The Faith Of The Creeds
Christian Faith
This You Can Believe
Faith Seeking Understanding
Object:
What a Christian believes is expressed in the creeds. What is a creed? The word is a Latin word which is the first word of the Creed: Credo, meaning "I believe." A creed then is a statement of one's belief. It is a summary of beliefs based on the life and teachings of the historical Jesus. Christianity is not a religion about Jesus, but is based on the religion of the historical Jesus, upon the facts of his life. Christianity is not a philosophy of ideas so that it could exist even if there were no real Jesus. In the creeds Christian faith comes to an understanding. They explain the significance of the gospel.
The truth of the creeds is what the church teaches, preaches, and practices. The church as the body of Christ was led by the Spirit to express the true faith in the creeds. The church wrote the creeds, believes in the creeds, lives by the creeds, and confesses the creeds in worship every Sunday. Sunday after Sunday millions upon millions of Christians use the creeds, Apostles' or Nicene, to witness to their faith before God and the world. The creeds are not the work of any one particular church but the entire, universal church, including Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches. Through these creeds Christians are one in the faith.
The Creeds
Ecumenical Creeds
The ecumenical creeds are accepted by all churches (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant) except a minority of Protestant churches such as Baptist and Quaker. What are these creeds?
1. Apostles' (c. 100 A.D.)
The Apostles' Creed is the oldest and shortest creed with only 109 words in the traditional version. Only the New Testament creed, "Jesus is Lord," is older. It is also the most often used -- practically every Sunday, except for festivals and seasons when the Nicene Creed is confessed. Undoubtedly, it is the most universal statement of the Christian faith.
By 100 A.D. the Apostles' Creed became the basic statement of faith for the church. In the first century, it was the rule of faith for baptismal candidates. In 390 it became known as the Apostles' Creed, even though it was not written by the apostles but contained the beliefs of the apostles. An ancient legend has it that after Pentecost the apostles agreed on a summary of what they were going to preach. The summary was the Apostles' Creed. Yet, the creed did not reach its final form until the sixth or seventh century. Martin Luther held this creed in such high regard that he used it in his Small Catechism to teach families what a Christian believes. To this day the Small Catechism is used as the basis for youth and adult preparation for church membership in Lutheran churches.
2. Nicene (325-381 A.D.)
The Nicene Creed provides a fuller explanation of the Christian faith. It is called Nicene because a general council of the church, similar to Vatican II held in the 1960s, met in the city of Nicaea in Asia Minor. The Council was called to deal with the heresy of Arianism, which was a denial of the Trinity. The Nicene Creed goes into more detail than the Apostles' Creed on the Trinity and the person of Jesus.
A final version of the creed was formulated by another Council which met in Constantinople in 381 A.D. The creed is and has been from the start a topic of contention. In 598 a provincial church council meeting in Toledo, Spain, added the "filioque clause" which says that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father "and the Son." This added clause was accepted by the Western but not the Eastern church. It became one of the causes of the schism between East and West in 1064 A.D. Today the clause is still proving to be a stumbling block to closer relations with the Eastern Orthodox church. The Nicene Creed is familiar to most churchgoers in liturgical churches, because it is used in the worship service on festivals and certain seasons such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.
3. Athanasian (428 A.D.)
This ecumenical creed is probably unknown to most Christians because it is seldom, if ever, used in worship services. It is probably not used because of its length. The Nicene Creed has eighteen printed lines, whereas the Athanasian has 69. It is difficult for congregations to use because of the creed's intricate and complex terms.
Though the creed carries the name of Athanasius, he did not write it. It was the product of the church of his time. The creed was named after him to honor him for his brave and forceful defense of the Trinity. Athanasius (289-373) was a bishop in Alexandria, Egypt.
The creed deals primarily with the Trinity and Jesus as the Son of God. At this time, the heresy of Arius was prominent. He taught that Jesus was not fully human or divine and that the Holy Spirit was not God but only a divine influence. The Athanasian Creed denounced these false teachings and upheld the doctrine of the Trinity. Luther's high regard for this creed was expressed: "I doubt, since the days of the Apostles, anything more important and more glorious has ever been written in the church of the New Testament."
Denominational Creeds
The ecumenical creeds state the general basic beliefs of the Church. How does one understand and interpret these broad truths? Most churches or denominations have felt the need for preparing their own creeds according to their understanding of the scriptures.
