PREFACE
The Statement of Faith represents the doctrinal position of Calvary Grace Church. The Bible mandates that elders and shepherds of Christ’s Church protect the doctrinal purity and integrity of the Church (Acts 20:28-31; Jude 3; 2Tim 4:1-5), and are also charged to preserve unity regarding the truth (Rom 12:9-18; Eph 4:3; 3John 8-12).
This Statement of Faith is a distilled overview of the basic topics of what we believe to be the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) regarding the fundamentals that a discerning church and growing Christians should be aspiring toward. We acknowledge that every Christian is ever-growing and ever-learning in the Christian life (Phil 3:12), and we acknowledge that in this life we all “see in a mirror dimly” (1Cor 13:12). We are all in progress and growing in knowledge (2Pet 1:5-8).
As such, we recognize the reality that every believer has a learning curve and is on the continuum of biblical understanding based on maturity, experience, upbringing, and many other variables. The purpose of the Statement of Faith is not to exclude and isolate true believers, but rather to provide a common ground of truth which serves as the basis of common worship, fellowship, and service to Christ as one spiritual Body and the family in the local church (3John 3-4).
Our over-arching doctrinal beliefs can be summed up with the five “battle cries” of the Protestant Reformation. In brief, these five terms are:
Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Sola Gratia – Grace Alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)
Sola Fide – Faith Alone (Romans 3:28)
Solus Christus – Christ Alone (Acts 4:12)
Soli Deo Gloria – To God Alone be the Glory (1 Peter 4:11)
And a principle by which we live:
Sola Reformanda – Always Reforming