Creeds

Good Morning Friends,

As a teenager I went to Confirmation Class and read the writings of the heritage of what it means to be Presbyterian. Then after 1983 in the joining of the Northern and Southern churches I got a new addition to The Book of Confessions that was even then a book of fine print about an inch and a quarter thick. The Catechisms went on and on with questions and answers in a teaching style and some of it read like a new book of law.

Honestly, I did not process all that information that was presented even though it was shared as a standard of who we were supposed to be. I always wondered if it was really for me. So much of it just was not reflected in the reality of what I saw in the world of religion. Still, I guess I see the need for it, even now in a modern age, if for no other reason than to help us to realize we are all sinners in need of grace. Much of it was formed in a different time in response to challenges of the world. Some has a timeless character. It has both unity and diversity. The process started perhaps with the early church needing to share the essence of Christian beliefs in a concise way. So summaries from scripture that capsulized the Faith were formed. Scripture is a good place to start for it is in this process of summarizing it that eventually developed our Creeds.

Scripture: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.

Deuteronomy 6:4 (NRSV)

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:16 (NRSV)

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NRSV)

Message: The scripture passages above are considered by many to be creeds or declaration of faith or in the case of Matthew 28, the reason for them. There are a lot of creeds formed out of scripture and in response to the needs of people in response to the times in which they live. One of the most universally used is the Apostles Creed. Although not written by apostles, the Apostles’ Creed reflects the theological formulations of the first century church. It too developed over time. The creed’s structure may be based on Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In a time when most Christians were illiterate, oral repetition of the Apostles’ Creed, along with the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments, helped preserve and transmit the faith of the western churches. Interestingly, The Apostles’ Creed is not universal in its heritage and is not found in the Eastern Church. It was developed in response to misguided interpretations of what it meant to understand Jesus as Lord. Some places apparently did not have this particular problem. I could have included the Apostles Creed here but instead ask you what you believe…what you as a community of faith believe we all need to confess as our world becomes smaller and smaller.

Pray we understand the power of scripture and creeds as teaching aids. Pray we fellowship in our faith. Pray we appreciate the need to set a standard to identify false teachings. Pray we do not forget the need to have confessions. Pray we are a witness of the truth to those outside the church. Pray that the things we teach do not become ends in and of themselves. Pray Christ is our Creed and we are capable of backing it up in scripture and the reality of our lives.

Blessings,

John Lawson