History

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Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thess. 5:21


How many today who profess to know Jesus Christ are familiar with the historic creeds, confessions or catechisms?

Do you attend a church that recites a creed or teaches from a confession or catechism? These are not necessarily bad as some may think and they are not necessarily good. They need to be proven as the apostle Paul writing under inspiration of the Holy Spirit said: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thess. 5:21. This command by Paul to prove all things may well apply to an examination of the historic creeds, confessions and catechisms.

It must be said that these historic documents or writings are not equal to the Bible but they can be of great help to the child of God nevertheless. The problem is when we begin to trust in these and put these on a level that is equal to the authority of the Bible.

So often I hear from Christians when contending for certain doctrines that they cherish that they are Baptists and Baptists believe this. A Presbyterian says, I believe this and a Methodist says I believes this.

All these men have founders whether it be John the Baptist, John Calvin or John Wesley. But what saith the Lord? Let us examine everything first by the word of God and then see what the church has said historically about a given doctrine. We must never put the writings of men on par with God's Holy word or else we are guilty of adding to the word of God and so fall under God's curse. Revelation 22:18.

Let none be proud who join a particular church and fall under the unquestionable loyality of a pastor or teacher. Was John Calvin or John Wesley crucified for anybody? Can those men save you from your sins? Absolutely not! Holding to a certain set of historic doctrines may make you feel good and puff you up with alot of head knowledge but that isn't salvation. You believe in TULIP. Good. Another man is weak in the faith and doesn't quite get it yet because he's feeding on a daisy or orchard. Ofcourse I'm being facetious now but brethren remember Paul's question to the Corinthians?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 1 Cor. 3:4 NOTE: True religion makes men peaceable and loving rather than contentious and hateful.

As the blessed Matthew Henry points out in his commentary:

Those who through divine grace are renewed to a spiritual life may yet in many things be defective. The apostle tells them he could not speak to them as unto spiritual men, but as unto carnal men, as to babes in Christ, v. 1. They were so far from forming their maxims and measures upon the ground of divine revelation, and entering into the spirit of the gospel, that is was but too evident they were much under the command of carnal and corrupt affections. They were still mere babes in Christ. They had received some of the first principles of Christianity, but had not grown up to maturity of understanding in them, or of faith and holiness; and yet it is plain, from several passages in this epistle, that the Corinthians were very proud of their wisdom and knowledge.


Now seeing these historic writings were constructed by men who may have been filled with the Holy Spirit and given much spiritual wisdom and insight into scripture who will be so foolish to discount their value or benefit? In all fairness true believers can place a high value on most of these writings as a product of spiritual wisdom. Each follower of Jesus Christ must in his own conscience decide which confessions and catechisms he will adhere to.

If a person totally disregards the historic creeds and confessions then that persons faith would be suspect from a historical and theological perspective. Over the years I've found a creedless Christianity to be an ignorant, rebellious and often times false Christianity.

Most evangelicals and fundamentalists are rather ignorant when it comes to church history and the importance of the creeds, confessions and catechisms. These people in an effort to be faithful to the God they profess to believe ln fail to see that God has through the church used various councils to establish orthodoxy and to repudiate error and label it as heresy.

Many of the modern day books on theology are often unnecessary because Arianism, (the denial of Christ's deity) Socinianism and unitarianism, sabellianism, neoplatonism, modalism and many other false teachings have been dealt with historically through church councils who put together creeds, confessions and catechisms. Thus many of the modern heresies plaguing the church have already been dealt with long ago. True, there may be new and subtle forms of the old heresies that creep in to the church now and then and so these must be answered from time to time with new refutations but overall any teachings can be examined first from the Bible and then the historic creeds and confessions which serve as a subordinate form of help.

Some Christians mistakenly think that the Roman Catholic church or Orthodox church has a monopoly on these historic documents but there are many Reformed churches which also agree to these and have written their own confessions and catechisms. These documents when carefully examined are believed, to some degree, by all true Christians.

