictorial testimony of the believer’s fellowship with the Crucified Savior and should be preceded by solemn heart-searching and self-judgment. Only those who have been saved through faith in His atoning blood and are walking in obedient fellowship with Him should partake of it. We do not believe in “closed communion.” (I Cor. 11:17 – 34; Matt. 26:26-29)

Civil Government:

We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves), are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically-assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Matt. 22:21; Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; I Tim. 2:1-6; Heb. 13:17; I Pet. 2:13-14).

Missions:

We believe that all men everywhere are lost and condemned and that the command to go and preach the Gospel to the world is clear and unmistakable and that this commission was given to the church. The church is to obey this holy command so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to present the Gospel locally as well as to foreign nations (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; II Cor. 5:20).

Music:

We believe music is a moral language given by God and governed by the rules of composition and harmony. It employs sounds with varied durations, dynamics, and timbre. Music strongly influences our character, thoughts, behavior, emotions and lifestyles. It has the power to change the way we view life as well as transform our senses and understanding. Therefore, we purpose to use only music that glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ and enhances the worship of Him. Our entire music ministry (including our congregational singing, special music and programs, choirs, offertories) and those involved therein are a reflection of our purpose. (Psalm 100:2; Col. 3:16, 23; Eph. 5:10, 19; Hebrew 2:12).

The Second Coming of Christ:

We believe in the “Blessed Hope,” the imminent return of Christ for the living church saints and the resurrection of dead church saints – at which time both companies will meet the Lord in the air to forever be with Him (I Thess. 4:13-18; 5:9; Rev. 3:10).

We believe that all the Old Testament saints and the martyred Tribulation saints will be resurrected at the end of the Tribulation at the Second Coming of Christ (Daniel 12).

We believe at the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel (Ps. 89:3-4; Zech. 14:4-11; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

The Resurrections:

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; both of the just and unjust. We believe that the righteous dead will have part in the first resurrection which will issue in eternal life. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.

We Believe that the spirits of the unsaved at death descend immediately into Hades where they are kept under punishment until the final day of judgement, at which time their bodies shall be raised from the grave; they shall be judged according to their works at the Great White Throne Judgment, and cast into the place of final and everlasting punishment called the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment (Matthew 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 14:14, 16:19-26; John 5:28-29; I Cor. 15:20-26; I Thess. 4:16-18, II Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6, 7, 13; Rev. 20:11-15, 21:8, 224-6, 11-15).

Eternity:

We believe that eternity is composed of a literal Heaven and a literal Hell: that Heaven is a place of eternal blessedness and that Hell is a place of eternal suffering; that all true believers in Jesus Christ will be fully redeemed from sin’s penalty, power, presence, will be glorified with the Lord when He comes, and will enjoy the blessing of unbroken fellowship with God in Heaven forever; that all unrepentant sinners and rebels against God will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ according to their deeds, without respect of persons, by the glorious Gospel of God, and will be cast out from God’s presence to suffer the torments of the Lake of Fire into which Hell itself will be cast forever (Matt. 25:46: Luke 16:19-31; Romans 2:1-16; II Cor. 5:1-10; Phil. 3:20; Rev. 20:1-15; 21:22).

Doctrinal Position: According to our beloved Holy Scriptures

Positional Statements of Calvary Community Church:

WE BELIEVE IN THE FIVE SOLAS

These five statements of the Protestant Reformation lay at the center of what distinguished the theology of Protestantism from the theology of the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century. Sola Scriptura holds that Scripture is the only inerrant, sufficient, and final authority for the church because it is God’s inspired Word. Solus Christus holds that Christ alone is the basis on which the ungodly are justified before God. Sola Fide holds that only through faith can a believer receive the redemption Christ accomplished for them. Sola Gratia holds that our salvation comes from grace alone, from beginning to end. Because of these things, the Reformers held to the final Sola, Soli Deo Gloria, that only God receives glory for our salvation.

WE BELIEVE IN COMPLEMENTARIANISM

We believe that men and women are equals, created by God to fulfill different roles as coworkers in his kingdom. As Biblically stated, woman are not to fulfill the office of pastor/elder or deacon.

