THE CORNERSTONE OF FAITH

From the beginning God’s plan for our salvation existed. God knew our human frailties would cause our hearts to question and our feet to stumble. Still, He did not abandon His creation. He is, was, and will always be faithful. Such is His great love for us.

A cornerstone is a principal stone placed at the corner of a building, joining two walls and bearing the weight of the structure. Biblically, the cornerstone symbolizes the foundation and strength of God’s plan for His people.

Our God is faithful. He created us in love and His image. He longs for us to return to Him. To dwell with Him in His holy kingdom for eternity. 

Alone we are weak. 

We are lured by the trappings of a world steeped in sin. Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve. Until that moment, they had lived in the paradise of the Garden of Eden. They existed in perfect communion with God and He provided all they needed.

They had only to obey Him. But Satan, jealous of God, tempted Eve causing her to doubt. In her weakness, she opened the door for Satan’s cunning to gain a foothold in her heart. In doing so she sinned against God, partaking of the fruit the Lord had forbidden.

Adam and Eve’s disobedience brought sin and death into the world.

God did not deny Adam and Eve the fruit because He was punishing them, but because He loved them. He knew the knowledge of good and evil would open their eyes and hearts to the trappings of this world. That sin would separate them from Him.

The fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden highlights the brokenness and sinfulness of humanity, and the need for a Savior to reconcile humanity with God.

God’s plan for our salvation is the cornerstone of faith.

The fall of Adam and Eve reveals the consequences of disobedience and the severity of sin. It also points towards the need for redemption and salvation — ultimately fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

Through Adam and Eve, our fellowship with God was broken. Through this original sin, we all died spiritually. However, God did not abandon His creation, leaving us to toil and suffer without hope. In His great love for us, God sent His only Son to save all humanity from the sin and death brought into the world through Adam and Eve.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Jesus bore the sins of humanity, dying in our place to save us. His resurrection conquered death and opened the gates of Heaven so that we might live in communion with the Father for all eternity.

Before the foundation of the world, God laid the cornerstone. 

Our salvation began before the creation of the universe when God planned the history of redemption, ordained the death and resurrection of His Son, and chose us to be His own through Christ.

However, we have a responsibility in our redemption. Salvation requires our belief in Jesus Christ and our obedience to God. God desires that ALL His children live a holy and blameless life. He chooses us so that we will be conformed to the likeness of Jesus, for He wants all believers to die to their desires and live for Him alone.

What must I do to be saved?

I’ve thought about this a lot in the last seven years of my recovery journey. I return to scripture and search for meaning in the verses God reveals to my heart. I always learn something new and vital and I’m always uplifted.

For many years I believed I was not worthy of salvation. That my sins were too great. However, in that first moment of surrender, God revealed just how wrong I’d been. He assured me, through His holy presence, that I was more than worthy. That He’d been waiting for me to turn to Him. To fully open my heart to His grace and love.

God is faithful when we are faithless. He is patient when we run ahead of Him. Loving when we turn away from Him. He forgives our brokenness when we open our hearts to Him. He chooses us again and again.

But, we have to choose God too. We have to choose to believe in Jesus, turn away from sin, and remain faithful and obedient to God’s Word.

The Word of God reveals the way to salvation. Thus, we understand that it is our responsibility to answer the question, “What we must do to be saved?” No one else can answer that question for us, nor can we trust others with this, most important, decision. We must seek our answer from God and His Word.

• Hear the Gospel: Learn about the plan of salvation.
• Believe the Gospel: Trust that Jesus died for your sins.
• Repent: Turn away from sin and toward God.
• Confess Faith: Declare that Jesus is the Son of God.
• Be Baptized: Follow the Christian tradition of baptism.
• Be Faithful: Remain faithful and obedient to God in all things.

This is the only way we can ever hope to reach Heaven. I share this not because I always make the right choices, but to remind myself of God’s faithfulness in my weakness. To anchor myself on the cornerstone of faith, on the sure foundation of God’s love, and the promise of eternity with Him.

My Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I chose the world instead of you. For the sins I have committed. For falling short of Your glory. I praise Your Holy Name and thank You for the gift of Your Son. For the gift of Salvation purchased for me through His precious blood. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen me so that all I think, say, and do bring glory and honor to You. Help me to die to myself so that I may live fully in You and for You. Grant me eyes that see, ears that hear, and a heart that seeks You above all things. In Your Holy Name, I pray. Amen.

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JN Fenwick (©2025) | mothjournal14