Moreover, the ecumenical creeds do not deal with many lesser important teachings. What is the Christian teaching about the nature of humanity, the gospel ministry, the Atonement, or the Second Coming? How is a person born again? What is the meaning of justification by grace through faith? How are we to understand the sacraments?
Churches which have prepared their own creeds do not do so in opposition to the ecumenical creeds, but as supplements to them. These churches are known as confessional churches because they hold to their confessions or creeds. By their creeds they are confessing the gospel as they understand it. Among the denominational creeds are --
The Augsburg Confession -- Lutheran, 1530
The Thirty-nine Articles -- Episcopal, 1563
The Heidelberg Catechism -- Reformed, 1563
The Westminster Confession -- Presbyterian, 1647
The Twenty-five Articles of Religion -- Methodist, eighteenth century.
Individual Creed
The ecumenical and denominational creeds do not take the place of the individual's confession of faith. Each Christian needs a personal creed which harmonizes with the ecumenical and denominational creeds. The creed serves as an expression of one's faith. One has an experience with Christ and then tries to explain what happened. A creed does not save a person. One is already saved by grace through faith in Christ. The creeds are not like cookie cutters that stamp out little Christians all of one mold. One does not become a Christian by merely giving intellectual assent to a creed. Each person should be able to write a statement of belief. This becomes one's creed. Can you sit down and write your personal creed in no more than 109 words like that of the traditional Apostles' Creed?
A Threefold Purpose
Why bother with creeds? Why not let each Christian decide what to believe? The creeds are of great value to each Christian for they fulfill a threefold purpose.
Definition
One purpose of the creeds is to define the Christian faith. What does a Christian believe or what should a Christian believe to be called a Christian? Are the personal beliefs in harmony with the scriptures and the church's teachings? Can a Christian believe in reincarnation? In pantheism? In astrology?
A group of college students of various denominations had a long discussion about what they believed. When it was over, a coed came to the chaplain with a protest. She complained, "The Roman Catholic knew what she believed. The Jew knew where he stood. The Jehovah's Witness was positive about her beliefs. As a Methodist, I am embarrassed because I did not know what I believe. Why didn't I know?"
One woman was seeking truth. She had some questions she wanted answered. Eventually she ended up with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Why end there? She explained, "I tried seven different churches and none of them could answer my questions. When I met with the Witnesses, they could give me an answer."
Here is where the creeds can help us. As long as the creeds are known and understood, no Christian should ever be unable to tell or explain what a Christian believes. Holding to the creeds, a Christian can say, "This is what I believe and I know it is the truth because it comes from the Bible."
Defense
The creeds were prepared to defend the Christian faith against the heresies prevailing at the time: Gnosticism, Arianism, and the Judaizers. Throughout the centuries heresies have plagued the church. They are as prevalent today as they were in the first century. The creeds counteract the false teaching and declare the biblical truth. The creeds are our sure defense.
Suppose you see a white Volkswagon parked on a city street. On its side is painted, "Reverend Sun Myung Moon is the living Christ." How would you defend the truth that Christ alone is the Messiah?
A fellow worker refuses to work on Saturdays, because he claims that the true sabbath is Saturday and not Sunday. He claims that working on Saturday breaks the commandment and is therefore a sin. How would you defend Sunday as the sabbath?
Since baptism is considered necessary for salvation, two young men, who come to your home uninvited, claim that if your ancestors were not baptized and therefore not saved, you could be baptized for them. Then at once they would enter the presence of God for eternity. What would be your defense that baptism is only for the living?
An independent preacher comes to town, puts up a revival tent, and preaches: There is no such thing as hell. The soul is not immortal. When a Christian dies, he/she does not go directly to heaven. No one is born in sin. How would the creed respond to these teachings?
In each case, the defense you give is the creed. The teachings of the sects and cults are counterfeit. How can you tell the difference between the genuine and the counterfeit teachings? The American Banking Association trains bank tellers how to detect counterfeit bills. Strangely, no one studies counterfeit money nor handles it. The tellers do not listen to lectures denouncing counterfeiters. Rather, they handle real money hour after hour, day after day, until they become so familiar with genuine bills that, when a counterfeit comes, they can detect the difference. It is the same with our use of the creed. When we become familiar with the creed and use it regularly, we will be able to detect heresy and reject it for the truth of the creed.
