STATEMENT OF BELIEF
The church subscribes to the following beliefs as those upon which we will not compromise:
GOD
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe God is both sovereign and personal, and that He desires an intimate relationship with humanity.
JESUS
Intimacy with God begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. We believe Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, provided for our salvation by dying on a cross, was raised from the dead and ascended back to the right hand of the Father where He intercedes for us today. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and gather His church.
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity who permanently indwells every believer for fellowship with the Creator, spiritual worship, personal holiness and building up the Church. He enables and guides the believer in understanding the Word of God and empowers the believer for evangelism and meeting needs. He convicts mankind of sin and calls all people to Christ the Savior.
THE WORD OF GOD
We believe in the Scriptures and that both the Old and New Testaments are the inspired and infallible Word of God. The Bible is our final, absolute authority.
THE CHURCH
We believe in one Church composed of believers from every race, nation and denomination who, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, have been transformed by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ, of which He is the head. The local Church is an independent body of believers who by choice are bonded for worship, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship and meeting needs. We believe the two ordinances established by Jesus Christ…scriptural believer’s baptism (by immersion) and the Lord’s Supper… are integral parts of Church life. “Ordinance”, by definition, indicates that while these two events are very important in the life of the believer, neither is necessary for salvation.
WORSHIP AND PRAYER
We believe God created us for fellowship with Him and for worship of Him. Therefore we seek a lifestyle of passionate, authentic and continuous worship. We believe prayer connects us to God, communicates our love for and total dependence on Him, and is our means of intercession on behalf of our community and world. As such, both individual and corporate prayers are vital parts of every Christian’s walk.
MINISTRY AND EVANGELISM
We believe that every believer should pursue his or her passions for ministry through God’s calling and enabling, resulting in the transforming of the world as commissioned by Christ in Matthew 28:19-20. We believe that spiritual gifts, as taught in the scriptures, are still in existence today. We at Cornerstone, since the establishment of this church body, have felt led of the Lord to not incorporate the use of the gift of tongues in our corporate worship setting. We know that Satan has used this gift as a divisive issue in many churches, causing unnecessary and destructive struggles within the body. We certainly have no issue with those who, as Paul taught, use their gift of tongues in their private, personal time with the Lord.
SALVATION AND DISCIPLESHIP
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but that sin separated man from God. Salvation from eternal separation in hell is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. Salvation is a restored relationship with God that sets believers apart for His purposes, resulting in abundant life and eternal rewards in heaven. We believe that all who are saved are disciples of Jesus Christ and that the Church should equip and train new believers in all areas of Christ-like living.
STEWARDSHIP AND MISSIONS
As believers in Christ, we are entrusted with many special gifts, the most precious of these being the saving knowledge of our Lord and King. It is our mission and obligation as stewards of God’s blessings to donate our time and resources to support the Church in spreading within our community and around the world the one true message of salvation.
