Christian Creeds – A Brief Introduction

“What do we need with man-made creeds?  We believe the Bible, isn’t that enough?”

Unfortunately, heretics and cults use the Bible as well.  Their misuse of the Bible has prompted formation of creeds since the early days of the church.  The letters of the Apostle John in particular contain warnings against deceivers and anti-Christs who actively tried to twist the message of the gospel (e.g., 1 John 2:18, 26; 3:7, 4:3; 2 John 1:7).  The earliest Christians did not have our advantage of a clearly defined canon of Scripture and two millennia of church history.  They had to sort through competing claims and try to distinguish orthodoxy from deception.  The creeds provided guidelines and boundaries for discerning the difference.  Statements in the creeds are often a direct response to some area where a Biblical boundary has been crossed into a distorted doctrine.  The possibility of innocent misunderstanding or intentional deception makes the creeds important for understanding genuine Christianity.

For example, the followers of Arius (ca. AD 300) denied the deity of Christ while claiming to use the Bible.  The “slippery way the Arians cited and interpreted the Scriptures”[1] necessitated guidance.  Leaders of the ancient church wanted to help those exploring the faith:  What teaching was authentic?  What doctrines were misrepresentations of what Jesus and the apostles had taught?  In order to clarify the truth contained in Scripture, church leaders “subjected passage after passage from the Scriptures, from the Old Testament as well as the New, to careful comparative scrutiny, with strict attention to the scope, time, place, person and matter in question, and the distinctive biblical way of speaking, in order to elucidate their true and right sense and to collect from them as honestly as possible the exact meaning of what was being conveyed.”[2]  (“Careful comparative scrutiny” sounds a lot like methodical inductive Bible study!)  The result of their study was the Nicene Creed in the fourth century (c. 325).  Earlier the church had used the Apostles’ Creed, but the “deceivers” found ways to twist even that summary, resulting in the need for an expanded version generated in Nicaea.

We don’t need to go back to the fourth century to see the need for the Creed.  “The creeds drew a line between a faith drawn from Scripture and understood in the light of apostolic testimony and a different faith emerging from a combination of pagan philosophy and incoherent readings of Scripture.”[3]  Today widely diverse groups point to the Bible as their source of belief:  Jehovah’s Witnesses, Methodists, Mormons, Roman Catholics, and Southern Baptists all would claim to believe the Bible.  (Note the list is alphabetical to avoid offending anyone, following the wise practice of C. S. Lewis.[4])  A persuasive argument from a fringe group or from a marginal cult can sound convincing as they use selected Bible verses.  The Creed gives us boundaries and guidelines for evaluating the legitimacy of their proof-texts.

The Christian creeds provide boundaries that help us to understand Scripture.  The creeds were not intended (and should not be used) to replace or supersede Scripture.  Even Athanasius who zealously defended the Nicene Creed against heretics recognized the priority of the canon, the books of the Bible:  “‘These’, he declared, ‘are fountains of salvation, so that he who thirsts may take his fill from the living words in them. In these alone is proclaimed the doctrine of godliness. Let no man add to these, neither let him take anything from them.’”[5]  As Athanasius emphasized, creeds are not intended to add to or distract from the Bible, only to sharpen and clarify our understanding of the profound truths it contains.

One of the benefits of rigorous, methodical, inductive Bible study is the ability to ask hard questions of Scripture.  Sometimes our exploration includes conjecture:  “Suppose this verse means _____.”  Good inductive study is not limited to what we know (or think we know) about what the Bible says.  Most often we learn from seeking answers, always subject to the authority of the text.  Frequently, we confirm what we previously understood.  Occasionally, our guesswork leads to new insights.  As we try to understand the depth of the Bible, we can speculate on various meanings.  The creeds provide a boundary to help us avoid “going too far” (2 John 1:9) in our theories and interpretations.

The cover of Christianity Today magazine, October 2015 issue, used a wonderful illustration.  The theme of the issue was “How to Define Heresy.”  That text was superimposed over a box.  Within the boundaries of the box the letters were highlighted, “How to deFINE HEREsy.”  The highlighted “FINE HERE” was inside the boundaries, and the background within the boundaries was the text of the Nicene Creed.  What a great illustration!  The creeds provide boundaries so we can know when we are at the edge of orthodoxy, to avoid going “too far.”

Consider several other benefits of studying the Creed.

A Summary of Faith

“If life is a journey, then the million-word-long Holy Bible is the large-scale map, and the hundred-word Apostles’ Creed…is the simplified road map ignoring much but enabling you to see at a glance the main points of Christian belief.”[6]  The Apostles’ Creed gives the broad summary of the essence of the Christian belief, the theology that distinguishes Christianity from all other faiths.  Theology may not be an inviting topic for most people, but consider the perspective of C. S. Lewis.  He also described theology as a map,[7] essential for navigating unknown territories.  Our finite attempts to know an infinite God are almost all “unknown territory.”  The Apostles’ Creed provides an overview to help is navigate our own journey.  If we want to continually deepen our relationship with the Triune God, “The Apostles’ Creed is an ideal starting point for this vital process of consolidating your grasp of the faith.”[8]

