Why creeds. . .

For those who find creeds superfluous or even scandalous, it may be time to rethink the value and usage of the creed, especially confessed in worship.  A fairly recent survey has found that 78% of evangelicals believe that “Jesus was the first and greatest being created by God the Father.” In case you are wondering why that is a problem, that was the Arian position condemned by the Council of Nicea as being unfaithful to Scripture.  Lest you think that these evangelicals may have just been confused, it is precisely this issue that is addressed by and remedied by the regular and faithful use of the creeds, including the Athanasian Creed. But this is not the only problematic area, other studies have shown that the understanding of many with regard to the Trinity is likewise unfaithful to the Scriptures and probably modalistic at best.  Again, the value of the creed keeps popping up!

Christians who do not use creeds or confessions often do not get either the premise for them or the value of them.  Creeds place before the faithful the catholic and apostolic faith in summary form precisely so that they confess with their own lips the mysteries of the faith in the Incarnation and the Trinity.  Living in a community of churches who are non-creedal and living in an area where so-called Christian congregations routinely invite people by brushing off the particulars of what Scripture teaches and the creeds confess, I am daily confronted with the value of them and the salutary benefit of having and using them regularly.