Declaration
A third purpose of the creeds is declaration. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus urged his disciples to be his witnesses in the world. We are to let the world know the truth about God, life, and salvation. If we are to tell the world about the truth of God, what shall we say and how shall we say it?
The creeds enable us to fulfill Jesus' command to tell the world the truth. We use the creeds for a personal and corporate witnessing before God and the world. For this reason many churches use the creed in worship services. After hearing the Word of God read and preached, the congregation responds by confessing the faith in the creeds and as they just heard in the Bible readings. Saying the creed is a positive, fearless declaration of our Christian faith. Many church members do not understand this use of the creed in worship. Many say the creed softly with bowed head and folded hands as though the creed were a prayer. Indeed, it does end with "Amen" just as a prayer does, but in this case the "Amen" is an expression of affirmation as though to say, "This is most certainly true." Saying the creed in worship is much like saying the pledge of allegiance to the flag. As loyal Americans, we put our hands on our hearts, look at the flag, and proudly and loudly say, "I pledge allegiance ..." So it should be when we confess our faith in saying the creed: stand at attention, look at the cross, and with conviction say, "I believe..." When the devil and the ungodly world hear Christians with one voice confessing the truth of the creed, they tremble!
In the old days, a conservative college required students to attend chapel each day. The same order of service was used daily. For the sake of variety, they decided to change the order by omitting the Apostles' Creed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One student in the habit of saying the creed began on Tuesday to say, "I believe in God ..." A fellow student poked him in the ribs and whispered, "Not on Tuesdays and Thursdays." For true Christians the creed is for every day. Luther taught that a Christian should confess the Apostles' Creed eight times a day.
Study Guide
The Faith Of The Creeds
Your Own Creed
You have learned about various creeds: ecumenical, denominational, and personal. Now is the time for you to write your own creed: What do you believe about the Christian faith?
Can you limit your creed to 109 words as does the Apostles' Creed?
When you finish writing your creed, check to see if you covered every chief doctrine.
Personal Creeds In The New Testament
Review the following personal creeds:
Matthew 16:16 -- The most famous of all confessions of faith.
Mark 9:24 -- Can one believe and not believe at the same time?
John 4:29 -- The confession of a pagan woman.
John 9:35-38 -- The belief of a healed blind youth.
John 11:25-27 -- What was Martha's belief?
Your Own Defense
How would you defend the Christian faith when confronted with the claim that the Rev. Moon is the Messiah; that the Sabbath falls on Saturday; that the living can be baptized for the dead; that an Evangelist preaches there is no hell? Present your defense to the class.
The truth of the creeds is what the church teaches, preaches, and practices. The church as the body of Christ was led by the Spirit to express the true faith in the creeds. The church wrote the creeds, believes in the creeds, lives by the creeds, and confesses the creeds in worship every Sunday. Sunday after Sunday millions upon millions of Christians use the creeds, Apostles' or Nicene, to witness to their faith before God and the world. The creeds are not the work of any one particular church but the entire, universal church, including Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches. Through these creeds Christians are one in the faith.
The Creeds
Ecumenical Creeds
The ecumenical creeds are accepted by all churches (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant) except a minority of Protestant churches such as Baptist and Quaker. What are these creeds?
1. Apostles' (c. 100 A.D.)
The Apostles' Creed is the oldest and shortest creed with only 109 words in the traditional version. Only the New Testament creed, "Jesus is Lord," is older. It is also the most often used -- practically every Sunday, except for festivals and seasons when the Nicene Creed is confessed. Undoubtedly, it is the most universal statement of the Christian faith.
By 100 A.D. the Apostles' Creed became the basic statement of faith for the church. In the first century, it was the rule of faith for baptismal candidates. In 390 it became known as the Apostles' Creed, even though it was not written by the apostles but contained the beliefs of the apostles. An ancient legend has it that after Pentecost the apostles agreed on a summary of what they were going to preach. The summary was the Apostles' Creed. Yet, the creed did not reach its final form until the sixth or seventh century. Martin Luther held this creed in such high regard that he used it in his Small Catechism to teach families what a Christian believes. To this day the Small Catechism is used as the basis for youth and adult preparation for church membership in Lutheran churches.
2. Nicene (325-381 A.D.)
The Nicene Creed provides a fuller explanation of the Christian faith. It is called Nicene because a general council of the church, similar to Vatican II held in the 1960s, met in the city of Nicaea in Asia Minor. The Council was called to deal with the heresy of Arianism, which was a denial of the Trinity. The Nicene Creed goes into more detail than the Apostles' Creed on the Trinity and the person of Jesus.
