Calvary Chapel Yuba City
Statement of Faith and Style of Ministry

Doctrinal Beliefs…

Calvary Chapel Yuba City has been formed as a fellowship of believers that Jesus Christ is Lord over all. Our greatest desire is to know Jesus Christ personally, and to become more like Him through the power of His Holy Spirit working within us.

Calvary Chapel Yuba City is not necessarily a denominational church, but neither are we opposed to denominations as such, only the over-emphasis of nonessential doctrinal differences that have led to division within the church, the Body of Christ. CCYC believes that the only true basis for Christian fellowship is the unconditional love of God, which is greater than any differences we possess and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians. Therefore, we welcome people from all different backgrounds and seek to show His love in everything that we do. In order to identify CCYC as conservative in theology and evangelical, we set forth this general statement of core beliefs:

1. God/Trinity…

CCYC believes in one God (Yahweh), eternally existent in three distinct personalities: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit, co-equal, co-eternal, sovereign and active in creation, providence and redemption. We believe that this one God created all things, upholds all things, and governs all things (Deut 6:4; Isaiah 44:6 and 45:5; Zech. 12:10; Mt. 3:16-17; Gen 1:1; Col 1:16-17; Rev 4:11; Heb 1:3; 1 Chron 29:11; Ps 103:19; Phil 2:10-11).

2. Jesus Christ…

CCYC believes that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and in His essential deity and perfect humanity; that He was God in human form, both fully God and fully man. We believe that God the Father sent Jesus the Son into the world to reveal to man the true nature of God (1 John 5:20), to reveal God’s love for fallen man (1 John 4:9), to become acquainted with man’s fallen condition (Heb. 2:18), to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), and to be the Savior of the World (John 3:17; 1 John 3:14). We believe in His virgin birth, that He was in all ways tempted as we are and yet without sin, that He suffered and died a physical death for the sin of mankind once for all as the only substitute for sinners, that He was resurrected bodily, that He ascended into heaven, that He lives today making intercession for Christian believers (“saints”), that He is the only Mediator between God and mankind, and that He will personally return to earth again physically in power and glory (Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:23; Jn. 19:28-30; Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:15-17; Isa. 44:24; II Cor. 5:21; I Pe. 1:18-19; I Cor. 15:3-4; Mt. 28:5-9; Ac. 2:22-28; I Cor. 15:20; Lu. 24:50-51; Ac. 1:9; Jn 14:3; Ac. 1:10-11; I Thes. 4:13-18; Rev. 22:7).

3. The Bible…

CCYC believes in verbal inspiration, infallibility, and total inerrancy of the Old and New Testaments (66 books) in their original writings as the revealed Word of God; their sole-sufficiency and final, ultimate authority in all matters of life, faith, and practice (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21; Psalm 119:105).

4. The Church…

CCYC believes that the church was instituted, and is directed, by Jesus Christ: we are His church. CCYC believes that the church is the “body” of Christ, and that it is made up of those drawn from every tribe, language, people and nation throughout history who are added to it by the work of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; the local expression of the church in the world is the gathering of believers under the headship of Christ for worship, fellowship, instruction, edification and evangelism. In short, we believe the church’s reason for being is 1) Exaltation – worshipping Jesus and bringing glory to God, 2) Edification – the “building up” of Christian believers for the work of ministry, and 3) Evangelism – sharing the good news of salvation with a world separated from God by sin. We hold to the practices of baptism (by immersion) and the Lord’s supper/communion (as a remembrance) as commanded by Jesus Himself; the priesthood of all believers and their unity in the Body of Christ; the separation of church and state (Acts 2:41-47; 20:17-32; Matt 28:16-20; Eph 4:11-16; 1 Cor 11:23-34; Ephesians 1:22–23, 1 Pet 2:5,9).

5. Creation…

CCYC believes in a literal and Biblical creation as set forth in the Book of Genesis, and that God is the Creator of all things.

6. Man…

CCYC believes in the creation of man in the image of God and for His own pleasure; the entrance of sin into the world through Adam’s disobedience; the fallen state of all mankind; their subjection to God’s wrath and condemnation; their responsibility to repent and believe the Gospel (Gen 1:27, Rom 3:23, 5:12, Acts 2:21; 16:30-31).

7. The Devil…

CCYC believes that Satan is a personal being; a fallen angel, formerly known as ‘Lucifer’; the “god of this age”; his actions are evil and his end is certain doom (2 Cor 11:1-15; 2 Pet 5:8-9; Rev 12:9-10; Matt 4:2-11; Isa 14:12-17).

8. Salvation/Justification…

CCYC believes that salvation – and the justification of the sinner – is the free gift of God offered to all people, and that it is by His grace alone through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. We believe that the lost and sinful man must be saved, and that man’s only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe in the eternal security of the believer (Jn. 1:12, 3:16, 10:9-10, 14:6; Ac. 4:10-12; Rom. 5:1; I Tim. 2:5; Titus 3:4–7; Gal 1:6-10; Rom 1:16 1 Cor 15:1-4; Jn 5:24; Eph 5:8).

9. Atonement…

CCYC believes in the real, physical suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross bearing the sin of mankind (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:24) justifying (Rom 5:9) and cleansing (1 John 1:7) us by His blood; making possible the forgiveness of sins and the reconciliation of all things to God. In His vicarious death on behalf of mankind, we believe that the payment for the sins of the world has been accepted by God, and that His righteous wrath has been satisfied once for all.

10. The Wrath of God…

CCYC believes that the wrath of God has been satisfied in the physical suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross on behalf of mankind. But, where God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ has been rejected, then God will be perfectly just in pouring out His righteous wrath on sinful mankind, either here on earth in a literal seven-year period known as the Tribulation, or for eternity in a real, physical place called hell.

11. The Holy Spirit…

CCYC believes in the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world today, by whose indwelling the Christian is regenerated, sanctified, enabled and empowered to live a Godly life. We believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in the world convicting men of sin. We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit, like salvation, is a gift from God and can only be received through faith. CCYC believes that the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in the church through spiritual gifts. We believe that these gifts are for the last days, and can therefore be expected to be present in the church today. We believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit should be exercised in accordance with Holy Scriptures, and that the greatest of these gifts and the only sure evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the agape love of God (John 16:8; I Pe. 1:2; Eph. 1:13-14; Jn. 16:7-15; Eph. 5:18; Luke 3:16; Acts 1:4-5; Luke 11:13; Gal 3:14).

12. Holiness…

CCYC believes that the Christian life should be a life of sanctification and holiness (1 Thess. 4:3-7; Heb 12:14; 1 Peter 1:15-16). Such a life cannot be lived through a person’s own efforts (Gal 3:3), but this life is a gift from God (Rom 6:22), a by-product of fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 3:18; Gal 5:13-16; 1 Thess 5:23). The Christian’s responsibility is to walk in the light of the Spirit (Gal 5; Rom 8; 1 John 1:7), to walk in faith (Col 2:6-7), to present our bodies a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1), to abstain from the lusts of the flesh (1 Pet 2:11), and to be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Eph 4:23) by sowing to the Spirit (Gal 6:8).

13. Eternity/The Future State…

CCYC believes in the unconditional immortality of the soul and the eternal judgment of both the righteous and unrighteous. We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the saved and the unsaved; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are unsaved unto the resurrection of damnation. We believe in the eternal joy in heaven of the believer; the conscious eternal punishment in hell of those who die unbelieving in Jesus Christ. We believe that those people not found written in the Book of Life, who have not obeyed the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, will be eternally punished by being cast into the lake of fire (Jn. 6:40; 1 Cor15; Rev. 20:11-15, 21:1-4).

The Millenium…

CCYC believes in the physical return of Jesus Christ to this earth. He will come in power and glory to take vengeance on all the enemies of God. He will come with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all men, to be glorified and admired in all that believe in Him, to reign on the earth for a literal one-thousand year period, and to establish His everlasting Kingdom. After He returns, the elements will be burned up with fervent heat and He will create new heavens and a new earth (Rev 19; Luke 21:27; 2 Thess 1:7-8;2:8; Rev 19:19-21; Jude 14; Col 3:4; 1 Thess 1:10; Rev 20:4; Dan 7:14; 1 Pet 1:11; Luke 21:33; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 21:1; Isaiah 65:17).

15. Eternal Security…

CCYC believes that a person remains eternally secure as long as he/she perseveres in the faith, continually trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation (John 15:2-6; Rom 11:22; 1 Cor 15:1-2; Col 1:21-23; 1 Tim 4:16; Heb 3:6, 14, 6:11-12, 10:35-39; 1 Pet 1:9; 1 John 2:24-25).

16. The Rapture…

CCYC believes in a literal, pre-tribulational rapture of the church, and that the church should constantly be ready for Christ’s imminent return. Those saints who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and shall ever be with the Lord Jesus Christ.

17. Marriage and Sex…

CCYC believes that marriage is an ordinance of the Church and instituted by God. CCYC defines “marriage” as the exclusive covenantal relationship of one man and one woman in which such union is a lifetime commitment. A civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognize as a legitimate marriage by the church only to the extent that it is consistent with the definition of “marriage” found in these articles. Furthermore, CCYC believes that legitimate sexual relations are exercised solely within marriage. Hence, sexual activities outside of marriage including but not limited to, adultery, premarital sex, homosexuality, and pedophilia are inconsistent with the teachings of the Bible and the Church. Further, lascivious conduct, transgender behavior, and the creation and/or distribution and/or viewing of pornography, are incompatible with the Biblical witness.

18. Unity…

CCYC believes in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Statement of Distinctives…

We hold to:

1. The inerrancy of Scripture.
2. The continuance today of the diversities of spiritual gifts as found in I Corinthians 12:4-11.
3. Simplicity in church government, rather than a complex bureaucracy.
4. A dependence upon the Holy Spirit to lead rather than fleshly promotion.
5. The pre-millennial, pre-tribulation return of Christ for His waiting Church.
6. The teaching of the Word of God in such a way that it can be applied to life as beneficial towards a growing maturity.

At any given time, certain issues may become controversial in the church. CCYC feels it necessary to take a stand in the following areas:

We Reject:

1. The teaching of “positive confession”.
2. The belief that true-Christians can be possessed by demons.
3. “Dominion theology” or “kingdom theology”.
4. A fatalistic Calvinistic view, which allows no room for free-will.
5. Prophecy that supersedes biblical scripture.
6. The teaching of “open theism”.
7. “Charismania” (the over-emphasis upon spiritual gifts, experiential signs and wonders, etc.), including the “Toronto blessing,” Slain in the Spirit, etc.
8. The worship, or veneration, of angels.
9. The teaching of “annihilationism;” that is, the belief that un-regenerate mans’ existence comes to an end with his death, and that hell is not a real place.

Description of Services…

At CCYC, we focus on a “personal relationship” with God through song, worship and prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God in our services. We teach both expositional and topical studies. We do not allow speaking loudly in tongues or the interruption of our services with prophesy if there is a Bible study in progress. It is not that we do not hold to the using of these gifts, but we believe that everything should be done “decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:40). We believe that God will not interrupt Himself. The dress is casual, the music contemporary, and the teaching style is relaxed and conversational.

CCYC believes that the worship of God should be Spiritual…
And so: We remain flexible and yielded to the leading of His Holy Spirit to direct our worship.

CCYC believes that the worship of God should be Inspirational…
And so: We give a great place to music in our worship.

CCYC believes that the worship of God should be Intelligent…
And so: Our services are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us how He would be worshiped.

CCYC believes that the worship of God is Fruitful…
And so: We look for His love in our lives as the supreme evidence that we have truly been worshipping Him.

Evangelism…

Concerning evangelism, we regularly participate and support evangelistic outreach ministries. However, our main belief concerning evangelism is that “sheep produce sheep”. We are convinced that as we continue to feed the flock of God by teaching them the Word of God, that they will “naturally” lead others to Christ.