Statement of Faith Comparison: Calvary Chapel Association

🔗What we are comparing

We compare the Calvary Chapel Association statement of faith¹ line by line to determine whether the UPDV Updated Bible Version supports each claim or differs.

The statement has eleven sections; we walk each in turn.

Findings: ✅ supported, ⚠️ partly supported, ❌ not supported.

🔗The Scriptures

The Scriptures We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired without error and the infallible rule of faith and practice. The Word of God is the foundation upon which the church operates and is the basis for which the church is governed. We believe that the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures (Isaiah 28:13; Nehemiah 8:8; John 17:17; II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; I Peter 1:23-25; II Peter 1:3-4, 21).

🔗✅ The doctrine of scripture -- Supported

The UPDV supports this. The doctrine -- that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and the rule of faith and practice -- is in the UPDV too. All of Calvary's cited passages are present in the UPDV and support the same doctrine.

🔗⚠️ What is "scripture"? -- Partly Supported

The Calvary statement says "the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments" without naming which books are scripture. In the Calvary tradition that means the standard 66-book Protestant canon. The Bible itself does not contain a table of contents; determining the canon relies on historical church consensus.

The UPDV makes different decisions about the canon. The reasons for each decision are documented in writing -- see the Books of the Bible section at https://www.updated.org/ (Epistle to the Greeks -- early Christian letter; Wisdom of Sirach -- 2nd-century BC wisdom literature; First Maccabees -- history between Malachi and the New Testament; Matthew -- reconstructed; Luke -- chapters 1, 2, and ending reconstructed; John -- ends at 19:35; Acts -- not included).

This is not a disagreement on the doctrine of inspiration itself. We address the impact of the canon differences section by section in what follows. Most of Calvary's stated doctrines still stand in the UPDV's text. Where a textual or canonical difference affects that support, we note it directly.

🔗The Trinity

The Trinity We believe that there is one living and true GOD, eternally existing in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things (Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8, 48:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30; Hebrews 1:3).

🔗✅ The Trinity -- Supported

The UPDV supports the doctrine. One God (Deuteronomy 6:4, "Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one"; Isaiah 44:8, "Is there a God besides me? Yes, there is no Rock; I don't know any"), three persons named together (2 Corinthians 13:13, "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit"; Ephesians 4:4-6, "one Spirit... one Lord... one God and Father of all"; Isaiah 48:16, "the Sovereign Yahweh has sent me, and his Spirit"), the Son fully God and equal in glory (John 1:1, "the Speech was God"; John 8:58, "Before Abraham was born, I am"; Hebrews 1:8, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever"; John 10:30, "I and the Father are one"; Hebrews 1:3, "the radiance of his glory, and the very image of his substance"), the Spirit personal and divine (walked in the God the Holy Spirit section below), and the triune God as creator, upholder, and governor of all (Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"; Hebrews 1:3, "upholding all things by the word of his power"; Ephesians 4:6, "one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all") -- all supported by passages present in the UPDV.

Six of Calvary's seven cited references are intact in their cited form. The one not at its cited form is Matthew 28:19-20 -- the Great Commission with the Trinitarian baptismal formula, which the UPDV's reconstructed Matthew omits. The doctrine of the Trinity itself stands on the texts above: the triadic naming (Father, Son, Spirit) is preserved in 2 Corinthians 13:13 and the triadic coordination in Ephesians 4:4-6. What is not preserved anywhere in the UPDV is the specific baptismal formula -- "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" -- which is the actual liturgical text spoken in the rite of baptism. That is a real liturgical absence; the institution-of-baptism question is treated in the Water baptism section below.

🔗God the Father

God the Father We believe in the person of God the Father, an infinite, eternal, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all those who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2, 102:27; John 3:16, 4:24; I Timothy 1:17; Titus 1:3).

🔗✅ God the Father -- Supported

The UPDV supports this. God the Father -- eternal, personal, perfect in holiness, hearing prayer, saving through Jesus Christ -- is in the UPDV. All of Calvary's cited passages are present and support the stated doctrine.

🔗God the Son

God the Son We believe in the person of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings, his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people and personal, visible return to earth (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2, 8:58,11:25; I Corinthians 15:3-4; I Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; I John 1:2; Revelation 1:8).

🔗✅ The person and work of Christ -- Supported

The UPDV supports Calvary's main claims about the person and work of Christ, with the significant exception of the virgin birth (treated separately below). Several attributes find additional support in the UPDV's Epistle to the Greeks (an early Christian letter the UPDV includes -- see canon note in the Scriptures section above).