A final version of the creed was formulated by another Council which met in Constantinople in 381 A.D. The creed is and has been from the start a topic of contention. In 598 a provincial church council meeting in Toledo, Spain, added the "filioque clause" which says that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father "and the Son." This added clause was accepted by the Western but not the Eastern church. It became one of the causes of the schism between East and West in 1064 A.D. Today the clause is still proving to be a stumbling block to closer relations with the Eastern Orthodox church. The Nicene Creed is familiar to most churchgoers in liturgical churches, because it is used in the worship service on festivals and certain seasons such as Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.
3. Athanasian (428 A.D.)
This ecumenical creed is probably unknown to most Christians because it is seldom, if ever, used in worship services. It is probably not used because of its length. The Nicene Creed has eighteen printed lines, whereas the Athanasian has 69. It is difficult for congregations to use because of the creed's intricate and complex terms.
Though the creed carries the name of Athanasius, he did not write it. It was the product of the church of his time. The creed was named after him to honor him for his brave and forceful defense of the Trinity. Athanasius (289-373) was a bishop in Alexandria, Egypt.
The creed deals primarily with the Trinity and Jesus as the Son of God. At this time, the heresy of Arius was prominent. He taught that Jesus was not fully human or divine and that the Holy Spirit was not God but only a divine influence. The Athanasian Creed denounced these false teachings and upheld the doctrine of the Trinity. Luther's high regard for this creed was expressed: "I doubt, since the days of the Apostles, anything more important and more glorious has ever been written in the church of the New Testament."
Denominational Creeds
The ecumenical creeds state the general basic beliefs of the Church. How does one understand and interpret these broad truths? Most churches or denominations have felt the need for preparing their own creeds according to their understanding of the scriptures.
Moreover, the ecumenical creeds do not deal with many lesser important teachings. What is the Christian teaching about the nature of humanity, the gospel ministry, the Atonement, or the Second Coming? How is a person born again? What is the meaning of justification by grace through faith? How are we to understand the sacraments?
Churches which have prepared their own creeds do not do so in opposition to the ecumenical creeds, but as supplements to them. These churches are known as confessional churches because they hold to their confessions or creeds. By their creeds they are confessing the gospel as they understand it. Among the denominational creeds are --
The Augsburg Confession -- Lutheran, 1530
The Thirty-nine Articles -- Episcopal, 1563
The Heidelberg Catechism -- Reformed, 1563
The Westminster Confession -- Presbyterian, 1647
The Twenty-five Articles of Religion -- Methodist, eighteenth century.
Individual Creed
The ecumenical and denominational creeds do not take the place of the individual's confession of faith. Each Christian needs a personal creed which harmonizes with the ecumenical and denominational creeds. The creed serves as an expression of one's faith. One has an experience with Christ and then tries to explain what happened. A creed does not save a person. One is already saved by grace through faith in Christ. The creeds are not like cookie cutters that stamp out little Christians all of one mold. One does not become a Christian by merely giving intellectual assent to a creed. Each person should be able to write a statement of belief. This becomes one's creed. Can you sit down and write your personal creed in no more than 109 words like that of the traditional Apostles' Creed?
A Threefold Purpose
Why bother with creeds? Why not let each Christian decide what to believe? The creeds are of great value to each Christian for they fulfill a threefold purpose.
Definition
One purpose of the creeds is to define the Christian faith. What does a Christian believe or what should a Christian believe to be called a Christian? Are the personal beliefs in harmony with the scriptures and the church's teachings? Can a Christian believe in reincarnation? In pantheism? In astrology?
A group of college students of various denominations had a long discussion about what they believed. When it was over, a coed came to the chaplain with a protest. She complained, "The Roman Catholic knew what she believed. The Jew knew where he stood. The Jehovah's Witness was positive about her beliefs. As a Methodist, I am embarrassed because I did not know what I believe. Why didn't I know?"
One woman was seeking truth. She had some questions she wanted answered. Eventually she ended up with the Jehovah's Witnesses. Why end there? She explained, "I tried seven different churches and none of them could answer my questions. When I met with the Witnesses, they could give me an answer."
Here is where the creeds can help us. As long as the creeds are known and understood, no Christian should ever be unable to tell or explain what a Christian believes. Holding to the creeds, a Christian can say, "This is what I believe and I know it is the truth because it comes from the Bible."
