At Eastside Christian School, our Statement of Faith and Doctrinal Distinctives reflect the core of our mission to engage students, families, and the community in a Christ-centered learning environment that fosters a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Rooted in the belief that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative Word of God, we are committed to nurturing spiritual growth, academic excellence, and a joyful pursuit of serving the Lord. Our vision is to see every student develop a meaningful relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, equipped to impact the world for His glory.

Statement of Faith

We confess the Nicene Creed [1] as the foundation of our core Christian beliefs [2]. This creed expresses the essential truths of our faith, guiding us in our worship and doctrine. 

THE NICENE CREED

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son [3] With the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic [4] and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

[1] Source:  The Book of Common Prayer. (2019). Anglican Church in North America.

[2] ECS acknowledges and upholds the original Nicene Creed written in 325 A.D. and 381 A.D.

[3] The phrase “and the Son” (Latin “filioque”) is not in the original Greek text from 325 A.D. or 381 A.D. but was added later.

[4] “catholic” means universal, not specifically the Roman Catholic Church. It emphasizes that the Church is for all believers, in all places, and throughout all times.

Doctrinal Distinctives

Also, based on this confession, we are committed to honoring God by obeying the two Greatest Commandments, loving God and loving thy neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39), and based on that commitment and derived from the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God in Scripture (II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21), we also profess the following as necessary for living in accordance with the gospel: 

We believe that by God’s grace and through faith, we are justified and made righteous through Jesus’ sinless life.
(Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 7:26, John 3:16-19, John 5:24, Ephesians 2:8-10)

We believe that we have forgiveness of our sins by Jesus taking our place and shedding his blood for us on the cross, which was a vicarious and atoning death.
(John 3:16-19, Romans 5:8-9, I Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 2:9)

We believe that Jesus’ performed miracles and through them confirmed His authority to forgive sins and His identity as the Son of God.
(John 2:11, Mark 2:1-12)

We believe in the sinfulness of human nature and the necessity of a personal confession and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
(Romans 3:23, Romans 5:8-9)

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, who regenerates sinners, and indwells Christians enabling them to live a godly life.
(John 14:16-17, Titus 3:5)

We believe that the Lordship of Christ requires us as disciples to seek to conform our actions, thoughts, and desires in obedience to Him. He calls all of us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him and that, in exchange, He promises us abundant life.
(Matthew 7:21, John 14:15, 1 John 2:3-6, Matthew 16:24, John 10:10, Romans 6:4)

We believe God creates each person with an immutable biological sex – male or female – that reflects the image and likeness of God.
(Genesis 1:27, Genesis 5:1-2, Matthew 19:4)

We believe God designed marriage as a unique conjugal relationship joining one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, life-long union, and God intends sexual intimacy to only occur within that relationship.
(Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, 1 Corinthians 7:2, Hebrews 13:4)

We believe God endows all human life with inherent dignity, and it must be respected and protected from conception to natural death.
(Genesis 1:26-27, Exodus 20:13, Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 1:5, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

We believe in the spiritual unity and equality of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Romans 8:9, I Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-28)

FAQs

At the end of the 2023-24 school year, as a part of our Statement of Faith Committee work, Mrs. Nield and Reverend Daniel Rogers put together some videos explaining our new Statement of Faith. Rev, as he is affectionately known, was our former Director of Spiritual Life prior to Mr. Armfield. Please see below for some video links and answers to some FAQs: