calvary chapel core beliefs

Calvary Chapel has been formed as a fellowship of believers in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our supreme desire is to know Christ and to be conformed into His image by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not a denominational church, nor are we opposed to denominations as such, only their over-emphasis of the doctrinal differences that have led to the division of the Body of Christ. We believe that the only true basis of Christian fellowship is His (Agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.

 

In the year 2000, Pastor Chuck Smith released a book titled, Calvary Chapel Distinctives.  The book's sole purpose was intended to bring an understanding and awareness of what makes Calvary Chapel unique from other churches and denominations.  Calvary Chapel Distinctives lays out the basis and value for our core beliefs from within the Calvary Chapel of  churches.  Each Calvary Chapel is run as its own church entity (non-denominational) and does not get marching orders from a headquarters.  Not every Calvary Chapel is the same in regard to their emphasis on certain characteristics, however, in order to call yourself a Calvary Chapel, there is a fundamental agreed upon and supported view of the Calvary Chapel Distinctives, as outlined in Chuck Smith's book.

 

BULLET POINTS TO CALVARY CHAPEL DISTINCTIVES:

 

GOD'S MODEL FOR THE CHURCH

Acts 2:42, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."

• Doctrine - The words Jesus taught His disciples
• Fellowship - Koinonia (in Greek)
• Breaking of Bread - Communion, but could also mean enjoying a feast
• Prayers
• Not elevating the pastor, but elevating Jesus

 

CHURCH GOVERNMENT

• Is ruled by a bishop/overseers (like Moses)
• Calvary Chapel by and large is a Moses run model and not a congregation ran or board run
• We still have boards in place for accountability, to support and give wise counsel, and to conduct business as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

• Three-fold relationship of the Holy Spirit.  Which Chuck references with three Greek prepositions:

• The empowering of the Holy Spirit, also called "The Baptism of the Holy Spirit," or "Being filled with the Spirit," or "The gift of the Spirit," or "The empowering of the Spirit."

• There is a difference between being filled with the Spirit and having the Spirit flowing out of your life.
• Since we believe we are saved by God's grace, apart from our own works or merit, we place a great emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering and enabling God's people to live lives that please Him. This emphasis is seen in our reliance on prayer rather than programs.

 

BUILDING THE CHURCH GOD'S WAY

• Relaxed style
• No hype, gimmicks, programs
• It is God who adds to the church
• Matthew 16:18, "Upon this Rock I will build my church."

 

GRACE UPON GRACE

• A ministry of grace...restoring the fallen
• Just as police officers and paramedics come along side to aid those in distress, so should the church
• We are a hospital!
• Where there are people, there are wounded...we need to realize that when we come together
• Err on the side of grace rather than on the side of judgment
• Calvary Chapel is non-denominational...it is not branded so as to be polarized (Polarized meaning to "disrupt the status quo. Being inherently divisive, often loved and hated in equal measure." (i.e. Baptist, Presbyterian, etc.)

 

THE PRIORITY OF THE WORD

• 1 Timothy 4:13, "Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."
• Acts 20:27, "For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God."
• Isaiah 28:13, "But the word of the LORD was to them, 'Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,' That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught."
• Expositional style...generally not topical.  We are currently going through the book of Romans, verse-by-verse, and we will continually making our way through the rest of the New Testament until Revelation.
• We don't utilize or rely heavily on commentaries.  One of the best commentaries on the Bible, is the Bible itself!
• We make a huge emphasis on the Bible.  Since the Bible is the ultimate authority for faith and practice, we make the study of the Scriptures a focal point of our ministry. Our pattern of study is verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and book by book, right through the Bible. This way we avoid "pet" topics or a skewed look at God. Learning the "full counsel of God" is our prime directive.

 

THE CENTRALITY OF JESUS CHRIST

• The focus is on Jesus and NOT man (i.e. distractions in worship and service).
• No allowance for interrupter dancing.
• No allowance for artistic skills to paint during worship.
• No allowance of flag waving.
• 1 Corinthians 1:29, "That no flesh should glory in His presence."

 

THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

• Is a future event where all Christians will be taken up instantaneously when the Lord decides.
• We believe in a pre-rapture viewpoint, in which that blessed event will happen prior to the start of the 7-year tribulation period.
• Chuck Smith - "There are many pastors who claim an ignorance of the Rapture or say that they are not certain whether it will precede the Tribulation. They say they don't really know where they stand on this issue. I don't believe there is any excuse for not having a position on this issue. We have our Bible and we're capable of studying this subject thoroughly. I believe that your view of the Rapture will have a significant impact on the success of your ministry."
• The rapture is distinct from Jesus' second coming. The rapture is Jesus coming for His church. Jesus' second coming is Jesus coming with His church.

 

HAVING BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT

• God uses ordinary men to accomplish extraordinary things.
• 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."

 

THE SUPREMACY OF LOVE

• It's better to have the right attitude, than having the right answers. If I have the wrong answers, God can change that with me, in a moment, but it can take a lifetime to change a wrong attitude.
• The primary sign of spiritual growth is the fruit of the Spirit - Love. Therefore, we place an emphasis on mutual ministry and genuine care for one another.
• Having love is far greater than any giftings of the Spirit.
• Having compassion is a hallmark.

 

STRIKING THE BALANCE

• We take a neutral ground on sensitive topics and matters (i.e. losing salvation).
• We do not believe in the overemphasizing of the gifts of the Spirit.

 

VENTURES OF FAITH

• A strong belief and emphasis on taking ventures of faith.
• "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
• Romans 8:31, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
• Having begun in the Spirit, we don't want to be made perfect in the flesh.