Our Beliefs

Scripture:

The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. It was uniquely, verbally, and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and was written without error in the original manuscripts. It is the supreme and final authority in faith and life in every age.

God:

There is but one God, infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness and love, the Creator of the universe, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses all the attributes of Deity and the characteristics of personality.

Man:

God created man in His own image, and man, as he was originally created, was innocent before God. But man chose to sin by disobeying God, and therefore was alienated from his Creator and came under divine condemnation. Thus all human beings are born with a corrupted nature and without spiritual life, and are totally incapable of pleasing God in and of themselves.

Jesus Christ:

God the Father, by His own choice and out of love for sinful men and women, sent Jesus Christ into the world to reconcile sinners to Himself. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He is God in the flesh, both true God and true man. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life and voluntarily suffered and died as our substitute to pay the penalty for our sins, thus satisfying God’s justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He lived and died. He bodily ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He, the only mediator between God and man, makes intercession for His own. He will return to earth personally, visibly and bodily to judge all men and establish His kingdom.

Salvation:

Men and women are freed from the penalty for their sins not as a result, in whole or in part, of their own works, goodness or religious ceremony, but by the undeserved favor of God alone. God declares righteous all who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation.

The Holy Spirit:

The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ, to convict men and women of their sins, and to impart new life to all who place their faith in Christ. He indwells believers from the moment of spiritual birth, seals them until the day of redemption, allots spiritual gifts to them for ministry, and empowers them to live a life pleasing to God.

Assurance:

All who are born again of the Spirit can, through the sure promises of God, be fully assured of eternal life from the very moment they put their faith in Christ. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit but upon the finished work of Christ, who completely paid for their sins and upon the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is the deposit guaranteeing their inheritance.

The Resurrection of the Dead:

At physical death, the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his or her body to everlasting glory and blessing. At physical death, the unbeliever enters immediately into eternal, conscious separation from the Lord and awaits the resurrection of his or her body to everlasting suffering, judgment and condemnation.

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper:

Jesus Christ has instructed those who believe in Him to be baptized in water as a symbol of their new birth in Christ. Baptism is only for those who have personally believed in Christ. Our practice is to baptize by immersion. The Lord also instituted the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of His suffering, death and resurrection. Neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper has any merit in helping a person obtain eternal life.

The Church:

All true believers make up the church worldwide and should assemble together in local churches for worship, prayer, fellowship, and teaching to become conformed to the image of Christ and to become equipped to carry out the “Great Commission” that Christ gave His followers in Matthew 28:19-20.

Our Purpose

LEADING YOUNG PEOPLE INTO GOD’S KINGDOM

Matthew 4:19, Colossians 1:13, 2 Corinthians 5:18

People need a life-changing encounter with Jesus. Jesus spoke about and ushered in the kingdom of God, a kingdom marked by forgiveness, justice, compassion, love, and humility. These are the attributes of a society or community when God is King. It’s our desire to see the whole person transformed by encountering Christ’s love and entering into God’s kingdom.


GROWING TRUE COMMUNITY IN CHRIST

Colossians 2:6, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:24-25

Our goal is to create a community where selfless love is practiced and where individuals are valued. True community is experienced when Jesus is the center of relationships as he is the author of what it means to love one another.


NURTURING CHRIST FOLLOWERS TOWARDS MATURITY

Ephesians 4:12,13, 1 Timothy 4:12, Phillipians 3:10,11, Luke 9:23

Maturing as a Christian is not a destination but a lifelong process within a community of faith. When we surrender ourselves to God’s Lordship, he uses trials, circumstances, his spirit, his church, and his word to make us like Jesus. We are committed to providing the environment to create opportunities for increasing intimacy with God.


TRANSFORMING THE CULTURE OF ISU & IWU

Matthew 5:13,14, Romans 12:1,2

We believe that the message of God’s redemption should affect more than just the individual. It should transform the culture around us for good. We desire for our church to be a driving force to meet needs and bring the love of God to our local community.


MULTIPLYING LIKE-MINDED CHURCHES

Matthew 28:19,20, Matthew 16:18

The Church is God’s plan for spreading the message of God’s love to the world. God established the worldwide church to bring this message of love to the nations through his followers. It’s our desire for every Christ follower to see herself, in every life context, connected to the local body of believers that is bringing this message of hope to more and more individuals. Locally, it is our vision for Cornerstone to plant churches similar to this one to bring the message of Jesus and His kingdom to more and more communities.

 

Our story

Cornerstone Church was planted in 2001 by a small group of friends and missionaries from the University of Illinois.