What We Believe

The following paragraphs are a simple summary of what we believe as a church family. Every belief and teaching of Cornerstone Baptist Church is rooted in the Bible, God’s Holy Word. A more detailed doctrinal statement can be obtained from our church office.

The Bible is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. We believe it to be the Word of God, and in accordance with this, the verbal, plenary inspiration and preservation of its entirety, both the Old and New Testaments. For reasons of unity within the church and textual reliability, we choose to use the King James version of the Bible in all public services and throughout our entire ministry. (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)

We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each are co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and have the same attributes and perfections.

We believe Jesus Christ to be the one and only Savior of mankind. We believe Jesus Christ to be eternally God and to possess all the attributes of Deity. We further believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, that He was God incarnate, and that the purposes of the incarnation were to reveal God, to redeem men, and to rule over God’s kingdom. We believe Jesus Christ never relinquished any attributes of His Deity, but merely veiled them. We believe He lived a perfect, sinless life, at the end of which He was offered for all mankind as a substitutionary sacrifice for man’s sin. He was crucified on the cross, was buried in a tomb, and rose again on the third day. This sacrifice was a just payment to God for the forgiveness of sin, as He shed His blood on the Cross and was accepted by God upon His resurrection. We believe He ascended into Heaven after His resurrection to be seated at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the time of receiving His church at the Rapture, and returning seven years later to earth to rule and reign as King for 1,000 years. (Luke 1:30-55; John 1:1-15; Philemon 2:5-8)

We believe the Holy Spirit of God is a person of the Godhead who is presently indwelling and directing the development of believers and advancement of the gospel in the world. We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, makes believers children of God through the new birth, assuring them of Heaven, and by His indwelling enables Christians to live a life in the freedom of Christ. Every Christian receives the Holy Spirit the moment they place their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. While speaking in tongues was a sign to the early church of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, following the time of the apostles evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit is found in the fruit of the Spirit–love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. (John 3:5–6, 14:16; Acts 1:5, 11:15; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19–20; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 5:22-23)

We believe that all men are sinners by nature and choice, sinful and lost, and have within themselves no possible means of salvation apart from Jesus Christ. That sin separates man from God. We believe that in His love and mercy, God made a way for man to be saved from his sin. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Man can be forgiven of all his sins if he will confess his sin to God and put his faith in the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ. It is not what man does for God that reconciles him, it is what God has done for man. Repentance and faith in the Gospel of Christ is the way to be reconciled to God. Those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior are separated from God for eternity, but those who receive Jesus as Savior are adopted into God’s family and given His gift of eternal life. We believe that once a person is saved, they cannot lose their salvation. (Luke 24; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 1:20-23; I Peter 3:18)

God is a God of love, and He demonstrated that immense love for us in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He instructs us to love Him as well as our neighbor. Hence, the Christian life should outflow from a love for God, and not lived with the motivation of earning His love or favor. Also, we believe in following Jesus’ example and command in demonstrating love for others — for both believers and unbelievers alike. We strive to respond humbly, gently, patiently, and graciously to those who oppose the gospel. The church should be an environment where unconditional love flows from the grace of God at work in the heart of every believer. (Matthew 5:44–48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34–35; Romans 12:9–10, 17–21, 13:8–10; Philippians 2:2–4; 2 Timothy 2:24–26; 1 John 3:17–18)

We believe the church began with Jesus Christ and the calling out of the twelve apostles and was empowered on the day of Pentecost. We believe the church is God’s institution for advancing the gospel and doing His work in the world. We believe the local church is composed of members who have been saved and baptized according to the command of Christ, and have voluntarily united together for the purposes of Bible teaching, worship, prayer, fellowship, service, evangelism, and observance of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (communion). The church’s mission statement is found in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8, where Jesus commanded to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, baptize believers, and continue to teach them the Word of God until His return. We believe that the local New Testament church should be autonomous, free of denominational hierarchy. Christ is its head, the pastor is the under shepherd, deacons are servants to the church, and the Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice. The ordinances that Christ instituted for the church are the Lord’s Supper (communion) and believers’ baptism. (Matthew 16:16–18; Acts 1:15, 2:41–43, 11:15, 20:28; 1 Corinthians 15: 51–58; Ephesians 1:12–14, 5:25–30; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Timothy 3:4–15)

We believe in the literal interpretation of the Scriptures in their grammatical and historical context. We believe in the pre-tribulational Rapture of the church saints, followed by the seven-year Tribulation. We believe in the pre-millennial return of Christ to the earth and His literal rule of one thousand years. Following this one thousand years is the Great White Throne judgment and then the new Heaven and new earth. We believe we are now in the end times and that Christ’s return is imminent. We reject any date-setting for His return, as “no man knoweth the day nor the hour” of His return. We believe every believer should be looking for the coming of our Lord and Savior, and striving to live a holy life in anticipation of His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:51–58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, 5:1–9; Revelation 19–22)