Encore Post: We say creeds together every time we worship together. We study them in confirmation and memorize two of them. They contain the basic teachings of Scripture that all Christians believe. Even Protestant churches that reject formal creeds cheerfully confess what they confess. But what are they, anyway?
The word creed comes from the Latin word credo which means “I believe.” they are statements of what we know about God, especially the gospel. In one sense, they are salvation history — a statement of how God saved us and where we fit in his plan. They are short and sweet — something we can take with us forever.
While the Apostles did not write the creeds, the words and phrases reflect how the Bible proclaims the Gospel. When new Christians were taught the faith in the early Church, their teachers had them memorize short sentences and phrases that summed what they believed. When they were baptized, they would recite them. Some of these are in the Bible. Here are a few:
Hear, O Israel…” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
“There is one God… one Lord…” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
“Christ died for our sins…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
“Jesus Christ is Lord…” (1 Corinthians 12:3), (Philippians 2:11)
Over three hundred years, these statements grew in size. Christians began to use the same words. In the 4th Century, they developed into the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. They became ways in which all Christians knew Jesus’ story and where they fit in it. When we recite the Creed, it reminds us who we are and whose we are.
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