Calvary Bible Fellowship

Glossary

 

Ratified June 6th, 1993

 

Constitution Table of Contents

Scriptural References

 

APOSTASY--A “falling away”.  A desertion of or a departure from one’s faith.  Apostasy denies the fundamental doctrines concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ.  An apostate is one who, after professing to believe the Gospel, turns away from and refutes his profession.  Apostasy differs from backsliding in that a true Christian may backslide, but an apostate was never born again.

 

CHARISMATIC (charismatic movement)--the “speaking in tongues,” extra-biblical revelations, sensationalism of  “public healing services,” and ecumenicalism as practiced by the charismatics.

 

CORPORATION--The State of Wisconsin recognizes Calvary Bible Fellowship only as a non-stock, non-profit entity (corporation) under Chapter 181 of the Statutes of the State of Wisconsin.  The corporation is the church or the congregation.

 

DAY OF THE LORD--That period of time when God openly intervenes in the affairs of men in judgment and in blessing.  It will begin with the rapture and will cover the time of the tribulation and the millennium.

 

DEACONS (Board of Deacons)--Elected men from the congregation who are entrusted with the temporal affairs of the church, including the legal responsibilities.  They are to assist the pastor in carrying out the ministries of the church.  They are also the trustees.

 

DEITY OF CHRIST--Divinity; the divine nature or character of God.

 

ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT--A co-operating spirit among various denominations to come together as one, without regard to Biblical doctrine and teachings against such unity.

 

ELECTION--the sovereign act of God in grace whereby certain individuals are chosen from mankind for Himself.  Election is according to the foreknowledge of God, and wholly by grace, apart from human merit and proceeds from His divine volition.

 

END OF THE AGE--End of the Gentile rule on earth; it also closes the dispensation of the church age.

 

ESCHATOLOGY--Doctrine of last things, particularly those dealing with the second coming of Christ and the events preceding and following this great event.

 

FISCAL YEAR--Begins on April 1 and ends on March 31 of the following year.

 

FREEMASONRY --Freemasonry is the name of one of the largest and oldest fraternal organizations in the world.  Masonic organizations are secret organizations.  It has been defined as a system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbol.  The basic ideologies of Masonry make it incompatible with Christianity.  The Masonic Orders endeavor to do good works, but their origins were based on humanism and paganism.  Freemasonry adheres to a universalist, mystery religion.  A believer in Christ should not join any secret society.  A few Masonic organizations are the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, Knights of Templar, Order of the Mystic Shrine, Masonic Relief Association, Order of the Builders, Order of the Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile, Job’s Daughters, Order of the Rainbow for Girls and Order of the De Molay for boys.

 

GOSPEL (Gospel of Christ)--Christ dying for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.⁶⁷ 

 

GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT--The event when the unsaved of all ages are judged before God, according to their sinful works and will receive the sentence of eternal punishment in hell.⁶⁶

 

HYPER-CALVINISM--The teaching that negates or eliminates human responsibility in either the proclamation of the Gospel or in the reception of the Gospel.

 

INACTIVE MEMBER--A person who is a member of the church but not yet eighteen years old; a person who has moved away but still retains his/her membership at Calvary Bible Fellowship.  Inactive members are not counted in the quorum.

 

JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST--The place in the “heavenlies” where Christ judges believers, following the rapture, on the basis of their service as Christians, resulting in a receiving of rewards by some, and a sense of loss for others.  This is not a judgment of one’s salvation.  Believers’ sins have already been paid for at the cross.

 

LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE--A group composed of the senior pastor, associate pastors and deacons.  Only the deacons have a vote in matters that come before this committee.

 

MILLENNIAL KINGDOM--A period of one thousand years, commencing immediately after the tribulation, when Christ sets up His kingdom and reigns on earth with believers of all the ages.  This will be a great age of righteousness and peace, when all the nations will be subject to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

 

ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHS--The original writings of the Scriptures, as penned by the men God used for communicating His written word.

 

PASTOR (Bishop, Overseer, Elder, Presbyter)--A man called by God and elected by a local congregation to oversee it’s spiritual affairs.  Pastors are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and to edify the body of Christ.

                Senior Pastor--Designated head of the pastoral staff.

                Associate Pastor--An assistant to the senior pastor.

                Pastoral Staff--A group composed of the senior pastor and                                         associate pastors.

 

PLENARY--Full, complete or absolute inspiration of Scripture; inspired equally in all parts.

 

PREMILLENNIAL--A position that holds that Christ will return to this earth before setting up the millennial kingdom.

 

PROPITIATION--Satisfying the righteousness of a holy God, thereby making it possible for Him to show mercy righteously.

 

QUORUM--Thirty percent (30%) of all church members eighteen years or older.

 

RAPTURE--To be “caught up.”  This refers to the time when believing Christians (both dead and alive) will “in the twinkling of an eye” rise up to meet Christ in the air.

 

REPENTANCE--A change of mind, a fundamental and thorough change in the hearts of men from sin toward God.  Although faith alone is the condition for salvation,⁶⁵  repentance is bound up with faith and inseparable from it.

 

SAVED (Born again)--Refers to one who has accepted Christ as his/her personal Savior, and is thereby saved from the wrath of God against the sinner and from an eternity in hell, and is assured of an eternity with Christ in heaven.

 

SECOND COMING (Second advent)--The great event in which Christ will return to the earth, with His saints, to establish a visible, earthly kingdom for one thousand years over Israel.

 

SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD--The supreme authority of God to work all things after the counsel of His own will.

 

TRIBULATION (Great Day of His Wrath, The Great Tribulation, Time of Jacob’s Trouble)--A period of seven years of unparalleled suffering, in which the world will experience the wrath of God, along with the reign of the Antichrist.  Because the last three-and-a-half years of this period are more severe in the degree of suffering experienced, they are referred to as the “Great Tribulation.”

 

TRINITY--The union of three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in one Godhead.

 

WORLDLY PRACTICES--anything that brings discredit to God, the Church or yourself.

 

 

SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES

65. Ps. 101:3; Rom. 121-2; 14:13; I Cor. 6:19-20, 10:32;II Cor. 6:3; Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; I Thes. 5:22; Js. 1;27;I Pet. 1:14-16; I Jn. 2:15-17

66. Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:12; I Pet. 5:2

67. II Cor. 6:3; Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27