What We Believe

The following are the core beliefs of Calvary Baptist Church San Marcos based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines, therefore we have provided scriptural references for each of these core beliefs.

There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. How the Trinity operates is a mystery beyond human comprehension. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise.  God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom,  justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. While we cannot always comprehend, we choose to apprehend and accept the revelation of His nature as presented to us in His Word, the Bible.
(Genesis 1-2, Deuteronomy 6:4, John 1:1-4, John 10:30, Ephesians4:5-6, I John 5:7)

God has revealed himself to us through His son, Jesus Christ, Who is the visible image of the invisible God. He is the second Person of the Trinity and existed in eternity past, before He lived an earthly life. In His humanity, He was born of a virgin, seeded by the Holy Spirit miraculously, with both the nature of humanity and the nature of the Divine. He lived a sinless human life, died to atone for the sins of humanity, was buried, arose from the grace, ascended into heaven, and will literally return to earth once again.
(Isaiah 7:14, 53:1-12, Matthew 1:20-23, John 1:13-16, I Timothy 2:5-7)

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and described in scripture as The Comforter, The divine Helper, Assistant, Counselor, Instructor, and sometimes referred in older language as The Holy Ghost. We believe at the moment of conversion (or surrendering to Christ), the Holy Spirit indwells believers and begins the work of molding them into the image and character of their Savior, Jesus Christ. His work on earth and in the Church is to reveal Christ, convict human beings of sin, lead us to repentance, guide believers, enlighten the mind to the Word of God, comfort, strengthen, empower, and sanctify Christ followers.
(John 14:16-18, 26, John 16:8)

Humans, both male and female are the special creations of God, unlike other creatures, we were created in God's image for His glory and were breathed to life by His very breath. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creations. When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted images of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time.
(Genesis 1:26,  Romans 3:23, II Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 10:1-4)

One of the biggest questions people ask is why did God give the first humans the choice to disboey Him?
This questions plagues us because it speaks to the nature of a God Who refuses to exclude choice in relationships with human beings. (Choice was also given to the creatures we call Angels)
While He could certainly have created mankind without free will, the God of the Bible chooses to govern His Creation with its crowning creature having the choice whether to have relationship with Him or not. It speaks to the nature of love and choice is the main component for this relationship to remain intact.

Salvation is a gift through repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ Who came to reconcile us with God.  Every person who truly is saved is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus and will spend eternity with Him. Jesus lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ, by faith, as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone. Those choosing to pay for their sins will spend eternity doing so apart from God(the Bible calls this place Hell). This not necessary with the sacrifice provided for by Christ, but again, human choice is important to God.
(John 3:16, Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9)

Baptism is an outward symbol of an inward commitment to follow Christ. Baptism is an immersion into water as a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Often you will hear pastor declare the act "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as all three Persons of the Trinity are seen at Jesus' baptism. It occurs after salvation or conversion decision and is an outward symbol and identification to a watching world that we are now a Christ follower, or a Christian. The rising out of the water symbolizes resurrection as each new believer walks forward in newness of life. (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 1:9-11)

The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church exists as Christ's hands and feet on earth. It is not an institution, a building, or an organization, but rather a living organism, connected to God as His agency on earth through our relationship to Him, His Son Jesus and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Wherever God's people meet regularly in obedience to His command, there is a local expression of the Church. Its members are to work together in love and unity, to encourage one another, teach, make disciples, and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 2:19-22, Colossians 1:18, I Peter 5:1-4)

We believe that Jesus bodily resurrected from being fully dead on the third day, just as He said He would. We believe as the second Person of the Trinity, Jesus is the expression of the Godhead bodily and therefore the Author of life and death. His resurrection was not the first in scripture, but rather the most important as it is the model for the resurrection of the body for believers. Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth.
(I Corinthians 15:22)