When I worked for a United Methodist Church, I included the text of several creedal statements that were used in the service in the bulletin or on the overhead screens. The Latin word credo means simply “I believe.” Creeds were statements of faith. In the early years of Christianity most church members could not read and had no opportunities for higher education and certainly not religious training. The most effective way to learn spiritual truths was through repetition. I saw this firsthand when I went to Haiti on a mission trip and observed Sunday School classes in action. The teacher spoke a phase and the students repeated it. It slowly but surely took root in their minds and their hearts.
There are several creeds in Scripture. The earliest and most important creed is found in Romans 10:9 – “Jesus is Lord.” That phrase countered the Roman creed for citizenship that said, “Caesar is lord.” Proclaiming Christ often cost Christians their lives. The foundation of the Church is found in a creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 which tells of Christ death, burial, and resurrection. Other examples include Acts 2:22-36; Philippians 2:6-11; and 1 Peter 3:18.
Creeds were often written to refute heresy and instill right theology. The Nicene Creed was a corrective response to the Arian teaching that challenged the divine nature of Jesus. It was built on the statement: “True God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father.” The seventeenth-century confessional statement known as the Westminster Confession is an excellent creed of biblical orthodoxy. The Apostles’ Creed was written about 150 years after the apostolic age and is a compilation of the Apostles’ teachings to the first Church. I wrote extensively about this creed several years ago in a series on my blog. I will add a link in the comments.
Creeds set the record straight. It seems silly to argue over words and phrases, but sometimes those words and phrases change the witness of the church dramatically. A woman on vacation found a very pricey bracelet she wanted to buy and cabled her husband with the price and a plea to purchase. He cabled back: “No, price too high.” But the cable operator missed the comma. She gleefully bought the bracelet and the husband sued the cable company and won.
Creeds are invaluable to the church, but they should not be merely rote statements. They are intended to make us think about the truths therein. Beloved, I encourage you to dig into the creeds and know what you believe and why.
Deeper Roots 