Why Creeds & Confessions of Faith?
Confession: One Voice (This is most certainly true series 2/3) Romans 10:8-17
Why creeds/confessions of faith? (10 reasons)
1. The people of God have always been creedal. 2 Timothy 1.12-14, Shema in Deuteronomy 6, and Romans 102. Emphasizes the faith that has been passed on to us, not that we have pieced together.
3. Fosters unity and connects us with others kata (about) holos (whole): "And if ever you are sojourning in cities, inquire not simply where the Lord's House is (for the other sects of the profane also attempt to call their own dens houses of the Lord), nor merely where the Church is, but where is the Catholic Church. For this is the peculiar name of this Holy Church, the mother of us all, which is the spouse of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God." (Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, XVIII, 26).
4. Helps with discerning truth from error
5. Doxology! Agreement with God! You are holy! You are one! You are creator! Savior!
6. Evangelism practice
7. Apologetics practice
8. Clear identity leads to freedom for mission
9. EVERYONE has a summary of what they believe. Why not go with one that has been tested? We all have a creed. Guy on the street, “I just think the Bible is about us getting along and doing our best.” “I believe that we are all worshipping the same God, we just call him or her different names.” “I believe there is no creed but Christ.” (A creed about no creed).
10. It is a summary, but doesn’t miss anything significant.
What are Trinity’s creeds/confessions of faith? (5 resources)
“This congregation receives and adheres to the Apostolic, the Nicene, and the Athanasian creeds, the unaltered Augsburg Confession and Luther’s Small Catechism. Nothing contrary to these confessions shall be taught in the congregation either in preaching or in the instruction of the young.” Trinity Constitution, Article II (Confession), Section 2.1 Apostles’ Creed, the baptismal creed used in Rome, 2nd Ct.
2 Nicene Creed, began at Council of Nicaea in AD 325, finalized at Council of Constantinople in AD 381.
3 Athanasian Creed, Gold standard teaching about the Trinity and the nature of Jesus Christ. 6-8th Ct.
4 Luther’s Small Catechism, 1529 (Martin Luther)
5 Augsburg Confession, 1530 (Philip Melanchthon) Roman Confutation to the CA was read in 1530 and the Apology to the CA was delivered in 1531.
Other Quotes
“While the Reformation movement led by Martin Luther was conceived in Wittenberg, in the midst of the university’s enterprise of teaching and learning, the Lutheran church that it produced was born at Augsburg, through the public act of confessing the faith.” Sources and Contexts of the Book of Concord, Nestingen and Kolb, editors. Fortress Press 2001.“If the Holy Trinity was as holy as the Trinitarian dogma taught; if original sin was as virulent as the Augustinian tradition said it was; and if Christ as as necessary as the Christological dogma implied—then the only way to treat justification in a manner faithful to the best of Catholic tradition was to teach justification by faith.” Jaroslav Pelikan, Obedient Rebels. Harper & Row, 1964. Pages 47-48.
“Our churches teach that people can not be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight (Romans 3 and 4 [3:21-26; 4:5]." Article IV Justification in Augsburg Confession.
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