"A Confessing Faith" 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 Pastor Allan Wooters, D.Min.
Today we begin a series that gives us exactly what we need in these challenging times namely, a place where we can take our questions and fears and find hope. The hope I’m talking about is not simply some feel-good hope but a hope that tells us the truths we need to hear so we can think, reassess our life, and make any needed changes so real hope can be ours. And in these days, do we ever need hope! The place we are going to turn to encounter the truth that gives us hope is the Apostles’ Creed. My series is entitled The Apostle’s Creed: Anchored in the Truth. Jesus said the truth would set us free (John 8:32) and this ancient creed will aid us in this. Now please understand, I am not going to preach the Apostles’ Creed but use the creed to preach the Bible which is the deposit of God’s infallible truth. With that, let’s take God’s Word and consider one of the most intriguing statements we find in Scripture. The statement is in 1 Corinthians 15:3 – 5.
This text is one of the greatest summary statements concerning the gospel ever penned by the apostle Paul. But consider for a moment, not one sentence is a direct quotation from the Old Testament, the only Bible available at that time. What is written here is a creedal statement, or some would say a confession of faith. Paul is delivering a set of phrases, a statement of truths that summarize a mass of rather technical and involved doctrines found in Scripture. Consider these statements:
Christ died for our sins: doctrine of the atonement. According to the Scriptures: doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture. That He was buried: doctrine of Jesus literal death meaning He did not pass out or swoon on the cross, but He truly died. And that He was raised on the third day: the doctrine of the resurrection.
All of these statements are deeply complex. Massive tomes of dense theology have been produced over the history of the church to expound, defend, explain, and apply each of these matters. Thankfully, for the mass of believers, creedal statements pare down these complex doctrines and sharpen them into precision statements which are easy to understand and memorize.
However, some don’t like this idea. Some very sincere folks in our own denomination reject the use of any creed or confessions of faith. They declare, “We have no creed but the Bible,” or We have no creed but Christ!” But there are some problems with this notion. First, many groups claim to believe the Bible including Baptists, Methodists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostals, and snake-handlers! Obviously, it’s not enough to say one believes the Bible. Sooner or later you must be able to summarize what it is you think the Bible says. Any such summary is a creed!
Second, the statement, “No Creed but the Bible!” isn’t found in the Bible itself. It is an Oh no, creedal statement! Ironically the “no creed” confessors use a creedal statement to decry creedal statements.
Third, God gave Israel a creedal statement which is used to this day. It’s called the Shema which is recited daily by faithful Jews and opens every synagogue service. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut. 6:4 – 5). Jesus would have recited this constantly. So, God is not opposed to creeds. So, let’s begin by considering a major fact about creeds:
Creeds Declare to Us What it Means to Say, “I Believe!”
The word “creed” comes from the Latin word Credo, which means, “I believe.” Matt Chandler notes a creed is like the Pledge of Allegiance. When I was in grade school, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance every day. That pledge says a lot in a very few words which is what a good creed does. And as I noted earlier, the oldest and for many, the most familiar creed is called The Apostles’ Creed. It reads:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Now, there’s one fact about this creed that is very interesting. While it’s called the Apostles’ Creed, the apostles didn’t write it! Yet it is called the Apostles’ Creed because it reflects what the apostles taught. Another thing is this Creed is very old. Its present form goes back to 700 A.D. but some of its wording has been traced all the way back to 120 A.D.! Amazing! And one other thing, the Creed is selective. It touches on the central issues of the Christian faith, but there are many issues it passes over. It says nothing about Satan, angels, demons, predestination, baptism, church government, or the details of the Second Coming.
Author Michael F. Bird put it well writing, “The creeds provide a kind of ‘Idiot’s Guide to Christianity’ by briefly laying out the story, unity, coherence, and major themes of the Christian faith.” [1] Albert Mohler notes, “All Christians believe more than is contained in the Apostles’ Creed, but none can believe less.” [2] How this is needed today. If you asked a typical person what she or he believes it would probably sound like the response a 20-something backpacker in Boston answered when asked what he believed. He said:
I don’t know what I believe in. And if I believe—I believe there’s some Higher Power, I think. But I don’t know. Like right now I’m at a point where I don’t know what to believe, but I’m open to everything. So, I like to believe in everything, because I don’t know what it is, I truly believe in.
When you don’t know what you believe, why not be open to everything? But when you don’t know what you believe it’s impossible to have any real hope. Understanding the Apostles’ Creed will clear the air on what it means to say, “I believe!” But there is one other matter to just touch on:
Creeds Declare What It Means to Believe
Christianity is a lifestyle based on the Bible. To put it another way, to accept the statements of the Apostles’ Creed is to pursue holy living. The apostle Paul commanded the Thessalonians saying, “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us” (2 Thess. 2:15). Note his word “traditions.” These traditions would have included texts from Scripture but also what would be creedal statements. To quote Michael Bird again:
The Apostles’ Creed calls us to express faith in “the faith.” The biblical picture of faith is no stale affirmation of boring facts. Rather, belief is something that is living, active, dynamic, personal, and even risky. Faith is primarily a way of trust and fidelity, a willingness to receive from God what He freely offers, and thereafter a disposition to act in a certain way when confronted with certain things. [3]
Take just a few of the statements of the Apostle’s Creed and consider how they impact our life. “I believe in God, the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” This statement stands in contradiction to belief that we are here on this earth by chance, the result of blind evolutionary forces like survival of the fittest. If such a godless view of human origins is true, then life has no ultimate meaning. But we all crave meaning. We don’t want to plod our way through life with no firm direction, wisdom for living, or hope. But evolution gives no real purpose for our existence. Yet with God we understand that He created this world and us with a purpose in mind for us that understanding transforms life into one of more than mere survival to one of meaning, with confidence, peace, and assurance thrown in as a bonus.
The same can be said about all the statements in the Creed. Each statement transforms our life for good. Take the declaration, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” This shows us that God is with us in power. We are not just muddling through in life on our own trying to do the best we can or trusting our lucky stars. What we really have is the presence of God Himself with us.
Oh, and just one more. The statement, “I believe…in the forgiveness of sins.” Wow! With that one sentence we know that the way to peace with God, peace with others and even ourselves is possible. Our guilt can be taken away. Any fear of God is overcome by peace because our sins are forgiven and heaven, or “life everlasting” is ours.
On and on I could go, and I will in this series. Here are a few things we will see. First, the Creed unites us with other believers. It reminds us that Christianity is not a private faith. Our faith unites us with others, so life does not have to dominated by loneliness. Al Mohler says, “The Apostles’ Creed collapses time and space, uniting all true believers in one, holy, and apostolic faith.” [4]
Second, it defines where we stand over-against a secular culture, private spiritualties, and heretical ideologies. It tells why we are Christians and not a Jehovah’s witness, agnostic, or neo-pagan.
Third, the Creed shows what is essential in our faith. The Bible covers many issues but not all are crucial. Some hold that Jesus turned the wine into real wine. Others, among Baptists, have insisted that it was grape juice! Does it matter to one’s salvation what view you take? No! Thus, it’s non-essential and not in any creed.
“I believe.” That’s a very powerful assertion. It’s not the same as saying, “I know” or “I think” or “I feel.” To say “I believe” means that you are making a personal commitment to the truth which sets you free. True belief is always personal. It is a confessing faith; one you personally embrace. The Creed begins with two simple words: “I believe.” Do you? A Christian is a person who truly believes in Jesus. Do you? It is the only way to true hope.
For Further Reading
What We Believe: Understanding and Confessing the Apostles’ Creed, R. C. Sproul