• Deity: John 1:1-2 ("the Speech was God"), Hebrews 1:8 ("Your throne, O God"), and Greeks 7:4 ("sent him as God").
• Preexistence and creator: John 1:1-2 and Greeks 7:2 ("the craftsman and builder of all things himself. By whom he created the heavens").
• Atoning death: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 and Greeks 9:2 ("the holy for the lawless, the harmless for the evil, the righteous for the unrighteous").
• Bodily resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, John 11:25 ("I am the resurrection, and the life").
• Ascension and intercession: 1 Timothy 3:16 ("Received up in glory" -- Calvary's own citation), 1 Peter 3:22 ("at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven"), Romans 8:34 ("makes intercession for us").
• Personal return: Greeks 7:6 ("For he will send him judging") plus the Second Coming section below.

Two of Calvary's cited verses are not at their cited form. Mark 16:19 is in the long ending of Mark (16:9-20), which the critical text identifies as a later addition; the ascension doctrine carries through 1 Timothy 3:16 above. Matthew 1:23 is omitted from the UPDV's reconstructed Matthew (the entire 1:18-25 birth narrative is cut); the virgin-birth proof-text question is treated in the virgin birth section below, where the UPDV's Isaiah 7:14 reading is also addressed.

🔗❌ The virgin birth -- Not Supported

The UPDV removes the usual proof-text basis on which the virgin birth is commonly argued. Its own article on the subject states:

Five distinct judgments -- translational, text-critical, editorial, and reconstructive -- converge to remove the textual basis on which the doctrine is commonly argued.

The five: Isaiah 7:14 reads "young woman" (Hebrew almah) not "virgin"; Matthew 1:18-25 is omitted as a later editorial addition; Luke 1-2 are not in the UPDV; Luke 3:23 reads "known as the son of Joseph" rather than "as was supposed"; Luke 1:34-35 (Mary's question to the angel) is not in the UPDV.

The UPDV's own article on the subject says the translation "takes no position on the event itself, only on the text." For purposes of this comparison, however, the practical result is significant: a reader looking to the UPDV for the usual explicit biblical proof-texts for the virgin birth will not find them. This is a material gap in support for Calvary's claim.

It is worth noting, however, that within historic Christian theology the doctrine of Christ's divinity has not been uniformly grounded on the virgin conception. To take one example, Joseph Ratzinger wrote that "the doctrine of Jesus' divinity would not be affected if Jesus had been the product of a normal human marriage," locating divine Sonship in the eternal Word rather than in the biological mechanism of conception. The textual finding here removes the proof-text basis Calvary cites; it does not address the underlying doctrine of Christ's full divinity, which Christians have also held on other grounds. Full discussion at The Virgin Birth — Text and Faith.

🔗God the Holy Spirit

God the Holy Spirit We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, Who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ (John 16:8-11; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26, 15:13,16; II Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 9:14). We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide (John 16:13, 14:16-17, 16:8-11; Romans 8:26). We believe in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit as a distinct and separate experience to that of regeneration, occurring either subsequent to or simultaneous with salvation, evidenced by a greater dynamic in the Christian's life, enabling that person to be a bold and more effective witness. The supreme evidence of the Spirit-filled life is the fruit of the Spirit, love. We believe in the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the instructions given to us (I Corinthians 12-14).

🔗✅ Person and work of the Holy Spirit -- Supported

The UPDV's text carries the standard attributes Calvary's cited proof-texts support.

• Personhood and personal action: the Spirit "convicts the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8-11), is "another Supporter... the Spirit of truth" (John 14:16-17), "will guide you⁺ into all the truth" (John 16:13), "himself makes intercession" (Romans 8:26), and divides "to each individually even as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11).
• Sanctification, transformation, and empowerment: the Spirit "sanctifies" (Romans 15:16), gives joy and peace "in the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13), and transforms believers "even as from the Lord the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Christ "through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God" (Hebrews 9:14).
• Gifts: 1 Corinthians 12-14 is present in the UPDV.

