What We Believe

Our Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Calvary Chapel Martin County's faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our senior pastor and the board of directors is the Church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.

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 and 48:16; Matthew 28:19-20; John 10:30; Hebrews 1:3).

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; Psalms 90:2; Psalms 102:27; John 3: 16 and 4:24; 1 Timothy 1:17; Titus I :3).

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. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:23; Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-2, 8:58 and 11:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 1:2; Revelation 1 :8; Colossians 1:15-18, 2:9).

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. We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding Helper, Comforter, Teacher, and Guide. We believe love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to be the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence and ministry within the believer.  We believe that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, either at the time of or subsequent to regeneration/salvation. We believe in the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit and in the exercise of all Biblical gifts and manifestations of the Spirit as expressed in love and orderly conduct for the edification of the Body of Christ (the Church) and individual believers.  We believe that love is more important than the most spectacular gifts, and without love, all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless. In our services, we focus on a personal relationship with God through worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God. We do not practice speaking in tongues during worship or while a Bible study is in progress because we do not believe that the Holy Spirit would interrupt Himself. God is not the author of confusion. These gifts are encouraged in more intimate settings, e.g. personal prayer times, and afterglow services where their benefit can accomplish the purpose for which they have been given - the edification of the body of Christ. (Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:18; John 16:8-11; Romans 8:26 and 15:13,16; Hebrews 9:14; Galatians 5:33; Ephesians 4:11-2; 1 Corinthians 12-14).

We believe that all the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, fully inspired by Him and without error in the original manuscripts.  We believe the Scriptures as assembled in the Bible to be the basis on which this church is governed and the standard of her faith and practice and that of every believer. We believe the word of God is living and active and able to divide soul and spirit and judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. We believe that the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures. We believe Jesus Christ to be the Living Word and the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. (Isaiah 28:13; Nehemiah 8:8; John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23-25; 2 Peter 1:3-4 and 1:21; John 1:1; Matthew 5:17).

We believe all people are by nature separated from God and 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 his/her personal Lord and Savior, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all of his/her sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God, destined to spend eternity with God. (Acts 8:15-17; Ephesians 2:1-3 and 8-9; Romans 3:23 and 5:8; Titus 3:5).

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, while 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 and 25:31-34; Mark 9:42-49; Luke 12:5; John 3:18; Hebrews 12:23; 1 Peter 1:4; Revelation 14:10-11 and 20:11- 15)

We believe that God created man and that He created them biological male and biological female. As such, He created them different so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between a biological male and a biological female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. Marriage has been instituted by God. This church defines marriage as the exclusive covenantal union of a biological man and a biological woman in which such union is a lifetime commitment. A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized as a legitimate marriage by the church only to the extent that it remains consistent with the definition of marriage found in these Articles. For this reason, homosexuality and all other "sexual preferences" or "orientations" are considered unnatural, sinful, and unacceptable to God. Accordingly, this ministry will not perform any marriage ceremonies between two individuals of the same sex. It will not condone or recognize such same-sex marriages, civil unions, or domestic partnerships even if the state passes laws that provide for recognition of such unions. We believe sexual activities such as, but not limited to, adultery, fornication, pre-marital sex, pedophilia, incest, polygamy, homosexuality, transgenderism, bisexuality, and bestiality are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the Church. Further, lascivious behavior, cross-dressing, transgender behavior, and the creation, viewing and/or distribution of pornography and efforts to alter one’s physical gender or gender related appearance are incompatible with a truly biblical witness. (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; John 4:16-18; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:9-11, 6:18-20, 7:1-3 and 7:8-9; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-7; 1 Timothy 1:9-11)

We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life. (Ps. 139).

We believe in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church when 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; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 4:13-16 and 5:9; 2 Peter 2:7-9; Revelation 3:10, 5:7-10 and 7:13-14)

We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is His personal, visible return to earth and the establishment of His millennial kingdom. We believe 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 universal Church, of which Christ is the Head and all who are born again are a part.  We believe local church government should be simple rather than a complex bureaucracy, and we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead, rather than on fleshly promotion.  (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 4:15-16; James 1:12-25, 2:12).

We believe worship of God should be spiritual; 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, we give great place to music in 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 on how He should be worshiped. We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to the individual's life, leading that person to a greater maturity in Christ.  We believe worship of God should be fruitful; therefore, we look for the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been truly worshiping Him. (John 4:23024; Galatians 522-23; 1 Chronicles 16:29)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances for the Church: (a) full immersion water baptism of believers, and (b) the Lord's Supper. (Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)  
We also believe that the Lord Jesus Christ validated the ordinance of marriage. (Matthew 19:4-5 and John 2:1-11)

We believe the Biblical teaching of both God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. We avoid any theological systems of belief that go beyond the written Word and thereby divide the body of Christ.  (Mark 8:34; John 7:17; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 7: Romans 9:14-33; Romans 10:9-13; Ephesians 1:3-14; James 1:22-25; Joshua 24:15).

We do not believe in "positive confession" (the faith movement belief that God can be commanded to heal or work miracles according to man's will); human prophecy that supersedes the Scriptures; the incorporation of humanistic and secular psychology into biblical teaching; the overemphasis of spiritual gifts and experiential signs and wonders to the exclusion of biblical teaching; or that true Christians can be demon-possessed. (Philippians 4:15-20; 1 Corinthians 12-14)

We believe in the laying on of hands for the sending out of pastors and missionaries, and in conjunction with the anointing of oil by the elders for the healing of the sick. (James 5:14; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6).

We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ's (agape) love, which is greater than differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)