For Sharing the Faith

Many believers desire to share their faith but often feel inadequate about exactly what to share.  The summary of the faith contained in the Apostles’ Creed can help others understand what it means to know God.  “The Creed itself was born as an instrument of evangelism.”[9]

The Creed can help us ensure that we present an accurate picture of the faith.  J. I. Packer expresses his concern that in modern evangelism, “the question being explored was:  how little do we need to tell people for them to become Christians?  Was this a good question to work with?”[10]  Packer warns that we risk “a truncated version of the gospel” that even “becomes a misrepresentation.”  The creeds “allow us to recognize and avoid inadequate or incomplete versions of Christianity.”[11]

That danger of inadequate versions of the faith pervades our post-Christian culture.  “We face a pagan ignorance about God every bit as deep as that which the early church faced in the Roman Empire.”[12]  An honest presentation of the Gospel aimed at more than a quick “decision” should counteract the prevalent pagan perspective.  “All that the Creed covers needs to be grasped and taught, as an integral part of the message of the saving love of God.”[13]  Knowing the Creed and the Scripture behind it will increase our passion for and confidence in sharing our faith.

Perspective on the Faith

Many evangelical Protestant churches miss the richness of the history of our faith.  We see the church in the New Testament, and occasionally, we think about the Reformation (hopefully more in 2017, the 500th anniversary of Luther’s challenge).  The creeds provide a powerful link to the ancient church.  “To study the Apostles’ Creed is to investigate a central element of our common Christian heritage.”[14]  That long-term perspective can add weight and depth to our appreciation of what we believe.  We are part of a great cloud of witnesses, and the Creed can give us a clear connection to those who have run before us.  “By studying [the Creed] you are reminding yourself of the many men and women who have used it before you.  It gives you a sense of history and perspective.  It emphasizes that you are not the only person to put your trust in Jesus Christ.  Think of how many others recited those words at their baptism down through the centuries.  Think of how many others have found in the Apostles’ Creed a statement of their personal faith.  You share that faith, and you can share the same words that they have used to express it.”[15]

Living the Faith

The Apostles’ Creed can be a stirring reminder of the great truths that are the foundation of our faith.  The Creed can refresh our appreciation of the awe and wonder of who God is and what He has done for us and how He continues to work in the church and what lies ahead for us in eternity.  Augustine “prescribed that the Apostles’ Creed should be recited several times a day, comparably to how the Jewish people cite the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 in the course of their daily business.”[16]  Using the Creed regularly and repeatedly can saturate our thinking with the person and work of the Triune God.

Even more, the Creed can stimulate our study of God’s Word.  “The creeds do not merely summarize doctrine but also issue an invitation to explore further the work and wonder of the God who is known to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The creeds propel us to open our Bibles and to read and reflect upon them in greater depth, so that we might know God better and be equipped to walk the path he has marked out for us.”[17]

That is my goal for all of us in this study.


To explore more about the ancient Christian creeds, see the article Christian Creeds – Suggested Reading.


 

[1] Thomas F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith:  Evangelical Theology of the Ancient Catholic Church (London:  T&T Clark Cornerstones, 2016), Kindle Edition, location 3096.

[2] Thomas F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith:  Evangelical Theology of the Ancient Catholic Church (London:  T&T Clark Cornerstones, 2016), Kindle Edition, location 3099.

[3] Michael F. Bird, What Christians Ought to Believe (Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Zondervan, 2016), 24.

[4] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York:  HarperCollins, 2000), Preface, viii;  Kindle edition, location 97.

[5] Thomas F. Torrance, The Trinitarian Faith:  Evangelical Theology of the Ancient Catholic Church (London:  T&T Clark Cornerstones, 2016), Kindle Edition, location 3092.

[6] J. I. Packer, Affirming the Apostles’ Creed (Wheaton, Illinois:  Crossway Books, 2008), 11.

[7] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York:  HarperCollins, 2000), 154.

[8] Alistair McGrath, “I Believe” – Exploring the Apostles’ Creed (Downers Grove, Illinois:  IVP Books, 1997), 10.

[9] J. I. Packer, Affirming the Apostles’ Creed (Wheaton, Illinois:  Crossway Books, 2008), 17.

[10] J. I. Packer, Affirming the Apostles’ Creed (Wheaton, Illinois:  Crossway Books, 2008), 16.

[11] Alistair McGrath, “I Believe” – Exploring the Apostles’ Creed (Downers Grove, Illinois:  IVP Books, 1997), 15.

[12] J. I. Packer, Affirming the Apostles’ Creed (Wheaton, Illinois:  Crossway Books, 2008), 22.

[13] J. I. Packer, Affirming the Apostles’ Creed (Wheaton, Illinois:  Crossway Books, 2008), 23.

[14] Alistair McGrath, “I Believe” – Exploring the Apostles’ Creed (Downers Grove, Illinois:  IVP Books, 1997), 14.

[15] Alistair McGrath, “I Believe” – Exploring the Apostles’ Creed (Downers Grove, Illinois:  IVP Books, 1997), 16.

[16] Michael F. Bird, What Christians Ought to Believe (Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Zondervan, 2016), 40.

[17] Michael F. Bird, What Christians Ought to Believe (Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Zondervan, 2016), 41-42.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *