Doctrinal Statements of
Cornerstone Baptist Church
The Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbal, plenary, and inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed and, therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to mankind. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)
We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 14:10, 26; 2 Cor. 13:14)
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead. (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Rom.8:34; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; 1 John 2:1-2)
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)
He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)
That God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. God
uniquely uses evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip believers in the assembly in order that they can do the work of the ministry. (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11, 28; Eph. 4:7-12)
The sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. Speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Cor. 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)
Mankind
We believe that man was directly created by God in His image, with a rational nature,
intelligence, volition and moral responsibility to God. It is God’s intention that man should glorify Him, enjoy His fellowship and live according to God’s Word.
(Isaiah 43:7; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11; Genesis 2:7, 15-25; James 3:9)
We believe that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and in himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)
We believe that when man is born, they are given a specific gender male or female, gifted by God to them. (Gen. 1:27-28; Psalm 139:13-16)
We believe that all are of “one blood,” share the sanctity of life, deserving of the respect and love owed to our neighbors. (Mark 12:31; Acts 17:26; Gen. 1-2)
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Therefore, any human life, born or unborn, is an “image-bearer” of God,
and their life must be regarded as sacred and of incalculable worth. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life in any case. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44; Gen 6:5)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God, brought to man by the grace and mercy of God, and that it is received when the repentant sinner responds in faith to the divine provision of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is the redemption and regeneration of a person, the eternal promise that their body, soul, and spirit will live forever with God, a gift that was accomplished by Jesus Christ, Whose life was sacrificed and precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins, and His resurrection overthrew the power of death and sin. (Matt. 12:31-32; John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:9)
The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers
We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are sealed by the Holy Spirit and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5)
We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Rom 6:1; 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)
The Church
We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused Bride of Christ, is solely made up of regenerate members. (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1 Cor. 3:9, 16; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet. 5:1-4)
We believe that within the Church there is no superiority of persons.
(Rom. 6; Phil. 3:9; Rom. 12:5-10; Eph. 4:1-6; Gal. 3:28-29)
We recognize baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the Church. (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 8:36-38; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)
We believe that the officers of the church (Elder/Pastor and Deacon) are reserved for men. (I Cor. 11; Titus 1; I Tim. 3)
Separation
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all sinful pleasures, practices, and immodesty. (Lev. 19:28; Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 2 Cor 6:14;7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11)
The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)
We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they will appear at the Great White Throne Judgement, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer ever-lasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)
We believe in the sovereign selection of Israel as God’s eternal covenant people, that she is now dispersed because of her disobedience and rejection of Christ, and that she will be regathered in the Holy Land and after the completion of the Church will be saved as a nation by the Lord Jesus Christ at His second coming. (Gen. 13:14-17; Rom. 11:1-32; Ez. 37).
We believe in the rapture of the saints, an event which can occur at any moment, and at that moment the dead in Christ will be raised in glorified bodies; and the living in Christ will be given glorified bodies without tasting death, and all believers shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:42-54; Phil. 3:20; Rev. 3:10).
We believe that the tribulation, which follows the rapture of the church, will be culminated by the premillennial revelation of Christ in power and great glory to sit upon the throne of David and to establish the millennial kingdom (Dan. 9:25-27; Mat. 24:20-31; Luke 1:30-33; Isa. 9:6-7; 11:1-9; Rev. 20:1-4). (Mal. 3:18; Gen. 18:23; Rom. 6:17-18; 1 John 5:19; Rom. 7:6; 6:23; Prov. 14:32; Luke 16:25; Mat. 25:34-41; John 8:21; Rev. 20:14-15)
We believe that Satan is an angelic being, the author of sin and an agent of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10)
Creation
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject any other unscriptural theories of origin such as evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution, etc. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11)
Civil Government
We believe all authority is appointed by God. Three of the basic institutions are: (1) the home, (2) the church, and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and accountable to His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other.
The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God. (Rom. 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 2:13-14)
Family Relationships
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one biologically born man and one biologically born woman in a single, exclusive union, for life, as delineated in Scripture. (Gen 2:18,22-24; Matt. 19:4-6; Mk. 10:6-9)
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 sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage.
(Gen 2:18-25; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23; 1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4)
The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are “an heritage from the Lord.” Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ex. 20:12; Deut. 6:4-9; Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mk. 10:6-12; 1 Cor. 7:1-16; Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-21; Heb. 13:4; 1 Pet. 3:1-7)
Missions
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to the nations: locally, nationally, and internationally. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)
Giving
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is directed to financially support his local church. We believe in the Church we are called to give offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)
Addendum
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members. All teaching and literature in the church shall strive to be in agreement with the Statement of Faith.