I Believe...
The Apostles' Creed for the Third Millenium
By Robert P. Mills, Associate Editor
The Presbyterian Layman
Chapter Two
The Function of Creeds
Suggested Scripture readings
Mark 8:27-30; Philippians 2:5-11
What does it mean for Christians to say “I believe?”
If we are merely mouthing words by rote when we recite the Apostles’
Creed, the two little words at its beginning, “I believe,” may
never come to our conscious attention. They may be skimmed over as a
perfunctory prelude to the really important words that follow, words
like God, Jesus Christ, and resurrection.
However, pausing to consider these two words will help to lay a firm
foundation for a comprehensive study of the Creed. Indeed, if we have
ears to hear, the words “I believe” will direct our attention
both to the nature and purpose of creeds and to the nature of our faith.
In Chapter 1 we looked at the words “I believe” in the light
of what they can teach us about the nature of faith. In this chapter we
will focus on the history and use of Christian creeds.
A brief history
Our English word “creed” comes from the Latin
credo,
which means, “I believe.” A creed is thus my statement of what
it is that I believe. More technically, a creed is a concise, formal,
and authorized statement of essential Christian doctrine.
The earliest Christian creed was spoken by Peter at Caesarea Philippi.
In response to Jesus’ question, “But who do you say that I am,”
Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, replied, “You are the Christ”
(Mark 8:29). Writing to the Philippians some three decades later, Paul
concluded his marvelous Hymn to Christ with what remains the
foundational creed of Christianity, “Jesus Christ is Lord”
(Phil. 2:11).
But after the last apostle had died, after the canon of Scripture had
been closed, Christians began to sense a need for clear and succinct
summaries of the basic doctrines of their faith. So they drew upon the
language of Scripture to formulate brief statements of their core
beliefs. The most prominent of such statements – the Apostles’,
Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds – we now call the ecumenical creeds.
These are accepted (with some variations) by the Roman Catholic, Eastern
Orthodox, and most Protestant churches. Perhaps the most widely used of
the ecumenical creeds is the Apostles’ Creed.
Although its author remains unknown, the Apostles’ Creed seems to
have originated in first-century Rome as part of the instructions given
to those preparing for baptism. By the end of the second century, a
standard form of the Creed had emerged, slightly shorter than the one we
now use. The material existed in two forms, one a declaration “I
believe in …” the other as a series of questions and answers.
In the latter, an individual preparing for baptism stood in the water
and was asked “Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?” The
individual responded “I believe” and was immersed. This
pattern was repeated with the articles concerning the Son and the Holy
Spirit.
Over the next few centuries it continued to undergo some modifications,
until in sixth- or seventh-century France the Apostles’ Creed as we
now know it attained its final form. In the Middle Ages, a pious legend
grew that attributed each phrase to one of the apostles. But even though
the true historical development of the Creed was demonstrated during the
Renaissance, its simplicity and directness so clearly reflect apostolic
teachings that the name has been retained.
While creeds and confessions are a significant part of our Reformed
heritage, other Christian traditions make little if any use of such
resources. For example, many Baptist churches prefer not to use creeds,
rightly recognizing that any human formulations may be superimposed on
Scripture and that creeds can become exceedingly complex and abstract.
However, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Book of Order
recognizes creeds and confessions to be “subordinate standards in
the Church, subject to the authority of Jesus Christ, the word of God,
as the Scriptures bear witness to him” (G-2.0200). Properly
understood and employed, creeds and confessions can serve several useful
functions in the life of the church.
A three-dimensional purpose
To know the Apostles’
Creed is to know that what you believe is within the boundaries of
Scripture and the historic teachings of the Church.
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John Brokhoff asks, “Why bother with the Creeds? Why not
let each Christian decide what to believe?” He answers, “The
Creeds have at least a three-dimensional purpose: Definition, Defense,
and Declaration.”
