On the Apostles’ Creed
My latest study has been on the ancient creeds of the Christian Church. I’ve been reading on the creeds for Sunday school. Mike S. is now in charge of adult Sunday school at Bethel and he just finished teaching a wonderful series on the Proverbs. Sometime back Mike told me to brush up on the Creeds so I could conduct a couple of classes on the ancient/ecumenical creeds of the early church.
Last Sunday I spoke on the Apostles’ Creed. Of all the ancient creeds I love the Apostles’ Creed the best. It is a finely polished diamond of Christian doctrinal thought. Philip Schaff, in his monumental three volume work Creeds of Christendom, said this about the Apostles’ Creed “As the Lord's Prayer is the Prayer of prayers, the Decalogue the Law of laws, so the Apostles' Creed is the Creed of creeds” and he is exactly right.
I believe that it is a wonderful statement of the most fundamental teachings of the Christian faith and to deny any aspect of the creed (excepting the bit about hell) is to deny and essential part of the Christian faith. If someone denies the Trinitarian formula of this creed, than that person is (IMHO) outside of the historic faith and beyond the bounds of Christendom.
It has become a pattern in my house to say the Creed, or the Lord’s Prayer after we have said our evening prayers and then reflect on what the creed/prayer teaches. The Creed is a poetic gem and theological dynamite. I wish every Christian could put it to memory and reflect on it, especially when reciting it.
Coram Deo,
Kenith
Last Sunday I spoke on the Apostles’ Creed. Of all the ancient creeds I love the Apostles’ Creed the best. It is a finely polished diamond of Christian doctrinal thought. Philip Schaff, in his monumental three volume work Creeds of Christendom, said this about the Apostles’ Creed “As the Lord's Prayer is the Prayer of prayers, the Decalogue the Law of laws, so the Apostles' Creed is the Creed of creeds” and he is exactly right.
I believe that it is a wonderful statement of the most fundamental teachings of the Christian faith and to deny any aspect of the creed (excepting the bit about hell) is to deny and essential part of the Christian faith. If someone denies the Trinitarian formula of this creed, than that person is (IMHO) outside of the historic faith and beyond the bounds of Christendom.
It has become a pattern in my house to say the Creed, or the Lord’s Prayer after we have said our evening prayers and then reflect on what the creed/prayer teaches. The Creed is a poetic gem and theological dynamite. I wish every Christian could put it to memory and reflect on it, especially when reciting it.
Coram Deo,
Kenith
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