My Restoration Movement roots shout loud on this one. “No Creed but Christ” was the mantra of the Stone-Campbell movement. That saying cemented a solid brick wall. No creeds would enter.
I don’t recall ever reading a creed, even in church history class. I do remember a well-meaning sister, with a touch of arrogance, held up and shook her Bible when some visitors asked what creeds we held to.
The anti-creed sentiment was ingrained deep in my subconscious. I had no real data to back up the cringe I felt when creeds were discussed. I just had this visceral rejection of all things creedal.
One thing I am finding out about myself, is that I do love history. I love facts. And the historical data has changed my perspective on a number of things, including creeds.
Let’s go back in time to the 300’s. The church has had a couple hundred years to formulate and get its footing. The doctrine and practices were in line with the apostles doctrine (Acts 2:42). This was all done with oral tradition and a few circulated books. The New Testament as we know was not accessible to the masses.
Up pops Arius, a priest from Alexandria. He promoted a false Christological doctrine that said Jesus was divine but he was made, not begotten of God. Arius’ followers formed a sect that believed that Christ came from God, but he wasn’t God originally. Jesus wasn’t eternal. He wasn’t equal to the Father. This was problematic.
The doctrine of Arianism was contested by saints such as Basil and Athanasius. The debate fractured the church but also the Roman Empire. This is when Emperor Constantine, a recent convert to Christianity, agrees to endorse a meeting of the five holy sees of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. They are going to gather and hash this out.
- As the church spreads geographically, there is limited access to the Gospels and the epistles.
- A serious false doctrine is being promoted diminishing the divine nature of Christ.
- Arianism is condemned by many leaders in the church.
- Emperor Constantine, to preserve peace in the empire, calls 318 church leaders to gather at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.
There is some fanciful lore surrounding this council. There are also some complete falsehoods that get perpetuated by critics. These guys didn’t compile the New Testament or canonize scripture. The accepted, accurate and historical books were already determined by the tradition of the church. And no matter how much I want it to be true, there is no real proof that Saint Nicholas punched Arius in the face.
What they did do is firmly reject Arianism and declare it heresy. They also affirmed Biblical truths. They codified the non-negotiables of Christianity.
I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father; And He will come again with glory to judge the living and dead. His kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.
Amen.
Can you see how weekly reciting of this creed would be not just beneficial, but necessary in combating false doctrine as it popped up?
There had to be a way to protect the flock from false doctrine. New Christians couldn’t run home and use Bible Gateway to look up verses. They couldn’t even flip to the concordance in the back of the book. There was no index or table of contents.
There was the spoken and memorized word that could be implanted in the heart. Those truths could not be stolen. They became the anchor of the soul and the foundation of the church of Christ. There truly was a need for creeds.