Any easy way to let other people visiting your church know what you believe on the major doctrines of the Bible is to state which creeds, confessions and catechisms you hold to. Presumably all Christian churches believe in the Bible as their authority and law book but amazingly so many are ignorant when it comes to what the Bible teaches about various doctrines.
Instead of printing in their church bulletins they hold to the Apostle's Creed or Nicene Creed or such and such a confession
they seek to write their own confession. My friends this is not necessary. The work has already been done by men probably wiser and more mighty in the scriptures than you. Cease from being righteous over much.

Now a catechism is something different. There is the Heidelberg catechism and Westminster longer catechism and shorter catechism for children. Lutherans use the Lutheran catechism. Here is what Martin Luther, the father of the Reformaton, said during his day and which later became the preface to his catechism:

“The deplorable conditions I recently encountered when I was a visitor constrained me to prepare this brief and simple catechism or statement of Christian teaching. Good God, what wretchedness I beheld! The common people, especially those who live in the country have no knowledge whatever of Christian teaching, and unfortunately many pastors are quite incompetent and unfitted for teaching. Although people are supposed to be Christian, are baptized and receive the holy sacrament, they do not know the Lord’s Prayer, the creed, or the Ten Commandments, they live as if there were pigs and irrational beasts, and now that the Gospel has been restored they have mastered the fine art of abusing liberty.”

There are many catechisms already in use so there's probably no need to write another one but it's not unlawful to do so. The word "catechism" comes from a Greek word which is used in the New Testament to refer to teaching someone in an orderly and systematic way, by word of mouth, in the form of a question and answer dialogue. In the opening of Luke's gospel we find this. He speaks of "those things wherein thou has been instructed, (or catechized)" Luke 1:4.

Long ago wise men met together in ecumenical councils to debate various teachings that were infiltrating the church. These men were devoted followers of Jesus Christ and they put down in words a specially crafted language that mirrored the Bible's teachings on various doctrines. If you disagree with any of the major creeds or confessions or catechisms you'd better be able to back up your belief with sound Biblical exegesis of scripture or risk being labeled a heretic and counted unworthy of bearing that precious name of Jesus.

If your church claims to believe in the Bible alone and in its entirety that is well and good but so do many other churches that teach false doctrine.

How will you distinguish yourself from the false churches and their teachings? If Christian churches recited and really believed in these Biblically based historical documents it's my opinion that there would be less major divisions and splits in the body of Christ and more unity.

True churches are in agreement with these creeds and confessions and catechisms to a very large degree. I would say all true believers are in agreement with the creeds while some believers disagree on the various confessions and catechisms.
As long as these areas of disagreement are not on essentials there must me liberty of conscience. Every man will stand or fall before God as follow the true doctrine but seeing there are wise and holy brethren who disagree on such matters as the method and mode of baptism (just as one example) let not these be a cause of division or non sharing of pulpits when it comes to preaching and fellowship. There may be some diagreements here and there but to reject these historic documents without doing a very careful analysis of their wording using Holy Scripture is not wise in my opinion. Neither is it wise for one man to presume the work of a plurality of elders or Biblical scholars/theologians when seeking to improve upon these creeds, confessions or catechisms. The church is ruled by Jesus Christ and his under shepherds not by one man. No man can say this is my church. Never, if you are a church leader, be so arrogant and proud to think you can undue what God through his holy men of old put together for the edification of the body of Christ.

The purpose of this article is not to explain in detail every Christian creed, confession or catechisim but rather to justify their importance in the historical framework of or context of Christianity. Later, I will name some examples of these church documents for your personal study without going into them in any detail.

Through out the history of the Christian church
disciples who follow Jesus Christ have had to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. They did so by using the Bible as their ultimate authority to combat error or hesesy. However, many other professed followers of Jesus Christ also claimed the Bible as their authority
and yet there were divisions and disagreements in matters of doctrine and practice. Thus the need arose for various creeds, confessions and catechisms.

