1.
THE HOLY BIBLE: We believe in the verbal inspiration
of the Holy Bible—both the Old and New Testaments
(II Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; I Peter 1:23-25; II
Peter
1:19-21).
2.
GOD: We believe in one God revealed in three Persons:
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew
3:16-17, 23-29; John 17).
3.
MAN: We believe that man, in his natural state, is
a sinner who is lost, undone, without hope, and without
God (Romans 3:19-23; Galatians
3:22; Ephesians 2:1-2, 12).
4.
DIVINITY AND HUMANITY OF CHRIST JESUS: We believe that
Jesus Christ of Nazareth is God come in the flesh and
that He is both divine and human (Luke
1:26-38; John 14:1-3; Acts 2:36; 3:14-15; Philippians
2:5-12; Hebrews 1:3-15).
5.
BLOOD ATONEMENT: We believe in the saving power of
the blood of Jesus Christ and His imputed righteousness
to all who believe on Him with faith (Acts
4:12; Romans 4:1-9, 5:1-11; Ephesians 1:3-15).
6.
BODILY RESURRECTION: We believe in the bodily resurrection
of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:39-42;
John 20:24-29).
7.
ASCENSION: We believe that Jesus Christ ascended to
the Father and is presently seated at the right hand
of the Father making intercession for us (John
14:1-6; Romans 8:34).
8.
SECOND COMING: We believe in the visible, bodily return
of Jesus Christ to this earth to gather His Church
(Bride) and judge the world (Acts
1:10-11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians
1:7-10; James 5:8; Revelation 1:7).
[Note: It is not necessary that we all believe alike
concerning whether He is coming before, during, or
after the Great Tribulation.]
9.
SALVATION: We believe that the terms of salvation are
repentance toward God for sin and a personal, heartfelt
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which results in regeneration
of the person. This salvation is entirely by grace
of our Lord and not of works. Works are excluded except
as fruit of salvation (Acts
3:19-20; Romans 4:1-5, 5; Ephesians 2:8-10).
10.
LOCAL CHURCH: We believe that the Church of the Lord
Jesus Christ is a local expression of a body of believers
who have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. These believers are under recognized,
delegated authorities, and they assemble to worship,
carry forth the Great Commission, and minister as the
Holy Spirit leads (Matthew
16:18; 28:19-20; Acts 2:40-47; 20:28; Ephesians 5:22-32;
I Timothy 3:15).
11.
ORDINANCES: We believe that the two ordinances of the
Church are water baptism and communion (The Lord's
Supper) (Matthew 3:15-16
and 28:19-20; Acts 8:38; Romans 6:1-4; Luke 22:13-20).
12.
SEPARATED LIFE: We believe that believers should seek
to practice, as the early disciples did, the separated
life from the world and unto Jesus Christ and to set
standards of conduct which shall exalt out Lord and
His Church (Romans 12:1-3;
II Corinthians 6:17; Galatians 6:14; Ephesians 5:11;
Colossians 3:17).
13.
HEAVEN AND HELL: We believe the Holy Scriptures clearly
set for the doctrines of eternal punishment for the
lost and eternal bliss and salvation for the saved—Hell
for the unsaved and Heaven for the saved (Matthew
25:34, 41, 46; Luke 16:19-31; John 14:1-3; Revelation
20:11-15).
14.
HOLY SPIRIT: We believe that the Holy Spirit is the
third Person of the Trinity whose purpose in the redemption
of man is to convict him of sin, regenerate the repentant
believer, and guide the believer into understanding
the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Spirit indwells and gives
gifts to believers as He wills, that they may minister
as Christ would to men. We believe that the manifestations
of the Holy Spirit, recorded in I Corinthians 12:8-11,
shall operate in the churches today which yield to
the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe a believer can be
baptized in the Holy Spirit during the time Jesus is
regenerating him, or any time subsequent to his regeneration
(new birth) experience. We believe that the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit, with an evidence of speaking with
other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, is for
all believers as promised by John the Baptist, witnessed
by the early disciples of Christ, and is evidenced
in the lives of many present-day believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ (Luke 11:13;
John 7:37-39; 14:16-17; Acts 2:39-48; Matthew 3:11;
Acts 1:4-5, 8; Acts 10:44-47; 8:1-6).
15.
DIVINE HEALING: We believe that God uses doctors, medicine,
and other material means for healing. However, we believe
divine healing has been provided for us in the Atonement
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Divine healing may be received
through the laying on of hands by elders, laying on
of hands by believers, by the prayer of an anointed
person gifted for healing the sick, by the anointing
with oil and the prayer of faith, or by a direct act
of faith where the believer receives healing from the
Lord Jesus Christ without ministry from anyone else
(Isaiah 52:5; James 5:14-16; Mark 16:18; I Corinthians
12:9;
Mark 11:23).
16.
PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS: We believe that each believer
is a priest of the Lord Jesus Christ and has direct
access to the Father through the Lord Jesus. Each person
must believe for himself, be baptized for himself,
and answer to his Creator for himself (Revelation
1:6; I Peter 2:9).
17.
GOVERNMENT OF THE CHURCH: We believe that the New Testament
Church should be apostolic in nature and governed by
delegated authorities. Those authorities at Cornerstone
Christian Church are pastors and elders with trans-local
apostolic oversight. We understand and believe that
God’s order of government for the local church
begins with the church being birthed under the oversight
of an apostle. Once that level of local government
is established, the church operates in an autonomous
way under the oversight of an apostle in an ongoing
relationship. This relationship is to be one by mutual
consent of the apostle, the pastor, and elders of the
local church.
