Everybody has a creed!
- Every personal belief has a statement that expresses it.
- Even those Christians who say “No creed except the Bible.”
- That in itself is a creed.
- This is a self-contradictory position.
Why isn’t the Bible enough?
- Even though the Bible is a small book, there is a lot of content in it.
- There are differing interpretations – different hermeneutics that bring forth contradictory teachings.
- Confessions place a stake in the ground concerning what one understands to be the proper interpretation of Scripture.
The first creeds/confessions of the Church
- The most important teachings, formulated in a way that you can get it across to your pagan neighbor! This would be like 1 Cor. 15
- Nicene Creed – Written to counter false teachings
- Irenaeus used the rule of faith
- Subjective – everyone has a rule of faith that they run with
- But this rule of faith must be in submission to Scripture
- As to confessions the rule of faith has a flexible guide
- This flexible guide shifts to the needs of the people
- Confessions don’t always address the concerns of the day
- Is it Left Behind? Is it speaking in tongues and spiritual gifts? Is it transgender issues? It depends.
- Operative rule of faith
- A rule that one would write for his current situation to operate by
- This flexible guide shifts to the needs of the people
The confessions set boundaries/parameters by which we can interpret Scripture.
Andy Wrasman 