WE BELIEVE IN SPIRITUAL GIFTS

We believe that the Holy Spirit continues to give Born Again Believers all spiritual gifts to encourage believers and to show others to Christ.

CORE CHRISTIAN BELIEFS

If you are seeking a church in the Elkton, SD / Brookings, SD areas that deeply cares about theology, consider Calvary Community Church where we are committed to a deep and thorough engagement with Scripture. We believe that everything necessary for godly living and holy practice can be found in the sacred Scriptures. Both Old and New Testaments are the inspired word of God, sufficient for doctrine, reproof, correction, and for righteousness instruction. However, these flawless scriptures have flawed interpreters (i.e., you and me). Because of this, we affirm these historic creeds and definitions as the necessary boundary markers for orthodoxy within the Christian faith.

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places

IMPORTANT NOTES

The word “catholic” in this and other creeds does not mean “Roman Catholic”. The word “catholic” merely means “universal”. Rome was not distinguished as a region of the universal church until Emperor Justinian 1st legislated the Pentarchy somewhere between 527–565 AD.

BACKGROUND

This creed is called the Apostles’ Creed not because it was produced by the apostles themselves but because it contains a brief summary of their teachings. In its present form, it is dated no later than the fourth century. More than any other Christian creed, it may justly be called an ecumenical symbol of faith.

ATHANASIAN CREED

Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith:

That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.

What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being. So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings; there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being.

Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty. Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God. Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord. Yet there are not three lords; there is but one Lord.

Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone. The Son was neither made nor created; he was begotten from the Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; he proceeds from the Father and the Son. Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons; there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. Nothing in this trinity is before or after, nothing is greater or smaller; in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other. So in everything, as was said earlier, we must worship their trinity in their unity and their unity in their trinity. Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the trinity. But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.

Now this is the true faith: That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is both God and human, equally. He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God’s taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human. He suffered for our salvation; he descended to hell; he arose from the dead; he ascended to heaven; he is seated at the Father’s right hand; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.

This is the catholic faith: one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Also, this creed plainly states “One cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.” This creed is not stating that new believers and or children are damned if they do not know the creed. It is important to remember that this creed was written in response to early church heresy. The creed is not saying “If you don’t have this memorized you can’t be saved.” Rather it is saying “If you deny anything in this creed, you are worshiping a different God than the God clearly described in Holy Scripture”.

BACKGROUND

This creed is named after Athanasius (A.D. 293-373), the champion of orthodoxy against Arian attacks on the doctrine of the Trinity. Although Athanasius did not write this creed and it is improperly named after him, the name persists because until the seventeenth century, it was commonly ascribed to him. It is not from Greek (Eastern), but from Latin (Western) origin, and is not recognized by the Eastern Orthodox Church today. Apart from the opening and closing sentences, this creed consists of two parts, the first setting forth the orthodox doctrine of the trinity, and the second dealing chiefly with the incarnation and the two-natures doctrine.

NICENE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.

IMPORTANT NOTES

BACKGROUND

The Nicene Creed, also called the Nicaeno-Constantinopolitan Creed, is a statement of the orthodox faith of the early Christian church in opposition to certain heresies, especially Arianism. These heresies, which disturbed the church during the fourth century, concerned the doctrine of the Trinity and of the person of Jesus. Both the Greek (Eastern) and the Latin (Western) church held this creed in honor. In its present form, this creed goes back partially to the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) with additions by the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381). It was accepted in its present form at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, but the “filioque” phrase was not added until 589.

CHALSADONIAN DEFINITION

Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

BACKGROUND

The Chalcedonian Definition was adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD in Asia Minor as a response to certain heretical views concerning the nature of Jesus. This Council of Chalcedon is the fourth of the seven ecumenical councils accepted by Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and many Protestant Christian churches.

The Chalcedonian Definition was written amid controversy between the Western and Eastern churches over the meaning of the incarnation. This adopted definition specifically maintained the two distinct natures of Jesus (divine and human) against the teaching of Eutyches — that Jesus had only one nature, a mixture of human and divine. Eutychianism is also known as monophysitism from monos (single) and physis (nature), which confuses both Jesus’ true humanity and his true deity.