The Apostles' Creed
"There never was a man in the world without a creed. What is a creed? A creed is what you believe. What is a confession? It is a declaration of what you believe. That declaration may be oral or it may be committed to writing, but the creed is there either expressed or implied." —B.H. Carrol
After posting a the foundational confessions of a couple Baptist churches -one that was well crafted and one that was not- today I want to take a trip back in time and highlight the Apostles' Creed.
This is one of the earliest creeds in Christendom and is used in Catholic and Protestant churches alike. This creed wasn't formulated in such a way as to deal with issues concerning Christ's deity or the triune nature of the Godhead, therefore I've read that even the heretic Arius affirmed it and would often hide behind it when challenged on his teachings!
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty; Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. *He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
* Please note: the line "He descended into Hell" has been the source of some debate. For more information, please see the following works by Wayne Grudem and John Calvin.
1 comment:
Rhett,
I really like the point that B.H. Carrol makes here. I get so tired of people who claim to be theologically superior because they, ahem, "only believe the Bible." What they don't get is that they do, in fact, have a creed. It may not have ever been committed to paper, but they certainly have a belief system that is extra-biblical (not necessarily contra-biblical, just that they will typically have a "stance" on baptism, the Lord's supper, church government, salvation, and so on).
These people also usually like to brag that they don't need all that fancy doctrine. "Jesus 'n me" is all they need. OK... which Jesus? The one who "was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit..." or a different one? You see my point.
My family and I go to a Presbyterian church (PCA, not the liberal PCUSA) and I love it that about once a month we all profess the Apostles' Creed together. First, it gives a huge sense of connection with Christians through all ages, who have handed the faith down to us. Second, it is a very explicit statement that we, as a group, believe these things together; there's the "we" that believe this and the "them" that don't.
I also like that PCA churches are, with minor exceptions, governed by the Westminster Confession of Faith from 1646. There is nothing sacred about it being "old," and we would all affirm that it is under and subservient to the authority of the Holy Scriptures, but it goes much, much further than most churches "Statements of Faith" these days.
You probably already know this, but many have called the London Baptist Confession of Faith from 1689 a "baptized" Westminster Confession. Most SBCers today would die of shock if they realized how Calvinistic their forefathers were! It's a shame that this theology has, by and large, been lost in the SBC and that Bunyan, Gill, Spurgeon, and Boyce would be unwelcome in most Baptist pulpits today. I'll leave you alone now, but not before pointing out how easy it is to lose your church's doctrine if you don't confess it regularly.
Peace.
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