Sadly today, the Protestant churches are perhaps more divided than any other branch of Christianity and this is ugly. It's ugly to the world of scoffers and unbelievers who see so much fighting and bickering among those who claim to love and follow Jesus Christ. Obviously the Bible, which all Protestant churches hold in common, hasn't been the glue to hold in unity, the body of Christ as some are apt to think. Whenever we examine our beliefs we must first look to the Bible and then to these historical creeds, confessions and catechisms to see if they are faithful to the words of scripture. In this way these historical documents can be helpful in defining certain areas of what constitutes true Christianty or Biblical doctrine.

Today people often ridicule the idea of a creed by saying we have no creed but Christ and "doctrine divides". When I was first introduced to the Christian faith I heard these statements many times and had to wrestle with them as I grew and developed in my faith. In fact I wasn't introduced to these historical documents known as creeds, confessions or catechisms until several years into my Christian pilgrimage and I suspect many readers of this article are in the same boat.

So if you are now coming across these writings for the first time do not be alarmed and do not reject them outright. Examine them in light of the Holy Bible. They do not hold the same weight as scripture but they do hold weight and thus in time need to be examined. For our purposes we will only mention several of them but first let's define the word "Creed" and mention some very short Biblical creeds.

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionaary a creed is a brief authoritative formula of religious belief or a set of fundamental beliefs; also: a guiding principle.


Examples of a CREED

The Amish live by a strict creed that rejects many of the values and practices of modern society>


Origin of CREED

From Latin credo (first word of the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds), from credere to believe, trust, entrust.

The word creed means a belief. Thus the Latin word credo means I believe. The Latin phrase Credo in Unum Deum means I believe in one God

This is a phrase often recited in the Roman Catholic church and is a Biblical teaching found in the Old Testament.

Examples of Old Testament Creeds or declarations of belief.


Deut. 6:4: Hear O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.

1 Kings. 18:39: And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God."

These verses seem to teach a Unitarian concept of God, that is, that there is no plurality in the Godhead.


Second, let's look at some creeds from the disciples of Jesus.


Matt. 16:16: Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

The words of Peter are a creed although a very short creed but a creed nevertheless. Peter was saying that he believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the annointed one.



Let's take another.

John 1:49: Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

and still another

John 20:28: Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"


We see here that Peter, Nathanael and Thomas all believed the same things concerning who Jesus was. They believed he was the Messiah, the Master teacher, Lord, King, God. These men obviously knew he was a man but they also believed he was God and the promised King of Israel that the prophets foretold in the Old Testament.

If Jehovah was God as the Old Testament taught then how could Jesus, the Son of God, also be God? Yet, this is what we find taught in the New Testament. The Scribes and Pharisees professed to believe God the Father but they denied that Jesus was God the Son and equal with the Father. This was a damnable heresy and false doctrine (teaching) or belief. Jesus told these Jews they were of their father the Devil.
This is how serious false doctrine is my brethren. It can send you to hell. Thus make sure you have your doctrine straight and do not neglect to study the creeds, confessions or catechisms but do not trust in these alone for your salvation. Study to know the true God and his son Jesus Christ so that you demonstrate a true and saving faith and not a false faith of devils. 2 Tim. 2:15

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent." John 17:3

From the above examples let's put to silence those foolish teachers in the church today who both deny the doctrine of the trinity and the Lordship salvation teaching so controversial about fifteen years ago and even today in some circles by saying you can accept Jesus as your personal savior but not accept him as your Lord. No where does the Bible teach this erroneous idea. All the disciples believed that Jesus Christ was both Lord and a savior to his people. Romans 10:9,10

We might add also that these disciples of our Lord were also making a confession as well as stating their creed.

The entire Old Testament and New Testament is a creed or confession of the Christian faith. This however does not alleviate or remove the many difficulties in understanding what the Bible teaches on certain doctrines.

If you say my creed is the Bible and the Bible alone then you have one long piece of authority to cover when asked about what you specifically believe about a certain doctrine. For this cause the creeds, confessions and catechisms come into play and have been a help to the church in clarifying her position where there may be misunderstanding or controversy and
in summarizing in a concise manner what the Bible teaches.

This simplistic mind set that says I have "no creed but Christ" sounds reasonable and good to the untrained Christian but let's examine this idea a bit.