Defense
The creeds were prepared to defend the Christian faith against the heresies prevailing at the time: Gnosticism, Arianism, and the Judaizers. Throughout the centuries heresies have plagued the church. They are as prevalent today as they were in the first century. The creeds counteract the false teaching and declare the biblical truth. The creeds are our sure defense.
Suppose you see a white Volkswagon parked on a city street. On its side is painted, "Reverend Sun Myung Moon is the living Christ." How would you defend the truth that Christ alone is the Messiah?
A fellow worker refuses to work on Saturdays, because he claims that the true sabbath is Saturday and not Sunday. He claims that working on Saturday breaks the commandment and is therefore a sin. How would you defend Sunday as the sabbath?
Since baptism is considered necessary for salvation, two young men, who come to your home uninvited, claim that if your ancestors were not baptized and therefore not saved, you could be baptized for them. Then at once they would enter the presence of God for eternity. What would be your defense that baptism is only for the living?
An independent preacher comes to town, puts up a revival tent, and preaches: There is no such thing as hell. The soul is not immortal. When a Christian dies, he/she does not go directly to heaven. No one is born in sin. How would the creed respond to these teachings?
In each case, the defense you give is the creed. The teachings of the sects and cults are counterfeit. How can you tell the difference between the genuine and the counterfeit teachings? The American Banking Association trains bank tellers how to detect counterfeit bills. Strangely, no one studies counterfeit money nor handles it. The tellers do not listen to lectures denouncing counterfeiters. Rather, they handle real money hour after hour, day after day, until they become so familiar with genuine bills that, when a counterfeit comes, they can detect the difference. It is the same with our use of the creed. When we become familiar with the creed and use it regularly, we will be able to detect heresy and reject it for the truth of the creed.
Declaration
A third purpose of the creeds is declaration. Before ascending to heaven, Jesus urged his disciples to be his witnesses in the world. We are to let the world know the truth about God, life, and salvation. If we are to tell the world about the truth of God, what shall we say and how shall we say it?
The creeds enable us to fulfill Jesus' command to tell the world the truth. We use the creeds for a personal and corporate witnessing before God and the world. For this reason many churches use the creed in worship services. After hearing the Word of God read and preached, the congregation responds by confessing the faith in the creeds and as they just heard in the Bible readings. Saying the creed is a positive, fearless declaration of our Christian faith. Many church members do not understand this use of the creed in worship. Many say the creed softly with bowed head and folded hands as though the creed were a prayer. Indeed, it does end with "Amen" just as a prayer does, but in this case the "Amen" is an expression of affirmation as though to say, "This is most certainly true." Saying the creed in worship is much like saying the pledge of allegiance to the flag. As loyal Americans, we put our hands on our hearts, look at the flag, and proudly and loudly say, "I pledge allegiance ..." So it should be when we confess our faith in saying the creed: stand at attention, look at the cross, and with conviction say, "I believe..." When the devil and the ungodly world hear Christians with one voice confessing the truth of the creed, they tremble!
In the old days, a conservative college required students to attend chapel each day. The same order of service was used daily. For the sake of variety, they decided to change the order by omitting the Apostles' Creed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One student in the habit of saying the creed began on Tuesday to say, "I believe in God ..." A fellow student poked him in the ribs and whispered, "Not on Tuesdays and Thursdays." For true Christians the creed is for every day. Luther taught that a Christian should confess the Apostles' Creed eight times a day.
Study Guide
The Faith Of The Creeds
Your Own Creed
You have learned about various creeds: ecumenical, denominational, and personal. Now is the time for you to write your own creed: What do you believe about the Christian faith?
Can you limit your creed to 109 words as does the Apostles' Creed?
When you finish writing your creed, check to see if you covered every chief doctrine.
Personal Creeds In The New Testament
Review the following personal creeds:
Matthew 16:16 -- The most famous of all confessions of faith.
Mark 9:24 -- Can one believe and not believe at the same time?
John 4:29 -- The confession of a pagan woman.
John 9:35-38 -- The belief of a healed blind youth.
John 11:25-27 -- What was Martha's belief?
Your Own Defense
How would you defend the Christian faith when confronted with the claim that the Rev. Moon is the Messiah; that the Sabbath falls on Saturday; that the living can be baptized for the dead; that an Evangelist preaches there is no hell? Present your defense to the class.