Definition. The first purpose of the creeds, Brokhoff writes, “is
to define the Christian faith. What does a Christian believe, or what
should a person believe to be a Christian? Are your beliefs in harmony
with the Scriptures and the church’s teachings? … As long as
the Creeds are known, no Christian should ever be unable to tell or
explain what he or she believes. It is all in the Creeds. Holding to the
Creeds, a Christian can say ‘This is what I believe. I know what I
believe, and I know that what I believe is the absolute truth because it
comes from the Bible.’”
Once we have learned the Apostles’ Creed, we will always have an
answer to questions such as “Well, what
do you Christians
believe? What makes you any different from Moslems, Buddhists, or
goddess-worshippers?” To know the Apostles’ Creed is to know
that what you believe lies within the boundaries of Scripture and the
historic teachings of the church.
Defense is the second purpose of the Creed. Even before the last
apostle had died, some within the church were attempting to redefine the
faith to their own advantage. Several of Paul’s letters, some
written only two or three decades after Jesus’ resurrection,
include sections combatting false teachings. Since such heresies emerged
within the first-century church, Christians should not be surprised, or
unprepared, when distortions of the Christian message circulate within
the contemporary church. And we should keep in mind that the knowledge
of the Creed is a ready defense against false doctrine.
Brokhoff notes that when bank tellers are trained, they do not study or
handle counterfeit bills. Neither do they listen to lectures denouncing
counterfeiters. Rather, they handle real money, day after day after day,
so that if they ever do come across a counterfeit bill, they recognize
it at once. “It is the same with the Creed. When we know it
thoroughly and use it regularly, we at once can tell when a heresy is
proclaimed. The Creed is our defense. The Creed states the truth. Any
idea that does not agree is counterfeit.”
Declaration is our individual and corporate witness, to
ourselves and to the world, of what it is that we believe. Brokhoff
reminds us that “Before ascending to heaven, Jesus told the
disciples that they were to be his witnesses to all the world. The third
purpose of creeds fulfills this need to declare our faith. We use the
creeds for a corporate witnessing before God and the world. It is a
positive, fearless declaration of our Christian faith. When the devil
and his cohorts hear Christians with one voice repeating the Creed, they
tremble! The Creed is for every Christian to declare his or her faith
throughout everyday life. Luther said that a Christian should confess
the Apostles’ Creed eight times daily.”
When Christians gather for worship and together recite the Apostles’
Creed, we declare that these are the essential articles of our faith.
When Christians scatter to be the church in the world, we remember that
Christ commanded his disciples to go into the whole world and make
disciples of all nations. Our knowledge of the Creed enables us to sound
a clarion call, one that rises above the confusing clamor of
contemporary life, one that draws men and women in need of salvation to
the person and work of Jesus Christ.
I believe
Each time we confess our faith by reciting the Apostles’ Creed, we
would do well to remember this three-dimensional purpose of Christian
creeds: Definition, Defense, and Declaration. Once we have taken the
time to consider carefully the nature and purpose of creeds, these
dimensions can come to mind each and every time we say the first words
of the Creed, “I believe.”
For reflection and response
1. Why do so many Christians continue to make use of a Creed that dates
back almost 2,000 years? Do you find its antiquity a comfort or that it
makes the Creed irrelevant?
2. What are some benefits, and possible problems, with the use of
creeds in the church?
3. In your own words, tell how the Apostles’ Creed could help you
with the definition, defense, and declaration of your faith in Jesus
Christ.
Pray and give God thanks that he has given us the Bible and the creeds
for our instruction. You may wish to pray Psalm 19:7-11 or to use those
verses as the model for your prayer.
Scripture passages for further study
Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 10:6-11; I Peter 3:15-16.
Additional resources
John R. Brokhoff,
This You Can Believe: A New Look at the Apostles’
Creed (Lima, Ohio: C.S.S. Publishing, 1987).
J.N.D. Kelly,
Early Christian Doctrines (London: A&C Black,
1977).
John H. Leith,
Basic Christian Doctrine (Louisville:
Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993).
Philip Schaff,
The Creeds of Christendom (Grand Rapids: Baker,
1977 [reprint of 1877 edition]).