Statement of Faith Summary
Placing our faith totally in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and accepting the Word of God as our absolute authority in all matters of faith and conduct, we, as members of the Cornerstone Bible Church, affirm our belief in these distinctive principles of the Christian faith.
1. The Bible as the inspired, inerrant Word of God.
2. The one, true living God, co-existing as three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. The deity of Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, Who died on the cross, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and is coming again.
4. The Deity, person, and work of the Holy Spirit.
5. The sinful nature of man.
6. Salvation is a gift of God’s grace to all who repent of their sin and put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
7. The church as the body of Christ. The local church is composed of born again people joined together for worship, instruction, fellowship and service.
8. The ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
9. The proclamation of the gospel through all the world.
Foundational Commitments
Commonly referred to as the five solas, these truths are foundational commitments we hold from the word of God.
Scripture Alone: We are committed to Scripture as the final authority in all that we believe, teach, and do at Cornerstone. 2 Timothy 3:16–17
Faith Alone: We are committed to the biblical doctrine of salvation through faith alone which was recovered wonderfully during the reformation. Good works are a fruit of faith; however, those works form no part of the basis of our salvation. We are saved for good works, not by our works.
Grace Alone: We are saved by the sheer unmerited favor of God; by his free grace. There is nothing in us now, nor did God foresee anything in us, that merited anything good from him. We are by fallen nature and action, sinners, children of wrath, deserving only judgement, but God in his grace saves sinners!
Christ Alone: The person and work of Christ saves sinners. Christ is God-the-son come in the flesh. Human nature and divine nature united in one person. As the eternal son of God incarnate, Christ lived a perfect life in fulfilment of the law, died a substitutionary death on the cross bearing the wrath of God in place of his people, rose again on the third day for our justification, and ascended to the right hand of the Father to reign until he comes again. There is salvation in Christ alone, and nowhere else.
The Glory of God Alone: The ultimate end of the saving work of the triune-God is his own glory. As we look back through the corridors of history and forward to the bright end (or beginning) of all things in the light of the Lamb on His throne we see it all bend to that one, great, supreme goal: the display of his glory. Amen!
Teaching Positions and Theological Distinctives
Below you will find information on the teaching positions of Cornerstone that go beyond the core beliefs required for membership. The following confession of faith and theological distinctives contain some areas of conviction that are debated even among Bible-believing, gospel-preaching churches. Because of that, complete agreement with the Confession of faith noted below isn’t necessary for fellowship with us at Cornerstone. However, we do want you to clearly understand what our teaching and preaching will align with.
Our Elders broadly subscribe to the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, which is a reformed confession.
It is available to read here. A careful reading of this confession will not only help you to understand the doctrine proclaimed, taught, and loved by our elders/pastors, you will also find it edifying and even devotional. We recommend that everyone read this confession.
Some categories of conviction you can expect from the pastors/elders of Cornerstone Bible Church would also include:
Reformed Doctrine of Salvation or “Calvinism”
God saves sinners. He does so freely and sovereignly. We cannot save ourselves, we cannot contribute to our salvation, and we cannot earn salvation. Praise the Lord for his electing, seeking, and saving grace!
Genesis 50:20; Exodus 4:11, 21, 7:3–5; Psalm 33:10–11, 15; Proverbs 21:1; Isaiah 46:9–10; John 3:1–21, 6:37–44, 10:28–29, 9:3, 12:37–43, 17:2, 9; Acts 2:23, 4:26–28, 13:28, 48, 26:18; Romans 8:28–32, 9; Ephesians 1:3–14, 2:8–9; Philippians 2:13; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 1:2, 2:8–9
Biblical Understanding of Humanity
In a world that continues to supress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18) we are not surprised that there is rampant confusion over the basic identity of humans as male and female. Indeed, there is a concerted effort by many to trample the dignity of humanity as created in God’s image, to destroy the distinctions God has assigned to male and female respectively, to deceive concerning the goodness and unalterable reality of being male or female, to distort the gospel picture of godly difference of headship/submission in biblical marriage, to eradicate the differing functions of male and female in the home, in the church, and in the world.
We unapologetically affirm and teach the good distinctions God has created, proclaim the glorious restoring work of the Spirit of God by his word, seek to be continually renewed by the word of God in living out of our masculinity or femininity, and reform our practice in marriage, church, and society accordingly.
Genesis 1:26–27, 2:18, 1 Corinthians 11:3, 5–12; 7:4–5; Ephesians 5:15–33; Colossians 3:18–4:1; 1 Timothy 2:9–15, 3:1; Titus 1:5–6; 1 Peter 3:1–7
Theology, Agreement, and Church Membership
We do not believe that comprehensive doctrinal understanding, maturity, and agreement are required for church membership. In other words, there are central truths focused on the fall and need of humanity, the person and work of Christ, the being and character of God, and the nature and authority of the word of God that must be affirmed for a credible profession of faith. However, there are areas of biblical teaching and theological understanding which we grow into and take time to understand. Membership at Cornerstone requires adherence to our statement of faith, however, on the issues outlined above we simply seek a posture of teachability and a willingness to not be contentious on these points.