THE TRIUNE GOD

We believe in the one triune God of the Scriptures who has always existed in eternal relationship as three distinct beings: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—each equal in power and glory and having precisely the same divine attributes. These shared attributes include but are not limited to omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, eternality, immutability, holiness, justice, mercy and love. This triune God is the sole object of our worship. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

GOD THE FATHER

We believe that God the Father is the holy, loving creator and sustainer of all things. He is sovereign over all that comes to pass though His purposes are often a mystery. He is transcendent over and distinct from His creation, but He is immanently working in it and providentially overseeing it. (Ps. 139:1-16; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph 1:11, John 5:17)

GOD THE SON

We believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God through whom all things were made. For man’s redemption he became human by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary and as a result is forever both fully God and fully man, possessing two natures in one person. We believe that he died for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day. He ascended to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God as Lord and High Priest of the church for whom he died and intercedes constantly. (John 1:1-2; Luke 1:35; Rom. 3:23-26; 1 Pet. 1:3-5; Heb. 7:25 9:24; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit is fully God, the Lord who imparts Christ’s new life to all who believe. At the moment of salvation, He indwells every believer, baptizes them into the body of Christ and seals them, guaranteeing their full and final redemption. He repeatedly fills believers with power in response to their surrender to Him for the purpose of glorifying God, serving each other, and witnessing to a lost world. (Acts 1:5-8; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; 2 Cor. 3:17-18; Gal 5:22-25; Eph. 1:13-14)

REVELATION, SCRIPTURE, AND AUTHORITY

We believe that God has revealed Himself in creation, in the Holy Scripture, and in Jesus Christ, who is the apex of His revelation to mankind. We affirm that all sixty-six books of the Bible are inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts and they are divinely authoritative in all they affirm. They cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the ultimate source of all doctrine, instruction, correction, reproof and training in righteousness. The end goal of the Scriptures is to have communion with God, to give wisdom for eternal life, and to equip believers for good works. (Ps 19; John 17:17; 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:14-17; Heb. 1:1-3; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)

HUMANITY

We believe that all human beings are created in the image of God and therefore have innate value to God. Through Adam’s disobedience, all humanity became sinners by nature and practice and as a result are alienated from God. The result of sin is death, both physical and spiritual. (Gen 1:25-27; Rom. 3:10-12, 22-23; 5:12-21; Eph. 2:1-3)

SALVATION

We believe Christ died on the cross as mankind’s substitute and has paid
the penalty for the sins of the whole world. We believe that this salvation from sin is the gift of God offered to all humanity by His grace and received only through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who believe receive a new nature, which is being conformed to the image of Christ. Genuine faith will manifest itself in works that are pleasing to God. (Eph. 2:8-10; Tit. 2:11-14). We believe that all true believers, having been justified, shall be kept saved forever; but we also believe that a believer’s personal assurance of salvation is due to their perseverance in keeping the faith. (Rom. 8:1, 38-39; John 6:35-40, 10:27-30; Phil. 1:6)

THE CHURCH

We believe the Church, described in the New Testament as the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit, is universally made up all who have believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. We also believe in the local expression of the church where believers gather to worship the triune God and to be taught the Scriptures. We believe this results in spiritual maturity as each member uses their God-given gifts and talents to live daily with Him, to encourage other believers, to evangelize the lost and to minister to the hurting. (Eph. 1:22-23, 5:25-27; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Matt. 25:31-46; 28:18-20) The local church is led by the elders who are responsible for the oversight of Christ’s church by shepherding God’s people, teaching the Word of God, and overseeing the administration of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (1 Tim. 3:1-8, 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Cor. 11:23-26, Rom 6:1-6; Luke 22:14-20)

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST AND THE END OF THE AGE

We believe that Jesus will come again in triumphant victory at the end of the age and reign over a new heaven and new earth. At that time all believers, whether alive or dead, will receive glorified physical bodies and live with Christ forever. We believe that no person can know with certainty the time of His coming but we are to live in eager expectation of it. We believe this eager expectation will lead to holy living. We also believe those who reject Jesus Christ in this life will be damned to an eternity away from God’s redemptive presence. (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 John 2:28-3:2; Revelation 19:11-19; 20:11-15; Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 15:20-58)

Finally, we believe this statement of faith to be an accurate summary of what the Scriptures teach. Agreement with this statement is expected of all partners of Cornerstone Community Church. We commit to refrain from promoting doctrines that are not expressed in this statement in a way that creates dissension and division. Also, we value the unity and well-being of Christ’s body more than our desire for self-expression or the desire to be right in a disagreement on non-Biblical matters.