The one missing cited reference is Acts 1:8 (the promise of power for witness "to the uttermost part of the earth"). Acts is not in the UPDV. The Spirit-empowerment-for-witness theology is substantially preserved -- Mark 13:9-11 ("the good news must first be preached to all the nations... it is not you⁺ who speak, but the Holy Spirit"), UPDV Matt 24:10-12 ("a testimony to them and to the Gentiles... the Spirit of your⁺ Father who speaks in you⁺"), Romans 15:18-19 (Paul's mission to the Gentiles "in the power of the Spirit of God... from Jerusalem... even to Illyricum"), 1 Thessalonians 1:5 ("our good news did not come to you⁺ in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit"), and 1 Peter 1:12 (the preaching of the good news "by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven"). What is distinctively gone with Acts is the programmatic post-resurrection commission in Acts 1:8 itself -- Jesus's promise that the disciples will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them, set in the geographic outline "Jerusalem... Judea... Samaria... the uttermost part of the earth," which serves as the structural spine of the Acts narrative.

🔗⚠️ Procession (Filioque) and Spirit-baptism as a subsequent experience -- Partly Supported

Two claims in Calvary's paragraph extend specific theological positions beyond what any single UPDV proof-text states directly. The UPDV preserves substantial supporting evidence for both, but the specific framings rest on theological inference.

The procession "from the Father and Son" (Filioque). UPDV John 15:26 reads "the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father" -- the underlying Greek (παρά τοῦ πατρός) does not include "and Son." The UPDV does preserve substantial evidence Calvary's claim builds on: the Spirit is "the Spirit of Christ" (Romans 8:9), "the Spirit of his Son" (Galatians 4:6), and "the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:19); Christ "will send him to you⁺" (John 16:7); and the Spirit is "poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5-6). The Spirit's relation to the Son is well-attested across multiple UPDV texts; the specific dual-procession formula is a theological inference the UPDV's text does not directly state.

Baptism with the Holy Spirit as a distinct and separate experience. The basic Spirit-baptism language itself is preserved in the UPDV at Mark 1:8 ("he will baptize you⁺ in the Holy Spirit"), Matthew 3:11, and 1 Corinthians 12:13 ("in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body"). What is partly supported is Calvary's specific subsequent-experience framing -- that Spirit-baptism occurs subsequent to or simultaneous with salvation as a distinct event evidenced by greater dynamic. That doctrine rests primarily on Acts narratives (Pentecost, Samaria, Cornelius, the Ephesian disciples), and the UPDV does not include Acts. Several "Holy Spirit additions" in Luke (1:15, 1:41, 1:67, 4:1) are also moved to footnotes in the UPDV as probable editorial insertions. The Pauline Spirit-empowerment language is preserved (Romans 15:13, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Galatians 5), but the specific subsequent-experience pattern does not have its narrative basis in the UPDV.

🔗✅ Continuationism (present-day ministry of all biblical gifts) -- Supported

The UPDV preserves 1 Corinthians 12-14, and its wording supports reading the duration of the gifts in relation to eschatological completion rather than explicitly tying cessation to the apostolic period:

• 1 Corinthians 13:8-10: "Love never fails: but if [there are] prophecies, they will be done away; if [there are] tongues, they will cease; if [there is] knowledge, it will be done away... but when that which is perfect has come, that which is in part will be done away." The cessation is anchored to "when the perfect comes"; the text does not explicitly identify that moment with the apostolic age.
• 1 Corinthians 13:12: "For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face."
• Ephesians 4:11-13: Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the building up of the body "until we all attain to the unity of the faith... to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" -- a duration statement tied to attaining the fullness of Christ, not explicitly to the closing of the apostolic age.
• 1 Corinthians 14 preserves Paul's instructions for the exercise of the gifts in the church: "follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual [gifts]" (14:1), "do not forbid to speak with tongues" (14:39).

Calvary's continuationism claim -- that all biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit continue in present-day ministry "according to the instructions given to us (I Corinthians 12-14)" -- is supported by the UPDV's text. A cessationist reading typically identifies "when that which is perfect has come" with the closing of the canon or the end of the apostolic age; the UPDV's wording does not state that identification directly.

For Calvary's separate water-baptism claim (distinct from Spirit baptism above), see Water baptism in the Ordinances section below.

🔗Sin

Sin We believe that all people are sinners by nature and choice, falling short of God's standard and breaking His commandments -- and therefore are under God's righteous judgment. Yet, God saves and gives new life to all who come to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. At the cross, Jesus Christ died in our place as our substitute, absorbing God's wrath that should have come upon us. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world the invitation to believe is open to all, and whoever desires may come unto Jesus for new life and the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 11:28; John 3:16; Acts 3:19, 20:21; Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3, 8-9; I John 2:2; Revelation 22:17).

🔗✅ Sin -- Supported

The UPDV supports the doctrine. Sinners by nature and choice (Ephesians 2:3, "and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest"; Romans 3:23, "all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God"), salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:1-9, "by grace you⁺ have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves"), substitutionary propitiation (1 John 2:2, "he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world"), repentance (Mark 1:15, "repent⁺, and believe⁺ in the good news"; 2 Peter 3:9, "all should come to repentance"), and the universal invitation (John 3:16, Revelation 22:17, "let him take the water of life freely") -- all supported by passages present in the UPDV.

Three of Calvary's cited references are not in the UPDV at their cited form. Acts 3:19 and Acts 20:21 are in Acts, which the UPDV does not include. Matthew 11:28 ("Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest") is omitted from the UPDV's reconstructed Matthew — the verse is unique to canonical Matthew (no parallel in Mark or Luke), and the UPDV's reconstruction is built from material attested in Mark plus the Q sayings preserved in Luke. None of these missing verses are load-bearing for Calvary's repentance or universal-invitation claims: repentance is carried by Mark 1:15 and 2 Peter 3:9 (above), and the universal-invitation theme by John 3:16 and Revelation 22:17 ("he who is thirsty, let him come; he who will, let him take the water of life freely"); Wisdom-tradition language closely paralleling Matt 11:28 is preserved in the UPDV's Sirach -- most directly at Sirach 24:19 ("Come to me, you⁺ who desire me, and be⁺ filled with my produce"), a similar "Come to me, [audience], [promise]" formula; and at length in Sirach 51:23-27 ("Turn in to me, you⁺ unlearned... Bring your necks under her yoke, and let your soul bear her burden; she is near to those who seek her"). Jesus's direct address to weary disciples with an invitation to rest is preserved at Mark 6:31 ("You⁺ come yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile"). What is not preserved in one passage is Matt 11:28-30's fusion of the Wisdom invitation with Christ's own voice -- "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest... my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" -- so that the universal pastoral invitation is spoken directly by Christ. The Wisdom voice is in the UPDV; Jesus's invitation to rest is in the UPDV; Christ taking up the Wisdom invitation as his own is what is distinctive to Matt 11:28-30. Pastors using that verse in counseling will need the substitute texts above.

🔗Male Leadership in the Church

Male Leadership in the Church We believe in the pattern and principle of male leadership and responsibility in both the home and the church, according to the sacrificial example of Jesus. We believe this limits the roles of pastoral leadership and doctrinal authority to qualified men (I Corinthians 11:1-12; I Timothy 2:1-15). We believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all who are born again are a part of the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:15-16).

🔗✅ Male Leadership in the Church -- Supported

The UPDV supports this. All of Calvary's cited passages are present in the UPDV and support the stated restriction on pastoral leadership and doctrinal authority: 1 Corinthians 11:1-12 ("the head of the woman is the man"), 1 Timothy 2:1-15 ("I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man"), 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (the body is one with many members), and Ephesians 4:15-16 (Christ as head of the body).

🔗Ordinances

Ordinances We believe that the Lord, Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the church: the full-immersion water baptism of believers and the Lord's Supper (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; I Corinthians 11:23-26).

🔗✅ The Lord's Supper -- Supported

The UPDV supports this. Christ's institution of the Lord's Supper is in the UPDV in both passages Calvary cites: Luke 22:19-20 ("This is my body... This cup is the new covenant in my blood... this do in remembrance of me") and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ("the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was delivered up took bread... this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me").

🔗✅ Baptism as a Christian practice -- Supported

Baptism is plainly a standard Christian practice in the UPDV. The UPDV preserves Mark 1:5 (John baptizing in the Jordan), John 4:1-2 (Jesus's disciples baptizing), Romans 6:3-4 ("buried therefore with him through baptism into death"), 1 Corinthians 1:14-17 (Paul baptizing Crispus, Gaius, the household of Stephanas), 1 Corinthians 12:13 ("in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body"), Galatians 3:27 ("as many of you⁺ as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ"), Ephesians 4:5 ("one Lord, one faith, one baptism"), Colossians 2:12 ("having been buried with him in baptism"), and 1 Peter 3:21 ("baptism saves you⁺ now"). The baptism texts preserved in the UPDV connect baptism with repentant response, discipleship, or union with Christ.

