The Creed to Believe

There is is much confusion in the Church abroad about what we should and should not affirm in our faith. Many people today would say, we don’t need historic creeds or confessions, and that the Bible is sufficient. The Holy Word of God certainly IS enough for us. But to say, “No Book But the Bible!” is in itself a creed and confession!

We hear so often folks either say directly or indirectly that “Theology doesn’t matter” or propound the assertion to have “No Creed but Christ”, or even the more lackadaisical taglines we hear so often like “Judge Not!” or “but God is Love”, et cetera, and so forth, and so on.

However, the reality is, all these sorts of idioms and slogans the visible Church so often propagates, actually are creeds and confessions. A church website would have a statement of faith, a convention of congregations would have a constitution, a non-profit charity would have documented bylaws.

What is important is not whether or not we think we ought to affirm or deny creeds and confessions, because we already affirm something, whether we admit it or not. What is important is WHICH creeds and confessions we hold to. They act as guardrails or bowling alley bumpers to keep us in line with what Scripture actually does teach.

The orthodox and historic creeds and confessions of the Church do not replace the Bible, or change the Bible, they are the attempt of the Church to keep believers within the bounds of Scripture. We are not putting God in a box, when we affirm the creeds. For it is God who designed the box - we are only describing in a simpler way what those boundaries are, for the purpose of keeping the saints from being carried about by every wind of doctrine and falling into waves of damnable heresies, which have indeed shipwrecked many.

The best place to start, as you begin your study of these creeds and confessions, would be the earliest of the post-canon era (the time after the Bible was completed), being what’s known as “The Apostle’s Creed”

If we can agree on the doctrines in this statement of faith, we can call ourselves Brothers and Sisters in the Lord. These are the central and pivotal paramounts of the Gospel, wherein we ought to be united in the faith which was once delivered to the saints. There are many things beyond this creed, going into deeper depths of exploration and closer inspections, but this would be the most important.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
      creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
      who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
      and born of the virgin Mary.
      He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
      was crucified, died, and was buried;
      he descended to hell.
      The third day he rose again from the dead.
      He ascended to heaven
      and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
      From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
      the holy universal church,
      the communion of saints,
      the forgiveness of sins,
      the resurrection of the body,
      and the life everlasting. Amen.