Creeds
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
1 John 4:15
God’s people have always gathered together and corporately confessed their faith.
In the Old Testament, Israel recited the Shema, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God
the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4-9, 11:13-21, Num. 15:37-41). The New Testament also
contains statements which may have been early creeds of the church, including 1
Cor. 15:3,4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” Creeds were
developed in the church as statements of Biblical doctrine, of apostolic teaching.
Often these were developed in response to heresies or challenges to fundamental
Christian doctrines, such as the Trinity or the deity of Christ. There are three
ancient creeds which express the fundamental truths of Christianity and should be
confessed by every Christian regardless of denomination. These are the
Apostles’,
the Nicene, and the Athanasian creeds. They are called ecumenical or catholic creeds,
meaning simply they have been embraced by the true Church of Jesus Christ wherever
it exists throughout the centuries. They are universal.
Reciting a creed together expresses our total dedication to Biblical doctrine; more
than that, in the minds of church fathers like Augustine and Calvin, it is a statement
of allegiance made by a soldier to his commander. We are stating boldly our allegiance
to Christ and to His Church, in the presence of God, the world, and all the cosmic
enemies of Christ as well (Eph. 3:10). We also state it together because we are
one body, united together in Christ. We are one family growing together in Christ;
we are one in our struggle against the flesh and against the evil one. “There is
one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to
your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is
over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4,5). We are one with the saints who
have gone before us and the martyrs who have spilled their own blood defending the
Faith. Our Faith shall and has overcome the world (1 John 5:4)! So let us express
our faith boldly and courageously and thankfully as we stand together, soldiers
shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, as the Church of Jesus Christ, confident that
the gates of hell shall never prevail against it (Matt. 16:18).
Creeds used in our worship
The Apostles' Creed
The Nicene Creed