OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
(Matthew 5:18, 2 Timothy 3:15-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 10:35)
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
(Genesis 1:26, Isaiah 6:8, Matthew 28:19, John 1:1, John 14:15-26, Acts 5:3-4,Romans 1:7, Philippians 2:5-6, Hebrews 9:14)
God the Father
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
(Isaiah 6:3, Jeremiah 9:24, Matthew 6:9, John 4:24, John 5:23-24, 5:37, 14:6, 1 Timothy 6:15-16)
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.
(Luke 1:26-38, 24:5-8, 24:50-52, John 1:1-2, 1:14, 3:16, 8:58; Acts 1:10-11; Romans 3:21-26, 8:34; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 9:11-14, 9:25-28, 10:10, 1 John 4:10)
The Holy Spirit
We believe in 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 all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.
(John 14:16-17, 26; Romans 8:9, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 13; 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 1:13, Titus 3:5)
Regeneration
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 2:38, 16:30-31, Romans 3:21-25, Ephesians 2:1-10, Titus 3:5-7)
The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered regularly until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
(Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 12:27, Ephesians 4:1-16, 5:22-23, Colossians 1:18)
Christian Conduct
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others, that their conduct should be blameless before the world, that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions, and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.
(Matthew 5-7, Galatians 5:16-26, Ephesians 4-5)
Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality
Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as a covenant between a man, a woman, and Himself, Cornerstone Baptist Church will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of Cornerstone Baptist Church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Cornerstone Baptist Church Members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by Cornerstone Baptist Church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by this statement on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behaviors or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the beliefs of Cornerstone Baptist Church.
(Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:18-25, Exodus 20:14, Matthew 15:18-20,1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 6:18-20, Hebrews 13:4)
Religious Liberty
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; therefore, church and state must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.
(Mark 12:17, Romans 13)
The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.
(Matthew 25:31-46, John 14:1-3, Acts 1:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Mark 13:24-29, Revelation 1:7, 20:11-15, and 21:1-27)
Human Life
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.
(Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 139, Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:16)
This Statement of Faith was adopted into our new Bylaws document on July 14, 2019 by the membership of Cornerstone Baptist Church.