The Authority For Our Beliefs- God’s Word
We believe that the entire Bible is the inspired word of God and that men of God were moved by the Holy Spirit to write every word of Scripture (Psalms 19:7-10). The Bible is therefore without error in the original manuscripts and is totally true and trustworthy. God has preserved the Bible and it is the sole and final authority for our faith and life, providing encouragement, guidance, comfort and instruction for training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17). All scripture is a testimony to Jesus Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation (Luke 24:44-46).
Exodus 24:4; Psalms 19:7-10; Isaiah 34:16, 40:8; Matthew 5:17-18; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21
What We Believe About God
We believe there is one God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (the Holy Trinity), who exists in unity and also as three separate distinct Persons, each of Whom is fully and equally God and is totally worthy of our worship and service.
- God the Father- First Person of the Trinity and is the all-knowing, eternal, Holy Creator (Genesis 1:1; 2:7). He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Father of all true believers (John 4:24; 14:6-13). To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience (Romans 8:14-15).
Genesis 1:1;2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3, 15; Matthew 6:9; John 4:24; 14:6-13; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7
- God the Son- Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. We believe that God became human flesh to reveal Himself to man, to fulfill prophecy and to become the Savior to a lost world (John 3:16-18). By doing this, Jesus did not cease to be God so that He is fully God and fully man, inseparably united in one Person forever. We accept as true that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life and died on the cross for all the sins of man (Isaiah 7:14). We also believe that Christ was bodily raised from the dead, sits at the right hand of His Father’s Throne and will return again to earth to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords Romans 8:34-39).
Genesis 18:1; Isaiah 7:14; Mark 1:1; 3:11; John 3:16-18; Romans 1:3-4; 8:34-39; 1 Corinthians 1:30
- God the Holy Spirit– We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully divine and fully God (Genesis 1:2). His mission is to glorify Jesus Christ and to enable man to gain the salvation provided by Christ (Matthew 3:16). The Holy Spirit is the primary agent for the conviction of sin and regeneration (Matthew 28:19). With salvation, the Spirit imparts new life, baptizes the believer into the body of Christ, permanently indwells the believer and securely seals the believer until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). His presence in the born again Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the Church in worship, evangelism and service (Galatians 4:6).
Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 51:11; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 28:19; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4, 38; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:30
What We Believe About Man
We believe that man is a special creation, made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). In the beginning man was innocent of sin and God gave humans the freedom of choice, however, by his own choice, man disobeyed God and brought sin into the entire human race (Genesis 3:1-7). As a result, all human beings are sinners, separated from God and in need of salvation. We firmly believe, except a man is born again by the Holy Spirit, he cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:16-18). Only the Grace of God can bring men and women into His fellowship and enable us to fulfill the purpose of God (Ephesians 2:5).
Genesis 1:26-30; 3:1-7; John 3:3; 3:16-18; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 3:10-23; Ephesians 2:5.
What We Believe About Salvation
We believe salvation is a gift from God to man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Matthew 1:21). Man can never make up for his sin by church membership, baptism, self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ as God’s offering for forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty, eternal separation from God (John 3:3-21). It is pure Grace and it is this same Grace that maintains our salvation for eternity (Romans 5:8-10). Eternal life begins the moment one receives Christ as his or her Lord and Savior (Romans 8:1-18).
Exodus:3:14-17; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; John 3:3-21; Romans 5:8-10; 8:1-18; 1 John 1:6-2:11
What We Believe About The Church (The Bride of Christ)
- We believe the local church is an autonomous body of baptized believers with the Lord Jesus Christ as the Head (Matthew 16:15-19). We observe the two ordinances of Christ, which are baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:41-42). The congregation of Cornerstone Baptist Church operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic process and is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention of Texas.
- We believe the mission of the New Testament Church is to carry out the Great Commission and extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth. To accomplish this goal, Cornerstone Baptist Church promotes a public and intelligible proclamation of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that spiritual gifts should build up the body of believers and glorify God and Him only. Spiritual gifts should not be misused nor cause confusion and division within the body. 1 Corinthians 14:33, say’s, “for God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:40, adds, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” We at Cornerstone Baptist Church oppose the misuse of spiritual gifts in worship but support the ideals and practices that all Southern Baptist be patient, kind, and loving toward one another regarding this theological issue.
- We believe that the first day of the week (Sunday) is the Lord’s Day and is the biblical time set aside for worship. The Sunday worship service commemorates the resurrection of Christ and should include the faithful assembling of believers for fellowship, worship, and spiritual devotion (Hebrews 10:25).
Exodus 20:8; Matthew 16:15-19; Acts 2:41-42; 5:11-14; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 5:4-5; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Corinthians 14:33-40; Hebrews 10:25.
What We Believe About Service
- We believe that God saved us that we might engage in His service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Service, utilizing our God given talents, is one way of showing our love for God and the Church. Prayer, teaching, preaching, giving, music, and soul-winning are only a few ways a true Christian may serve the Kingdom of Heaven.
- We believe that both men and women are gifted for service within the church, however scripture clearly instructs that the offices of Pastor and Deacon be limited to qualified men (1 Timothy 3:1-16). We also interpret scripture to include a biblical structure of teaching whereby men teach males and/or females and women teach females (Titus 2:3-5).
- We believe that God is the source of all blessings, physical and spiritual (Genesis 12:3). Therefore we are under obligation to serve Him with our time, talent, and material possessions. According to scripture, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, willingly, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of God’s Holy Word on earth (Malachi 3:8-10).
Genesis 12:3; 14:20; Leviticus 27:30-32; Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:1-4; 10:8; 19:21; 23:23; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 14:34; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1-16; 2 Timothy 2:15; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 7:25; 10:25
What We Believe About The Family
We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of male and female, related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25). Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Because the Bible teaches that all people are created in the image of God, we at Cornerstone Baptist Church are opposed to abortion after conception.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; Exodus 20:12; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 9:3-9; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Timothy 5:8, 14.
