Eastside Church of the Cross

Our Confessions and Creeds

 

The idea of using a written creed to state certain beliefs is not a way to undermine the authority of the Scriptures — not any more than a sermon undermines the Bible.  Creeds are simply another way of communicating our teachings.  Along these lines, see Dorothy Sayers’ book, Creed or Chaos. Following, you will find the contours of our doctrine:

 

1. We Believe what is stated in the Nicene Creed:

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

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only 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 of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. 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, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy universal 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.

 

2. We Affirm what Christians Always Affirm

 

We Believe in the Trinity, the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the inerrancy of Scripture. Regarding the Trinity, we appeal to Scripture and the Orthodox Creeds (e.g., the Nicene Creed)

 

3. We believe in the Five Solas (sola means “alone”)

 

The five solas were formulated during the Protestant Reformation.  We incorporate these so-called solas without being rigidly bound to all the 16th century  definitions as understood by the Reformers.  We are free to recast all of these in the light of Scripture, research, history, reason, and advances in scholarship (esp. the developments stemming from 2nd Temple Judaism).

 

•        Solus Christus             Christ alone

•        Sola Gratia                 Grace alone

•        Sola Fide                     Faith alone

•        Soli Deo Gloria          Glory to God alone

•        Sola Scriptura            Scripture alone

 

Expanding upon that fifth sola, we invite you to ponder the following questions:

 

· What is scripture?

· What is Canon (not cannon)?

· What are the ancient manuscripts that make up the Bible? And how do we factor those into our thinking?

· How do we fit modern translations into all of this?

 

NOTE: Eastside Church of the Cross appeals to the Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic manuscripts of the Bible, even as we are free to enjoy and make good use of various modern and older translations.  In our preaching and worship, we make use of various translations, some being from the pastor.

 

 

4. Our Creeds and Confessions within the SBC

 

Because we are Southern Baptist, we live in close proximity to the SBC Baptist Faith and Message.  However, it is our belief that better (MUCH better!)confessions and creeds abound. The New Hampshire Confession of Faith is one such example (though still far from perfect).

 

5. Our non-Reliance on the Taboos    and

          Traditions of the Southern Baptist Convention

 

Our denomination has made various statements about war, bans on Disney, education, Israel, what we can eat and drink, etc.  In these things, we follow the Bible, and not the manmade traditions of our convention. 

 

We are free to follow Scripture alone, and are not bound to traditions or taboos that are created by SBC committees or voting bodies.  We are not tied to all the passions and edicts of our convention. 

 

Louisburg, Kansas

Sunday School, 9:30am

Sunday Worship, 10:30am

Glorifying God by Enjoying Him Forever