What We Believe

The purpose of Calvary Chapel Turlock is to glorify God by worshipping Him and serving Him in obedience to His Holy Word in every endeavor and application of this ministry.

We believe that the call of the church is to proclaim the Word of God, to care for the saints, to administer the ordinances of the New Testament (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper), and to actively support the making of disciples locally and across the world.

We believe that Christ is Head of the church. We believe that our local church is part of the greater universal church, and that we consist of those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, have been baptized in obedience to His word, and profess personal faith in His saving work through death, burial, and resurrection.

We believe 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.

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, 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 who come to Him by faith through Jesus Christ His Son.

We believe Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Godhead, fully God, coequal, coeternal, and coessential in divine nature with the Father.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He left His place in heaven to be born of a virgin through the miracle of divine conception by the Holy Spirit. He emptied Himself, not of His Divine essence, nor by the surrender of His full deity, but rather by voluntarily veiling His glory in taking on human flesh and becoming a man.

We believe that Jesus is the Revelation of God, the one and only Savior of mankind, the only Mediator between God and man, the only way to God, and Judge of all men.

We believe that Jesus in his humanity was virgin born, that He lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died as the perfect substitutionary atonement for our sins, bodily resurrected, ascended into heaven, and makes personal intercession for His people.
We believe that Jesus died as the perfect and complete sacrifice of God, satisfying the wrath of God in a substitutionary death, bearing the full weight and penalty of sin on the cross, dying for the entire world, and yet providing salvation only for those who believe.

We believe Jesus will literally, physically, and visibly return to earth in a second coming as taught by scripture. We believe that the second coming will be revealed in resurrection of the dead in Christ, the rapture of the church, the tribulation of the world, the manifestation of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords, and a literal millennial kingdom with Jesus as its King.

We believe that Jesus will judge all men in righteousness, that He will punish unrepentant sinners and reward those who live by faith in Him.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower in ministry all who believe in Christ.

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe that Jesus baptizes the believer with the Holy Spirit for power and for service unto Him. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and in all of the spiritual gifts as clearly given in scripture.

We believe in the continuity of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and that His purpose and work within the church is not abrogated or diluted with the passage of time.

We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We believe that He regenerates all who come to Christ by faith.

We believe all men are sinners by nature and by choice. We believe that all men are therefore condemned under the perfect standard of a holy and righteous God. We believe that all who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are saved from the penalty of sin, are born again unto eternal life, and are brought into fellowship with God.

We believe that the gift of salvation is by the grace of God and is offered to all, as God is not willing that any should perish, but that salvation is only received by grace through the faith of a repentant sinner. We believe that genuine repentance from sin is a necessary act and sign of true faith. We believe that salvation apart from Jesus Christ is impossible.

We adhere firmly to the biblical teaching of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. We avoid any theological system of belief that goes beyond the written Word of God and thereby divides or confuses the body of Christ to the true nature of salvation and sanctification.

We believe that all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament contained in sixty-six separate books are the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, and that they are the infallible rule of faith and practice, and therefore the sole and final authority for the church.

We believe that every word of the Bible’s original manuscripts are God-breathed. Therefore Scripture is inspired, inerrant, infallible, and completely sufficient for doctrine and instruction.

We believe the Scriptures are sufficient for instruction in godliness and righteousness, are superior to human understanding and wisdom, and as the complete revelation of God, shall not be added to or taken away from.

We believe that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and that teaching the Bible in its entirety is therefore the greatest and most effective way of reaching people for Christ and raising up disciples for the work of the ministry.

We believe that Christians are called to live for the glory of God, to love their neighbors as themselves, to be faithful stewards of their possessions, and to grow in the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We believe in a literal account of creation as described in the Book of Genesis. Although we recognize that there are varying viewpoints among believers regarding the actual time-frame of creation, we hold to a literal 6-day supernatural creation as described in the Book of Genesis.

We believe that marriage is ordained by God and therefore can only be the union of one man and one woman as He so clearly delineates in Holy Scripture.

We believe that there is a literal devil, called Satan, who deceives the world and seeks to defeat the work of God. We believe he can be resisted by Christians through the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells all true believers.

We believe that Israel has a special place in God's plan and that the promises of God to Israel will one day be fulfilled literally. Gentiles and Jews are saved in exactly the same way, by grace through faith, but there is a future time when all of Israel will be saved.

We reject the belief that Christians can be demon possessed. Christians can be harassed by the demonic realm, but they cannot be possessed or controlled by them.

We reject the doctrine of positive confession or word of faith wherein human beings can by their words obligate God to action, and that therefore all sickness and poverty is the result of a lack of faith and confession. We believe that we live in a fallen world and that Christians will experience difficulties and hardships in this life, and that our true reward is eternal life in heaven.

We reject the belief that human prophecy can supersede the Word of God. We believe that the Bible is the final authority and the complete Word of God, and that no teaching or prophesy that contradicts the Bible or adds to it can be true.

We reject the unbiblical use or emphasis of spiritual gifts or experiential signs. We believe that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to the church today and that they are to be exercised decently and in order exactly as scripture defines for the edification of the church.

We reject many aspects of the "Seeker Friendly" and "Emergent Church" movements. Specifically, we reject a man centered approach to growing the church, instead relying fully and completely upon God’s Holy Spirit to build His church.

We reject the "Social Gospel.” Although we appreciate the importance of caring for people and alleviating their pain and suffering, we believe that man’s greatest need is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation that He alone provides. Our greatest emphasis is spiritual therefore, preaching the gospel and making disciples in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe worship of God should be inspirational; therefore, we give great place to music in our worship.