STATEMENT OF FAITH
Our Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of the church’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our lead pastor and the board of directors is the church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
Doctrinal Beliefs
WE BELIEVE in the verbal, plenary, inspiration of the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments) in its original autographs. It is the inerrant, infallible Word of God and the final authority for faith and life. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20; Matthew 5:18
WE BELIEVE that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all. Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22
WE BELIEVE that God the Father is the infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves all who come to Him through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, from the eternal consequences of sin and death. John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:14; Ephesians 5:20; James 1:17
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully human, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, provided for the atonement of our sins by His death on the cross, was bodily resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit, ascended back to the right hand of God the Father, and ever lives to make intercession for us. John 1:1; Luke 2:35; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:11; Hebrews 7:25
WE BELIEVE the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who guides believers, enabling them to fulfill His command to preach the gospel to the entire world. Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; John 16:7-11; Acts 1:8
WE BELIEVE that all people are by nature separated from God and responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and forgiveness of sin are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all his/her sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God, destined to spend eternity with the Lord. Genesis 2:15-17; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23; Galatians 2:16; Acts 10:43; Ephesians 1:13; 1 John 5:13
WE BELIEVE that baptism by full immersion in water is the next step in the Christian walk after a person has decided to follow Jesus Christ. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. It is the opportunity to publicly identify ourselves with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:36-38; Acts 10:47-48
WE BELIEVE in the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper also known as the Holy Communion, which is the commemoration of the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ until He comes. Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
WE BELIEVE in the “Blessed Hope,” the personal imminent, pre-tribulation and pre-millennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; and in His subsequent bodily return to earth, with His saints to establish His millennial kingdom. Titus 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 2:28; Jude 1:14; Revelation 19:11-16
WE BELIEVE in the universal church, in the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 3:14-15; Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 1:18
WE BELIEVE the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ’s (agape) love, which is greater than differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians. John 13:34; John 17:25-26; 1 John 2:8; 1 John 4:7
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit for power and service, either at the time of or subsequent to regeneration, and that this is a separate work from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for salvation. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and in the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Spirit as reflected through the fruit of that same Spirit. Luke 24:49; John 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; Acts 8:14-17; Acts 10:44-47; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Galatians 5:22-23
WE BELIEVE that the Bible clearly delineates that spiritual gifts are for the edification of the body and that they are to be exercised in order and in love. 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13; 1 Corinthians 14:12; 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
WE BELIEVE in the laying on of hands for the sending out of pastors and missionaries, and in conjunction with the anointing of oil by church elders for the healing of the sick. Acts 6:5-6; Acts 13:2-3; 1 Timothy 5:22; James 5:14-15
WE BELIEVE worship of God should be spiritual; therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship. John 3:8; John 4:23; Ephesians 5:19-20
WE BELIEVE worship of God should be intelligent; therefore, our services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us on how He should be worshiped. We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to the individual’s life, leading that person to a greater maturity in Christ. We teach both expositionally (verse by verse) and topically. 1 Corinthians 14:1-12; 1 Corinthians 14:19; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 4:2
WE BELIEVE worship of God should be fruitful; therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been truly worshiping Him. John 15:4-12; Galatians 5:22; 1 John 4:20
WE BELIEVE that Hell is a literal place of eternal suffering and the consequential destination of those who do not place their personal faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Matthew 10:28; Matthew 25:46; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 21:7-8
WE BELIEVE Scripture affirms God’s sovereignty in electing those who are saved as well as mankind’s moral responsibility to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our conviction is that both are biblical components in the work of salvation and we do not subscribe to any theological systems that would emphasize one at the exclusion of the other. John 1:12-13; John 3:16; John 5:40; John 6:29; John 6:65; Ephesians 1:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2
WE BELIEVE that God is sovereign and cannot be commanded to heal, manifest material wealth, or work miracles according to man’s coercion, a practice commonly referred to as “positive confession” or “prosperity theology.” Isaiah 46:10; Daniel 4:35; John 19:11; 2 Corinthians 12:7-11; James 4:12
WE BELIEVE that every human being is created in God’s image and that their biological gender is purposefully ordained by Him. We also believe that God has ordained for marriage to be a union exclusively between one man and one woman. Moreover, a husband’s relationship with his wife is intended to serve as a reflection of Christ’s relationship with His Church. Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 7:2; Ephesians 5:22-32
WE BELIEVE that God has called Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale to be a non-denominational church. We are not opposed to denominations as such, only to any denominational emphasis on traditions that may supersede the explicit teachings or implicit principles of Scripture. John 17:17; 1 Timothy 6:3-4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:23