CORNERSTONE DOCTRINE
1. We believe that love one for another as Jesus loves the believer manifests our discipleship, proves our love for God and symbolizes our authority as New Testament churches. Love is therefore the great commandment of the LORD Jesus upon which all others are dependent. (Matt. 22:35-40; John 13:34, 35; John 15:12; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:3; Rev. 2:4-5).
2. We believe in the infallible, verbal inspiration of the whole Bible and that the Bible is the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice. (Psalm 119:160; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17)
3. We believe in the personal triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equal in divine perfection. (Matt. 28:19)
4. We believe in the Genesis account of Creation. (Gen. 1:2)
5. We believe that Satan is a fallen angel, the archenemy of God and man, the unholy god of this world, and that his destiny is the eternal lake of fire. (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; Matt. 25:41; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-17; Rev. 20:10)
6. We believe in the virgin birth and sinless humanity of Jesus Christ. (Matt. 1:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22)
7. We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ. (John 10:30; John 1:1, 14; 2 , Cor. 5:19)
8. We believe Faith, Hope and Love are the vital abiding Spiritual Gifts evident in a christian’s daily life.
(1 Cor. chapters 12-14)
9. We believe that Man was created in the image of God and lived in innocence until he fell by voluntary transgression from his sinless state, the result being that all mankind are born sinners. (Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:6-24; Rom. 5:12, 19)
10. We believe that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ was substitutionary for all mankind and is efficacious only to those who believe and place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. (Isa.53:6; Heb. 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2)
11. We believe in the bodily resurrection and ascension of Christ and the bodily resurrection of His saints. (Matt. 28:1-7; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:42-58; 1 Thess. 4:13-18)
12. We believe in the premillennial, personal, bodily return of Christ as the crowning event of the present age. This event will include the resurrection of the righteous to eternal heaven, and the Millennium will be followed by the resurrection of the unrighteous into eternal punishment in the lake of fire and that the righteous shall enter into the heaven age. (John 14:1-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19; Rev. 20:4-6; Rev. 20:11-15; Rev. 21:8)
13. We believe that the depraved sinner is saved wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and the requisites to regeneration are repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, (Luke 13:33-5; John 3:16-18; Acts 20-21; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8,9), and that the Holy Spirit convicts sinners, regenerates, seals and indwells every believer. (John 3:6; John 16:8, 9; Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; Eph. 4:30; Titus 3:5)
14. We believe that all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation are kept by his grace unto the “Day of Jesus Christ.” (John 3:36; John 5:24; John 10:27-30; Rom. 8:35-39; Heb. 10:39; 1 Peter 1:5)
15. We believe that God deals with His children whether He chastises for our good or rewards for faithful obedience. (Matt. 16:27; Mat. 25:14-23; John 1:12; Heb. 12:5-11; 2 John 8; Rev. 22:12)
16. We believe that Jesus Christ established His church during His ministry on earth and that it is always a local, visible assembly of believers in a covenant relationship to carry out the Commission of the Lord Jesus Christ, and each church is an independent, self-governing body, and no other ecclesiastical body may exercise authority over it. We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission to the New Testament churches only, and that He promised the perpetuity of His church. (Matt. 4:18-22; Matt. 16:18; Matt. 28:19,20; Mark 1:14-20; John 1:35-51; Eph. 3:21)
17. We believe that there are two pictorial ordinances in the church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We practice water baptism by immersion of penitent believers administered by the authority of a New Testament church in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We also recognize those who have received “Believers Baptism” by other christian denominations as a viable means of fulfilling the scriptural mandate given in the Word of God. (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 8:12, 38; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 5:11-13; 1 Cor.11:1, 2:17-20, 26).
18. We believe in receiving members into our fellowship only those who have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and that can demonstrate that relationship to be in accordance with Article 13 of our doctrinal statement. Those willing to be examined and recommended for membership by the pastor will be voted into fellowship by the current body of believers.
19. We believe that there are two divinely appointed offices in a church, pastors and elders (deacons), to be filled by men whose qualifications are set forth in Titus and 1 Timothy.
20. We believe that all associations, fellowships, and committees are, and properly should be, servants of, and under control of the churches. (Matt. 20:25-28)
We believe that any alteration to this “doctrinal statement” can only be submitted by the pastor with the approval of the board of elders and must be accepted by the majority of current, active members of CBC by secret ballot vote at the time of submission.