What we Believe

SCRIPTURES — We believe in the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible. The Old and New Testament are definitely inspired word for word. We accept the Textus Receptus manuscripts from which came the King James Bible. The Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

SOVEREIGN GOD — God is a Person, eternally existing as a Trinity in unity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three Persons and yet but one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 8:6)

SON — Jesus Christ, eternally existing, is the only begotten Son of God, Who became a man totally apart from sin, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. (Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1-15; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 1:15)

SIN — Man was created in the image of God but fell through sin, bringing not only physical death but also spiritual death--separation from God. Now all mankind is totally depraved, having inherited a sinful nature; is bent toward sinning; and has become sinful in thought, word, and deed. (Genesis 1:26, 27; 2:16, 17; 3:6-19; Romans 3:10-23; 6:23)

SACRIFICE — The Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. He arose from the dead in the body in which He was crucified; He ascended into Heaven in the glorified body where He is seated at the right hand of God the Father as Head of the Church, making intercession for the saints as our High Priest. (Luke 24; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 1:20-23; I Peter 3:18)

SALVATION — Man is lost and must be born again to enter the Kingdom of God. Salvation is by grace alone through personal faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross. (John 1:12; 3:3-7; Ephesians 2:8,9)

SERVICE — The local church is a group of believers baptized by water; banded together for edification, exhortation, and evangelism as commanded by Christ in the Great Commission; preaching the Gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15; I Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 1:22, 23)

SECOND COMING — The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is coming again in the air at any moment to catch up His Church and to reward their service. The unbelievers left behind will go through a period called the Tribulation, after which Christ shall return visibly to the earth to set up His Kingdom of one thousand years of righteous rule. After this the unbelievers of all ages will stand at the Great White Throne to be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire, separated from God forever, while the believers spend eternity in the fullness of joy in Heaven with the Lord. (Matthew 24:29-42; I Thessalonians 4:16-18; Revelation 19:11-20:15)

We Believe the Bible is the Word of God. We believe in the King James Version of the Bible. We believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as payment for our sins, and rose from the dead on the third day. We believe that the only way a person can go to Heaven when he dies is to first place his faith in the payment that Jesus Christ provided with His shed blood on the cross. Calvary Baptist Church of Platteville is just that, a Baptist church. Once a person is saved by putting his faith in Jesus, we are commanded to be baptized by immersion to show to others what took place when we trusted Christ; we do this in obedience, not to save us but to show that we have been saved. We believe in participating in the Lord's Supper on a regular basis to remember the payment Jesus made for us and to express our love to Him for that payment. The Lord's Supper is not kept to take us to Heaven but to thank Jesus for His sacrifice.

We Believe That the Bible is what it claims to be: the Word of God. We take instruction from the Bible literally; we believe what it is actually saying, not that it is an allegory or a fable. We take instruction from the Bible in the areas of life and faith and go to it for the answers to life. In a day when opinion polls and media agendas steer our social conscience, we believe that we should first seek God's opinion on any subject before forming our own.

We Believe That the Family unit should be strong and healthy. The first institution God made on earth was the family. Programs in the church are geared to help build strong families. Calvary Baptist Church provides fellowship, friendship, and support services through our social activities. We strive to be protective of our children. 

We Believe That the Church should be the moral conscience of a community. Since God created civil governments, we work hard to cooperate with and work together with our elected officials and civil servants.

We Believe That the Only Requirements for church membership are salvation and baptism by immersion. People who are saved and baptized at Calvary Baptist Church are voted in as members unless they request not to be. A person may join from another Baptist church by transfer. Persons wishing to join from a church other than a Baptist church must give testimony of their salvation and their immersion baptism and thereby join by Christian experience.

We Believe That It Is Our Responsibility, as outlined in the Bible, to spread the Gospel to our area, nation, and world. Mark 16:15, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Matthew 28:19-20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

We Believe That Christians should talk, behave, live, and dress like a citizen of Heaven. The basis for these standards is found in the Bible. We make no apology for our conservative beliefs in many areas, including music, social issues, dress, and behavior.

We Believe That A Church should be filled, not with spectators, but participants. We believe a church should be described as a spiritual hospital where people come for spiritual healing, not a spiritual museum where the relics of "Pharisee-ism" are displayed. We have a first-class way of doing things. We are careful stewards of God's money. We strive to be honest and respectable.

We Believe God's business is the greatest business in the world.