It is true that doctrine divides but it is also true that doctrine unites, thus true doctrine like the words of scripture serve a great purpose. It separates the true brethren from the false and the wheat from the chaff. It lets us know where a person stands in relation to his or her understanding of the Bible and to the author of the Bible God Himself.

Doctrine simply means teaching and Biblical doctrine is based on the Word of God, the Bible. True Biblical doctrine cuts deep into the soul of man and pierces the conscience and very intents of the heart as we read in Hebrews 4:12:

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Another verse from the Bible that tells us the importance of doctrine is found in 2 Timothy 3:16

"For all scripture is given by inspiration from God and is profitable for DOCRINE, correction, reproof and instruction (or training) in righteousness"

As to the importance of a confession we see that the apostle John provides the basis for a creed or confession.

We are told in 1 John 4:1-3 1. "Beloved, BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, but try (test) spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2.Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that CONFESSETH that Jesus Christ is comne in the flesh is of God:
3. and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come and even now is already in the world."

Notice John says in effect, do not take as your creed or belief the teaching that you are to believe every spirit. No he says. Believe this rather that there are many spirits that are not of God and so must be tested because there are many false prophets gone out into the world.

Again he says in verse 3

Thus the word or doctrine of scripture refutes the errors of those teaching things contrary to the Bible. But the problem still remains in many religious denominations when it comes to exactly what the Bible teaches about who Jesus is and what he came to do and many other teachings or doctrines with regard to the Holy Spirit, the church, and many other teachings.

The naive mind that says I have "no creed but Christ" sounds reasonable and good to the untrained Christian but let's examine this idea a little further.



As to the importance of a confession we see that the apostle John provides the basis for a creed or confession.

We are told in 1 John 4:1-3 1. "Beloved, BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, but try (test) spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2.Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that CONFESSETH that Jesus Christ is comne in the flesh is of God:
3. and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come and even now is already in the world."

Notice John says in effect, do not take as your creed or belief the teaching that you are to believe every spirit. No he says. Believe this rather that there are many spirits that are not of God and so must be tested because there are many false prophets gone out into the world.

Again he says in verse 3

Thus the word or doctrine of scripture refutes the errors of those teaching things contrary to the Bible. But the problem still remains in many religious denominations when it comes to exactly what the Bible teaches about who Jesus is and what he came to do and many other teachings or doctrines with regard to the Holy Spirit, the church, and many other teachings.

In a future article, Lord willing, I will examine the Apostle's Creed which is a very fine and Bibllcal example of a creed which came into existence about a half century after Revelation was written.


In summary if a pastor or layman wants to preach about Jesus, they first need to make clear which "Jesus" they mean because many people have wrong thoughts about who Jesus really is. There is the "Jesus" of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) who is the spirit brother of Lucifer, or perhaps the "Jesus" of the so called Jehovah's Witness also known as the Watchtower society who is a created being which while not God is higher than man.

The God of Islam denies the doctrine of the trinity. They see Jesus as only a great prophet and no more.

The non-Christian religions and Christian cults hold to the Bible AND another source of authority which carries equal weight with the Bible. Having two authorities means you'll never never come to agreement with these people. It's best to avoid them after declaring the truth of scripture if they will listen. Many have stopped their ears from hearing the truth and have heaped to themselves teachers having itching ears. From such turn away. All such teachings outside the Bible and these historic documents are false and not part of the true gospel and yet each religion would base their beliefs on the Bible without always knowing what the Bible says on any given doctrine.

Hopefully you now see the historic significance and benefit of having a creed, confession or catechism. No informed Christian who wishes to advance the faith once delivered to the saints can afford to be ignorant of these very well worded formulations of Christian doctrine as given to the church throughout the last two centuries.






Carlton Pruitt ministers the gospel to the Los Angeles area. Formerly a Hollywood actor (SAG member)and junk removal expert he now spends most of his time studying the scriptures, writing articles, hymns and poems and doing street preaching. See his videos on www.YouTube.com. Type in LAStreetPreacher in the search bar. CONTACT at [email protected]

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