What We Believe

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a triune nature of equally divine persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory. (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel’s promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate. (Isaiah 53; John 3:16, 14:6; Romans 5:9-11)

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its sin through the Bible. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also seals, indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service. (John 3:5-8; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words and of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises. (2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12)

The Bible teaches man is created in the image of God. This creation is composed of six literal twenty-four hours days, the Lord resting on the seventh.

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In Adam’s representative headship, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed. (Romans 3:23, 6:23; 1 John 1:8-10)

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our new representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation. We believe repentance and faith are solemn obligations, and also inseparable graces worked in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We believe salvation is offered freely to all mankind, but only applied to those who believe. (John 1:12; Acts 20:21; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9)

We believe faith and repentance result in a position of imputed righteousness called justification. Every genuine believer is being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ in a growth process called progressive sanctification. The Bible lists a great chain of events in Romans 8:28-30 which result in the believers’ ultimate glorification and eternal security. (Titus 3:5-8; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5:25-27)

We believe that the true church began at Pentecost and comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest throughout the world in local churches, whose membership must be composed only of saved, baptized believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer. He has also ordained and provided two offices for the local church: Pastors (pastors/elders/bishops) and deacons. 

We believe loving fellowship between Churches and among believers is commanded, but that it is the result of a common faith and practice. As a matter of holiness, and Gospel preservation we will advance the fundamentals of the Faith, and a separatist position toward those who do not hold to the fundamentals. We believe there are four aspects of this Biblical separation:

• Political separation is the separation of the Church from the State.  Please see the section on Civil Government (Luke 20:25).
• Personal separation is the separation of the believer from the world and unto God in order to glorify Him. (Joshua 24:15; Ephesians 5:15-18; I John 2:15-17; Titus 3:10; II John 10:11; I John 4:1).
• Ecclesiastical separation is the separation of the church from religious error. We believe the local church should have no cooperation with or be in fellowship with churches, religious leaders, or religious institutions that are not of like evangelical faith or practice.  (Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 5:1-3; Philippians 1:1; Jude 3-4).  We believe loyalty to Christ demands separation from gospel believing individuals, groups, or churches, who after admonishment are content to walk with churches, religious leaders, or religious institutions who practice gospel perversion and confusion. (II Corinthians 6:14-17; II John 10-11; II Timothy 4:2-4).
• Brotherly separation is the separation of the believer from an erring/sinning brother. We believe that we must separate from those who continue in disobedience to the Word of God. This includes the trouble maker, the disorderly, and the immoral brother (Matthew 18;15-20; II Thessalonians 3, 6, 14, 15; Romans 16:17; I Corinthians 5:11).

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts (worldliness), we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.

God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all peoples, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed. (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:10; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Matthew 5:13-16)

We believe in the personal, bodily, pre-tribulational, and pre-millennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God the Father, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service, and energetic mission. (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 19:11-16)

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving by faith the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. (Matthew 24:1-31; Acts 20:31; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 21:22)

We believe marriage has been instituted by God and continues today. This church, therefore, affirms marriage is to be the exclusive lifetime covenantal union of one man and one woman as portrayed in the Genesis 2 account, and reaffirmed by our Lord in Matthew’s Gospel. Marriage is defined by God as between a person born male and a person born female, the only gender identities God creates. Since Marriage was created by God before the institution of human government, a civil government’s sanction of a union will be recognized by the church only to the extent that it is consistent with this Biblical definition.  

We encourage reconciliation as the goal in the middle of martial difficulty for all our members. We require exemplary family living of our pastor(s), and therefore will only consider a man for this position who has never divorced. (Genesis 2:22-25, Matthew 19:4; Ephesians 5:31; Hebrews 13:4; I Timothy 3:1-8)

God has blessed the covenantal union of one man and one woman with legitimacy and sexual intimacy. Hence, sexual activity outside of marriage (referred to in the New Testament as “porneia”) 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, distribution, and viewing of pornography, are incompatible with Biblical witness. Telling people, the truth about God, sin, and salvation is not hateful nor is it lacking in respect. (Romans 1:18, 26-32; I Thessalonians 4:1-7; Galatians 5:3-5).

We believe human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Therefore, we believe eugenic, or otherwise elective abortion to be murder. We also believe that God graciously forgives sin, and that believers are to not to judge the one whom God has forgiven.

We believe a husband and wife may take the life of a child in the womb (therapeutic abortion), if the mother’s life is in imminent medical jeopardy, because the marriage covenant of protection proceeds first. We vow to nourish a family in the hour of their crisis regardless of their decision.

We believe the individual Christian, our church, and all Bible-believing Churches should be a voice for the unborn in our society.

We believe civil government is bestowed authority by God for the protection of human life, and for the welfare of society. Individual believers are to be subject to, pray for, remit taxes, and honor authority as the ministers of God. We encourage responsible stewardship of political freedoms to glorify Christ and influence society as salt and light. The believer and the Church may disobey civil governing authorities only when government is directly opposed to the stated will of God in Scripture (i.e. restricting Gospel proclamation, teaching on marriage, or human sexuality).

We believe the separation of Church and State means that each is to render service to God in different spheres, and for different purposes. Neither is to dictate to the other, nor are they to form a union. We do not believe that separation of Church and State forbids their mutual interaction and/ or recognition. 

We believe members of Cornerstone Baptist are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against one another or the Church to resolve disputes. This church will cooperate with governing authorities in mandatory reporting issues that are criminal in nature.

(Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:1-7; Acts 4:18-20; I Corinthians 6:1-8)