Confessing Faith

 

Many Christians memorize Bible verses, whole chapters, and creeds. Not raised in the faith, I did not get it for a long time. One woman told me that she came to faith in Christ because her children were in AWANA at a neighborhood church. God used her helping her children memorize verses to bring her to salvation! My eyes were opened to the power of God’s Word.

As a child, in a main-line church that read from the Bible but didn’t teach it much, I memorized the Apostle’s Creed. I still remember it and I am able to repeat it anytime I hear it.

Recently, in the solidly biblical church we attend now, we have started to recite the Nicene Creed. It has really gotten me thinking about “confessions of faith,” which is all that a creed is.  The word “creed” is derived from credo, meaning “I believe.”

In our day, it seems that creeds (confessions of faith statements) have been demoted. From a top spot of worth memorizing and teaching children to some historical things only old folks remember. I do not know exactly when the evangelical churches put them away but I presume that it is tied to the same reasoning as putting away the hymnals. We want to be attractive to a younger generation of people.

Rote memorization can become meaningless if we are not paying attention to what we are saying. Pulling out a new creed has caused me to pay attention to the words and think about them. Repeating them every week is helping me to remember them.

The creeds have been written at different times to combat various heretical teachings that were creeping into the Church. Don’t heresies creep into our own thinking if we are not being diligent to be in God’s Word regularly? Creeds can be good reminders of the basics of the faith. They are also useful in helping us to “confess our faith” to others in our day to day conversations.

Take a look at the Nicene Creed. The theology is rich and the doctrine is sound so it will contribute to the strengthening of our faith – and our confession.

If our churches don’t use them, maybe we could add them to our own study and devotions.

 

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

 

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven:

by the power of the Holy Spirit

he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,

and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

 

And, Amen.