ARTICLE III CONFESSIONAL STANDARD

This congregation accepts without reservation:

1. The Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament as the written Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and of practice;

2. All the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church as a true and unadulterated statement and exposition of the Word of God, to wit: The three Ecumenical Creeds (the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed), The Unaltered Augsburg Confession, The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, The Smalcald Articles, The Large Catechism of Luther, The Small Catechism of Luther, and The Formula of Concord.

Our faith and beliefs are partially summarized in the Nicene Creed:

A. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered and was buried. And the third day, He rose again according to the Scriptures and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

B. Statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

God created and sanctioned marriage to bring together one biologically created man and one biologically created woman, by joining them in “one-flesh” unions (Genesis 2:18-25). Marriage serves as the foundational unit of a stable society (1 Corinthians 7:2). Calvary Lutheran Church does not endorse, nor will it allow, its pastor to participate in, perform, or sanction same-sex marriages/unions.

C. Statement on the Sanctity of Human Life

We believe that all human life is sacred and created in the image of God. We are called to defend, protect, and value all of human life – including that of unborn babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death.

D. Final Authority for Matters of Belief and Conduct

Calvary Lutheran Church’s statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible, as the inspired and infallible Word of God, speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind and is the final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Calvary Lutheran’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our pastor and board of elders are the final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.