I grew up and
ministered in churches for many years that deny having any creed but the Bible.
Of course, we had many distinctive doctrines shared across those churches (e.g.
no instruments, baptismal regeneration, denial of original sin). But those
Christians sincerely insist their only creed is the New Testament. Many today
say the same. But there is a problem with that. Everyone has a creed, whether
it is written down or not. The question is not, ‘Do you have a creed?’ but instead,
‘What is your creed, i.e. what do you believe?’
Creed comes from the Latin word credo meaning I believe. It is simply an affirmation of belief. Such creeds
should and historically are merely summaries of biblical revelation. These
creedal statements were developed as false teachers and false doctrines arose,
perverting the true doctrine of Scripture. Creeds were written and affirmed to
clarify the historic and proper understanding of Scripture on various issues,
whether the nature of Christ, the Trinity, the depravity of man, or the
doctrine of salvation. Creeds were not
written to alter or add to the doctrines contained in Scripture. They were
written to summarize them and to clarify what the church believed the
Scriptures meant.
Everyone has a
creed. Ask a “no creed but the Bible” Christian to share the gospel. What you
will likely hear is a summary of their understanding of the gospel, i.e. a
creed. Ask them to explain what the Bible teaches about the Godhead. Once
again, you will hear part of their creed. What do you believe about man,
Christ, grace, salvation, baptism, worship, etc.? Your answer is part of your
creed.
Creeds are both
necessary and important. They force us to synthesize, summarize, and state our
understanding of the Bible. Reading the historic creeds help us understand how Christians
through the centuries have understood Scripture and to evaluate our own
beliefs. Creeds are no substitute for the Bible, and they certainly are not infallible,
nor do they all agree, but they are unavoidable if we form any beliefs from our
reading. –JME
I highly
recommend Carl Trueman’s The Creedal Imperative for those seeking to explore the biblical, historical, and
rational basis for creeds and confessions and to think through the relevant
issues.