🔗❌ Christ's institution of full-immersion water baptism as a church ordinance -- Not Supported

Calvary's specific claim -- that Christ instituted water baptism as an ordinance for the church via full-immersion -- has its load-bearing texts removed by the UPDV's textual choices. Calvary's two cited proof-texts for baptism as a commanded church ordinance are both absent: Matthew 28:19 (the direct dominical command, "make disciples... baptizing them") is omitted from the UPDV's reconstructed Matthew, and Acts 2:38 (the apostolic command, "be⁺ baptized every one of you⁺") is in Acts, which the UPDV does not include. No direct dominical baptism command equivalent to Matthew 28:19 is preserved elsewhere in the UPDV; John 4:2 explicitly notes that Jesus himself did not baptize. 1 Corinthians 1:17 also does not supply an institution command -- Paul says, "Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the good news."

Full-immersion as the prescribed mode is not explicit either. Mark 1:9-10 describes Jesus's own baptism in immersion-shaped terms ("baptized of John in the Jordan... immediately coming up out of the water"), and Romans 6:3-4 and Colossians 2:12 use burial imagery widely read as supporting immersion. But the UPDV's text does not prescribe immersion as the mandated mode over against pouring or sprinkling. A reader looking to the UPDV for Calvary's usual direct proof-texts that Christ instituted baptism as a commanded full-immersion ordinance will not find those texts. Full discussion at Baptism.

🔗Heaven and Hell

Heaven and Hell We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell and that all those who place their faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord. Those who reject Jesus' free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord (Psalm 9:17; Matthew 5:3, 5:22, 18:9, 25:31-34; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 12:5; John 3:18; Hebrews 12:23; I Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:10-11, 20:11-15).

🔗✅ Heaven and Hell -- Supported

The UPDV supports the doctrine. Literal heaven, literal hell, eternal life with Christ for those who trust him, eternal separation for those who reject him -- all supported by passages present in the UPDV.

• Heaven as the believer's inheritance: Hebrews 12:23 ("the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven"), 1 Peter 1:4 ("an inheritance... reserved in heaven for you").
• Hell as the destiny of the wicked: Psalm 9:17 ("The wicked will be turned back to Sheol"), Luke 12:5 ("Fear him, who after he has killed has power to cast into hell"), Mark 9:43-48 (hell as "the unquenchable fire," "where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched").
• Final separation by belief or unbelief: John 3:18 ("he who does not believe has been judged already"), Revelation 14:10-11 ("the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever"), Revelation 20:11-15 (the great white throne, the lake of fire, the Book of Life).

Four of Calvary's cited references are not in the UPDV at their cited form, with mixed status. Under the UPDV's reconstruction methodology, Matthew 5:3 ("Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven") is preserved at UPDV Matt 6:6 in its Lukan form: "Blessed [are] you⁺ poor: for yours⁺ is the kingdom of God." The phrase "in spirit" is not present in the Lukan form, and "kingdom of heaven" reads as "kingdom of God" — a real difference Calvary readers should know about, though the blessedness-on-the-poor-with-kingdom-inheritance teaching is preserved. Matthew 18:9 (the eye-pluck saying about being cast into "the hell of fire") is reconstructed in the UPDV at Matt 13:13-15 in its fuller Markan form (Mark 9:43-48), which includes hand, foot, and eye, with "the unquenchable fire" and "the hell of fire" language preserved.

Matthew 5:22 (anger and "Raca" and "fool" deserving "the hell of fire") and Matthew 25:31-34 — the opening of the larger Sheep-and-Goats judgment scene (Matt 25:31-46), "Come, you⁺ blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you⁺ from the foundation of the world" — are both unique to canonical Matthew with no parallel in Mark or Luke, and are omitted entirely in the UPDV's reconstruction. The hell-of-fire doctrine the 5:22 saying carries is preserved at UPDV Matt 13:13-15 (the eye-pluck above) and at Mark 9:42-49, which Calvary already cites. For Matthew 25:31-34, the doctrinal themes the parable carries are preserved elsewhere: the Son of Man judging in glory (UPDV Matt 12:12, "the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he will render to each man according to his activity"), the final separation of humanity (Calvary's already-cited John 3:18, Revelation 14:10-11, 20:11-15), and the necessity of mercy to the poor (James 2:13-17, Luke 16:19-31). The OT antecedent for the sheep-and-goats imagery itself is preserved at Ezekiel 34:17-22, where Yahweh declares: "I judge between sheep and sheep, the rams and the he-goats." What is lost is this specific parabolic frame -- Christ on his throne identifying himself directly with "the least of these my brothers," so that mercy or indifference shown to them is mercy or indifference shown to him. Pastors preaching specifically on this parable will find supporting texts for its main themes above, but the parable itself is gone.

