What We Believe

Calvary Chapel Cincinnati has been formed as a fellowship of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and be conformed to His image by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our vision is to see people know Jesus, follow Jesus and live for Jesus. We exist to shine the light of the gospel into a world blinded by sin that all might discover the promise of life and liberty that is in Christ Jesus.  (Ephesians 4:11-16)  We believe that the true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ’s agape love, which is greater than any differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves as Christians. (1 Corinthians 13; Philippians 1:9-11; Ephesians 3:17-19)

We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture: that the Bible, Old and New Testaments, are the inspired, infallible Word of God, a complete and final written revelation of God. We reject doctrinal viewpoints or spiritual phenomena which are based solely on experience. We look to the Word of God for the basis of all our faith and practice.

[Isaiah 28:13; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:21]

We believe in the Person of God the Father, an infinite, eternal, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He is mercifully concerned with the affairs of man; that He hears and answers prayer and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

[John 4:23, 24; John 3:16; Psalm 89:26; Psalm 90:2; 1 Timothy 1:17]

We believe that Jesus Christ, though fully God, became a man for the suffering of death. We believe that He is the promised Messiah, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, provided for the atonement of our sins by His vicarious death on the cross, was bodily resurrected, ascended back to the right hand of God the Father, and ever lives to make intercession for us.

[Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2; John 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 1:2]

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.  We believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates and indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide empowering all believers for ministry.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of all Biblical gifts of the Spirit according to the instructions given to us in 1 Corinthians 12-14.

[Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 14:16-17; John 16:8-11; Romans 8:26; Romans 15:13, 16; Hebrews 9:14]

We believe there is one living and personal God who exists eternally in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power, authority, and glory.

[Genesis 1:1; 1 John 5:7; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 44:8; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30]

We believe that mankind was created in the image of God, sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but spiritual death, which is separation from God.  We believe that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and forgiveness 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.

[Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23; Colossians 2:13; Ephesians 4:18; Romans 5:12]

We believe that our faith should lead us to win people to Christ so that they might know Jesus, begin to follow Jesus as His disciple, and live for Jesus in obedience to His command to preach the gospel and make disciples.  

[Matthew 28:18-20]

We believe in the universal church, the body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the head.  The members of the church are those who have trusted by faith in the finished work of Christ.  We believe the mission of the church is to preach the gospel and make disciples.  We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the church: full immersion water baptism and the Lord’s supper (communion).  

[Matthew 28:19, Ephesians 4:15-16, Colossians 3:1-11, Romans 6, 2 Corinthians 11:23-34]

We believe that God created the world and everything in it in a literal six-day period, according to the Genesis account.  

[Genesis 1:1-2:2]

We believe in the blessed hope, which is the personal and imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We believe in and await the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world before the Tribulation that will come upon the earth.  

[Matthew 24:29-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16, 5:9; 2 Peter 2:7-9; Revelation 3:10]

We believe the gospel – the good news that God forgives, regenerates and saves all who come to Him through faith in Jesus Christ alone. This is possible because, although all humans are guilty, Jesus Christ died on the cross in our place for our sins absorbing God’s wrath on our behalf. In so doing, God is able to forgive the spiritual crimes of people without violating the demands of justice. God offers an invitation to every sinner to believe in the gospel for reconciliation with God.

[Romans 3:23; Acts 3:19; Acts 20:21; Ephesians 2:1-3; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 2:2; John 3:16; John 14:6; Matthew 11:28; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 22:17]

We believe in the personal, visible return of Christ to the earth and the establishing of His Kingdom, the resurrection of the body, and the final judgment.  We believe that our eternal destination of either heaven or hell is determined by our response to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe in a literal heaven and hell and that all who place their faith, hope, and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in heaven.  We believe those who reject God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ will spend eternity separated from God in hell.

[Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 15:7; John 3:18; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:11-15]

We believe the worship of God should be a spiritual experience and be inspirational, intelligent, and fruitful.  Therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship.  

We believe worship of God should be inspirational. Therefore, music is an important part of our worship.

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 how He should be worshiped. We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to an individual’s life, leading that person to greater maturity in Christ.

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.

[1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 13:15]