Doctrinal Beliefs…
Calvary Chapel Sligo shall be formed as a fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ and where Jesus is Lord over all. Our greatest desire is to know Jesus Christ personally, and to become more like Him through the power of His Holy Spirit working within us.
Calvary Sligo is not necessarily a denominational church, but neither are we opposed to denominations as such, only the over-emphasis of nonessential doctrinal differences that have led to division within the church, the Body of Christ. Calvary Chapel believes that the only true basis for Christian fellowship is the unconditional love of God, which is greater than any differences we possess and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians. Therefore, we welcome people from all different backgrounds and seek to show His love in everything that we do.
In order to identify Calvary Chapel as conservative in theology and evangelical, we set forth this general statement of core beliefs:
1. The Church…
Calvary Chapel believes that the church was instituted, and is directed, by Jesus Christ: we are His church. Calvary Chapel believes that the church is the “body” of Christ, and that its reason for being is 1) Exaltation – worshipping Jesus and bringing glory to God, 2) Edification – the “building up” of Christian believers for the work of ministry, and 3) Evangelism – sharing the good news of salvation with a world separated from God by sin.
2. The Bible…
Calvary Chapel believes in the inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy of the Bible in its original writings as the revealed Word of God, and we view it as the ultimate authority for all of life’s issues.
3. The Trinity…
Calvary Chapel believes in the triune nature of God – that God is One God, eternally existent in three distinct personalities: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.
4. Creation…
Calvary Chapel believes in a literal and Biblical creation, and that God is the Creator of all things.
5. Jesus Christ…
Calvary Chapel believes in the deity of Jesus Christ, that He was God in human form, both fully God and fully man. We believe that He was in all ways tempted as we are and yet without sin, that He suffered and died a physical death for the sin of mankind once for all, that He was resurrected bodily, that He ascended into heaven, that He lives today making intercession for Christian believers (“saints”), and that He will personally return to earth again physically in power and glory.
6. Salvation…
Calvary Chapel believes that salvation is the free gift of God offered to all people, and that it is by grace through faith alone. We believe that the lost and sinful man must be saved, and that man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
7. The Holy Spirit…
Calvary Chapel believes in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world today, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life. Calvary Chapel believes that the Biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit should be exercised in accordance with the Holy Scriptures.
8. Eternity…
Calvary Chapel believes in the eternal judgment of both the righteous and unrighteous. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are unsaved unto the resurrection of damnation.
9. The Rapture…
Calvary Chapel believes that the church should constantly be ready for Christ’s imminent return.
10. Unity…
Calvary Chapel believes in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Statement of Distinctives…
We hold to:
- The inerrancy of Scripture.
- The continuance today of the diversities of spiritual gifts as found in I Corinthians 12:4-11.
- Simplicity in church government, rather than a complex bureaucracy.
- A dependence upon the Holy Spirit to lead rather than fleshly promotion.
- The pre-millennial, pre-tribulation return of Christ for His waiting Church.
- The teaching of the Word of God in such a way that it can be applied to life as beneficial towards a growing maturity.
At any given time, certain issues become controversial in the church. Calvary Chapel feels it necessary to take a stand in the following areas:
We Reject:
- The teaching of “positive confession”.
- The belief that true-Christians can be possessed by demons.
- “Dominion theology” or “kingdom theology”.
- A fatalistic Calvinistic view, which allows no room for free will.
- Prophesy that supersedes Biblical Scripture.
- The teaching of “open theism”.
- “Charismania” (the over-emphasis upon spiritual gifts, experiential signs and wonders, etc.), including the “Toronto blessing,” Slain in the Spirit, etc.
Description of Services…
At Calvary Chapel, we focus on a “personal relationship” with God through worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God in our services. We teach both expositional and topical studies. We do not allow speaking loudly in tongues or the interruption of our services with prophesy if there is a Bible study in progress. It is not that we do not hold to the using of these gifts, but we believe that everything should be done “decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:40). We believe that God will not interrupt Himself.
Calvary Chapel believes that the worship of God should be Spiritual…
And so: We remain flexible and yielded to the leading of His Holy Spirit to direct our worship.
Calvary Chapel believes that the worship of God should be Inspirational…
And so: We give a great place to music in our worship.
Calvary Chapel believes that the worship of God should be Intelligent…
And so: Our services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us how He would be worshipped.
Calvary Chapel believes that the worship of God is Fruitful…
And so: We look for His love in our lives as the supreme evidence that we have truly been worshipping Him.
Evangelism…
Concerning evangelism, we regularly participate and support evangelistic outreach ministries. However, our main belief concerning evangelism is that “sheep beget sheep.” We are convinced that as we continue to feed the flock of God by teaching them the Word of God, that they will “naturally” lead others to Christ.