🔗Christ's Second Coming

Christ's Second Coming We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is His personal, visible return to Earth and the establishment of His millennial kingdom, in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless separation of the wicked (Matthew 16:27; Acts 1:11; Revelation 19:11-16, 20:11-15). We believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church where all believers will meet the Lord in the air and be taken out of this world prior to the Tribulation that will come upon the earth (Isaiah 26:20; Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 21:36; Romans 1:18, 5:9; I Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-16, 5:9; II Peter 2:7-9; Revelation 3:10, 5:7-10, 7:13-14).

🔗✅ Christ's Second Coming -- Supported

The UPDV supports the doctrine. Christ's personal visible return, the millennial kingdom, the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, and eternal blessing or separation -- all supported by passages present in the UPDV. Most of Calvary's cited passages are present in their cited locations.

• Personal visible return: Revelation 19:11-16 ("KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS"), 1 Thessalonians 4:16 ("the Lord himself will descend from heaven"), Greeks 7:6 ("For he will send him judging").
• Millennial kingdom: Revelation 20:1-6 (the thousand-year reign).
• Resurrection of the body: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
• Final judgment, eternal blessing or separation: Revelation 20:11-15 (the great white throne, the Book of Life, the lake of fire).

Three references need a note. Acts 1:11 ("this Jesus... will come in like manner") is in Acts, which the UPDV omits. The personal-visible-return doctrine the verse carries is clearly preserved at 1 Thessalonians 4:16 ("the Lord himself will descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God") and Revelation 19:11-16, both already cited above. Matthew 16:27 (the Son of Man coming in his Father's glory to render to each man according to his works) is preserved at UPDV Matt 12:12: "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he will render to each man according to his activity." The verse number changes; the verse itself is intact. Matthew 24:29-31 is partly preserved and partly reconstructed: Matt 24:29 (the apocalyptic signs -- sun darkened, stars falling) is preserved unchanged at UPDV Matt 24:26; Matt 24:30-31 (the Son of Man on the clouds, the gathering of the elect) is reconstructed at UPDV Matt 24:27-28 in its Markan form (Mark 13:26-27) -- the Son of Man comes in clouds with great power and glory, and the angels gather the elect from the four winds. The Matthean specifics removed in the reconstruction include the sign of the Son of Man appearing in heaven, the mourning of all the tribes of the earth, and the trumpet; the personal-visible-return doctrine and the gathering of the elect are preserved.

On the Pre-Tribulation Rapture: the UPDV does not take an eschatological position on the timing of the rapture (Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulation) -- it is a translation, not a system. With Matthew 24:29-31 handled above as preserved at UPDV Matt 24:26-28 in partly Markan form, the remaining texts Calvary cites for the Pre-Trib argument (Isaiah 26:20, Luke 21:36, Romans 1:18, 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-16, 5:9, 2 Peter 2:7-9, Revelation 3:10, 5:7-10, 7:13-14) are all present in the UPDV in their cited form.

🔗Marriage

Marriage We believe that God created man and that He created them male and female. As such, He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. Therefore, we perform marriages in accordance with the Bible consistent with the Old and New Testament (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11,18-20, 7:1-3,8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; I Timothy 1:9-11).

🔗✅ Marriage -- Supported

The UPDV supports this. The creation pattern of marriage as male and female union, instituted at creation, and the NT condemnation of sexual immorality Calvary cites are both in the UPDV. The complementarity Calvary asserts ("He created them different so as to complement and complete each other") is consistent with Genesis 2:18 ("It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a matching helper for him"), where the woman is described as a "matching helper" for the man; the extension of complementarity to leadership roles in home and church is addressed in the Male Leadership in the Church section above.

One of Calvary's cited references is not at its cited form. Under the UPDV's reconstruction methodology, Matthew 19:4-6 is preserved at UPDV Matt 20:25-28, drawn from the Markan parallel (Mark 10:6-9): "But from the beginning of the creation, Male and female he made them. For this cause will a man leave his father and mother, and will stick to his wife; and the two will become one flesh: so that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate." The male-female creation pattern and indissolubility doctrine Calvary cites are preserved in the Markan form. The complementarity point is supported chiefly by Genesis 2:18 and Genesis 2:24. The doctrine also carries through the Pauline material Calvary cites (1 Corinthians 5-7, Ephesians 5, 1 Timothy 1), Romans 1:18-32, and Galatians 5:19-21.

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