Statement of Faith

The Bible
The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that it was written under His inspiration. Scripture thus at one and the same time speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant in the original manuscripts. They are the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21)

God
We believe that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each of Who possesses equally all the attributes of deity and characteristics of personality. We believe that God concerns Himself mercifully in human affairs, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Matthew 3:16-17, John 16:23-27, Galatians 4:4-6, Ephesians 1:3, 17-23.

Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, is both fully God (He is equal with God the Father in essence and attributes) and fully human (He was born of the virgin Mary and was like us in every way except that He had no sinful nature and committed no sin.) Since He was without sin, Jesus’ death in our place fully satisfied God’s justice and thus made a way for us to enter into a reconciled relationship with God. Sin The central purpose of God’s revelation in Scripture is to call all people into relationship with Himself. Although originally created for this relationship, we all have inherited from Adam a natural bent to resist God. This reliance on ourselves rather than God, the attitude that says to Him, “I will do as I choose, I am in charge,” is called sin. By ourselves, we are unable to overcome sin and the ruptured relationships it causes with God and others. (Isaiah 53:6, Romans 1:21, 3:23, 5:12-21, James 4:1-2)

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, equal to the Father and the Son in essence and attributes. His role is two-fold: 1) He is the initiator of relationship with God. He convinces us of our sin, awakens in us a recognition of our need for a Savior and supernaturally transforms our hearts, infusing us with His spiritual energy. 2) He is the sustainer of our relationship with God. At the point of salvation, the Holy Spirit permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength, and wisdom, and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for the building up of the church body. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father. (John 3:3-6, 14:15-17, 25-26, 16:5-15, Acts 5:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:4-13)

The Church
“The Church” refers not to a building but to that group of people who have a relationship with Jesus Christ and belong to God. In the most broad sense, as the “universal Church,” the church consists of all people everywhere who have ever acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Lord. In narrower meaning, it refers to a local body of believers who gather regularly for worship, prayer, fellowship, and teaching of the Bible. They are committed to outreach to the world and to service to one another through the development and use of talents and gifts, and they observe baptism and communion as the ordinances established by Jesus Christ. Under the watchful care of elders and other supportive leadership, its members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the one ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. (Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:42-47, Matthew 28-18-20, Acts 8:1, Colossians 1:18, Hebrews 13:17)

Faith and Practice
Scripture is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. This church recognizes that it cannot bind the conscience of individual members in areas where Scripture is silent. Rather, each believer is to be led in those areas by the Lord, to whom he or she alone is ultimately responsible. (1 Corinthians 8:9, Romans 14)

Human Destiny
Death is the end of physical life, but not of spiritual existence. All persons, whether they have a relationship with God or not, possess immortality. After Jesus’ return, all humanity will be judged. Those who formerly refused relationship with God will be separated from Him and every good thing forever; those who embraced relationship with Him will enjoy His presence forever in heaven. In heaven there will be no crying, pain, death, or evil. There believers will be perfect in a perfect world, holy in the presence of a Holy God, dwelling with Him who will do immeasurably more than we ask or think or dare to dream. (Matthew 10:28, Hebrews 9:27, 1 Corinthians 2:9, 15:12-23, Revelation 20:11-22:6)

Summary
We believe this Statement of Faith to be an accurate summary of what Scripture teaches. All members shall refrain from advocating doctrines that are not included in the Statement of Faith in such a way as to cause dissension. Cornerstone Community Church is a Christian Church with an inter-denominational focus. Our aim is to serve people from a variety of denominational and religious backgrounds. Because we believe in accountability and that we are most effective when part of a team, we are affiliated with Converge Great Lakes (formerly call Baptist General Conference – Great Lakes) and the Willow Creek Association.