Doctrine at The Stone
The Stone is built on Jesus.
Building on Jesus means that the gospel of Jesus must be foundational and inescapable in our teaching so that lives change.
The Triune God
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three equally divine Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—who eternally know, love, and glorify one another. This one true and living God alone is worthy of all glory and worship.
(Genesis 1:1–3, 26; John 1:1–3; Revelation 5:11–14)The Word of God
We believe the Bible—made up of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments—is the true, inspired, and authoritative Word of God. Written by human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it is without error in its original writings and fully sufficient for all that God calls us to believe and live. It is our supreme source of truth for faith and life.
(Deuteronomy 6:6–9; Psalm 19:7–11; 2 Timothy 3:16–17)The Creation of Humanity
We believe God created human beings, male and female, in His own image. As the crown of His creation, all people share equal dignity and value, are invited to know God through faith in Christ, and are called to reflect His character in every sphere of life—within the family, the church, and the world.
(Genesis 1:26–28; Psalm 8; Acts 17:24–28)The Fall
We believe that Adam, created in the image of God, distorted that image by giving in to Satan’s temptation and falling into sin. In doing so, he lost the blessedness God gave him—not only for himself, but for all who would come after him. As a result, every human being is separated from God, affected by sin in every part of life, and subject to death, apart from God’s gracious intervention.
(Genesis 3; Romans 5:12–19; Ephesians 2:1–3)The Plan of God the Father
We believe that from all eternity God, in grace, purposed to save a great multitude of guilty sinners from every tribe and language and people and nation, to the praise of His glorious grace and to redeem what was lost in the Fall. In love, God calls all people to repent and believe, having ordained Jesus Christ to be their Redeemer and set His saving love on all who trust in Him.
(Genesis 12:1–3; Ephesians 1:3–10; Revelation 7:9–10)The Gospel of Jesus Christ
We believe the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ: the eternal Word made flesh, fully God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless life, died on the cross as our substitute to cancel our debt and reconcile us to God, rose on the third day in victory over sin, death, and Satan, and ascended into heaven as exalted Lord. Salvation is found in him alone. All people are sinners in need of salvation, which is God’s free gift of grace received through faith, not earned by good works or self-improvement. When we turn from sin and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are united to him by grace through faith and receive eternal life.
(John 1:14; 1 Corinthians 15:1–8; Colossians 2:13–15)The Power of the Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son, applies salvation to God’s people and glorifies Jesus Christ. As our Helper, He dwells with and within believers—convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; bringing new life through repentance and faith; and uniting us to Christ. He empowers believers for holy living, gives spiritual gifts, guides us into truth, and leads us day by day in obedience.
(John 14:16–17; Romans 8:1–17; Galatians 5:16–25)The Kingdom
We believe that all who are saved by the grace of God, through faith in Christ and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, are brought into the kingdom of God and share in the blessings of the new covenant. Good works are the necessary fruit and evidence of saving grace. As salt in a decaying world and light in a dark one, believers are called neither to withdraw from the world nor to blend into it, but to seek the good of the city—offering all the glory and honor of the nations to the living God.
(Daniel 7:13–14; Matthew 5:13–16; Revelation 21:24–26)The Church
The Bible speaks of the church as the body of Christ, with Jesus as its head and all His followers as members. For the body to be healthy, each part must work together, contributing to the growth and maturity of the whole.
Because the church represents Jesus Christ to a needy world, God works through His people to reconcile the lost to Himself and to bear witness to His righteousness in an unrighteous world.
(Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Ephesians 4:11–16)The Ordinances
We believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordained by the Lord Jesus Himself. Baptism marks our entrance into the new covenant community, and the Lord’s Supper nourishes our ongoing life and renewal in Christ. Together, they are God’s gracious pledge to us and our public confession of faith and submission to Jesus.
(Matthew 28:19–20; Romans 6:3–4; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26)The Christian Life
Once we receive new life in Christ, we respond in love by obeying God and following Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we pursue growth in Christ and seek to love others as Jesus has loved us.
(Deuteronomy 6:4–5; John 15:9–17; Romans 12:1–2)The Eternal Restoration
We believe that Jesus Christ will personally and visibly return to establish His kingdom and to judge the living and the dead. All people will be raised to life—those who trust in Christ to eternal joy with Him in the new heavens and new earth, and those who reject Him to eternal separation from God. On that day, the church will stand blameless before Him, and all creation will resound with praise to His glorious grace.
(Daniel 12:2–3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Revelation 21–22)