Why Do Some Churches Recite Creeds, Confessions, and Pre-Written Prayers?
2/29/24
This is one of the more common questions that I'm asked. While on campus it might yield some questions in response, as I try to find out what the questioner finds objectionable, I wanted to write a post answering the question in a positive manner.
In fact, if we look at the history of Christianity, most churches use creeds, confessional statements, and often prayers which were written in advance, often passed down from generation to generation. Older Christian traditions do this more than the newer groups.
There's a really good reason to use creedal statements. The very word "creed" is derived from the Latin word "credo" meaning "I believe." So a creed is a statement of what we believe. Making a statement of faith, all together as a congregation, is a good way of cementing those ideas into the whole community, old and new.
The details of creeds were generally worked out in vigorous debate over issues that threatened the well-being of the Church. Christians want to be sure their statements, and then their lives, agree with the Bible and focus on essential elements of Christianity. If it's an important factor in the Christian life, you can pretty well assume some group of people had a major dispute about it at some point in history. The statement of truth that came out of that issue is going to be very carefully worded, to say something important in a way that could stand up against opposing views.
Most church bodies around the world and throughout history (at least since about the 4th century) recognize the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Lord's prayer as foundational issues. The content of those two creeds and that one prayer have served for many centuries to define the way Christians think about the facts of their salvation.
Why would a church use these every week? Does it risk becoming a meaningless repetition, just something you say but not that you believe? There's a risk of becoming bored or flippant about anything. Yet that isn't the problem of the creed, it's the problem of the person reciting the creed. We can say and do things in all areas of our life without paying adequate attention. So we do need to be careful.
The confessions can serve as an effective test of other teaching we receive. Did the sermon's picture of Jesus agree with the creed's picture? Which area of the Lord's prayer would be similar to the lesson we just heard? Asking questions and evaluating what goes on in church is perfectly fair.
The confessions can serve as a reminder of God's person and work. They're centered on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, engaged in the things of this world. Jesus, the very real savior, did all that he did for you and for me, in a particular time, in a particular place.
Repeated use of confessions provides us with a strong memory of essentials of the Christian faith. You can carry that along with you always. It's always appropriate to get statements of definitive truth like we find in the creeds into your mind in a way you can't forget. You may forget everything sometime, except for those things you have purposely lodged in your mind.
The real question about using the creeds, then, is why people don't do this. In Matthew 6:7 Jesus warns his disciples against making vain repetitions, mindless words, which do no good. Some church bodies view creeds, as well as the Lord's Prayer, as being what Jesus warns against. However, in Matthew 6, immediately after warning against the vain repetitions, Jesus tells his disciples, "Pray this way." He teaches them the Lord's prayer. Another possible reason that a church wouldn't use historic creeds, confessions, and prayers is because they think the things that we make up on the spot might be better than what other people have worked out. Frankly, I'm not arrogant enough to think that I can do it better than the council at Nicea, or the many godly people who have worked at constructing beautiful and meaningful prayers.
We can be glad as Christians that God has raised up good scholars and teachers who preserve the Scripture and statements based on it so as to feed our faith.
2/29/24
This is one of the more common questions that I'm asked. While on campus it might yield some questions in response, as I try to find out what the questioner finds objectionable, I wanted to write a post answering the question in a positive manner.
In fact, if we look at the history of Christianity, most churches use creeds, confessional statements, and often prayers which were written in advance, often passed down from generation to generation. Older Christian traditions do this more than the newer groups.
There's a really good reason to use creedal statements. The very word "creed" is derived from the Latin word "credo" meaning "I believe." So a creed is a statement of what we believe. Making a statement of faith, all together as a congregation, is a good way of cementing those ideas into the whole community, old and new.
The details of creeds were generally worked out in vigorous debate over issues that threatened the well-being of the Church. Christians want to be sure their statements, and then their lives, agree with the Bible and focus on essential elements of Christianity. If it's an important factor in the Christian life, you can pretty well assume some group of people had a major dispute about it at some point in history. The statement of truth that came out of that issue is going to be very carefully worded, to say something important in a way that could stand up against opposing views.
Most church bodies around the world and throughout history (at least since about the 4th century) recognize the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Lord's prayer as foundational issues. The content of those two creeds and that one prayer have served for many centuries to define the way Christians think about the facts of their salvation.
Why would a church use these every week? Does it risk becoming a meaningless repetition, just something you say but not that you believe? There's a risk of becoming bored or flippant about anything. Yet that isn't the problem of the creed, it's the problem of the person reciting the creed. We can say and do things in all areas of our life without paying adequate attention. So we do need to be careful.
The confessions can serve as an effective test of other teaching we receive. Did the sermon's picture of Jesus agree with the creed's picture? Which area of the Lord's prayer would be similar to the lesson we just heard? Asking questions and evaluating what goes on in church is perfectly fair.
The confessions can serve as a reminder of God's person and work. They're centered on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, engaged in the things of this world. Jesus, the very real savior, did all that he did for you and for me, in a particular time, in a particular place.
Repeated use of confessions provides us with a strong memory of essentials of the Christian faith. You can carry that along with you always. It's always appropriate to get statements of definitive truth like we find in the creeds into your mind in a way you can't forget. You may forget everything sometime, except for those things you have purposely lodged in your mind.
The real question about using the creeds, then, is why people don't do this. In Matthew 6:7 Jesus warns his disciples against making vain repetitions, mindless words, which do no good. Some church bodies view creeds, as well as the Lord's Prayer, as being what Jesus warns against. However, in Matthew 6, immediately after warning against the vain repetitions, Jesus tells his disciples, "Pray this way." He teaches them the Lord's prayer. Another possible reason that a church wouldn't use historic creeds, confessions, and prayers is because they think the things that we make up on the spot might be better than what other people have worked out. Frankly, I'm not arrogant enough to think that I can do it better than the council at Nicea, or the many godly people who have worked at constructing beautiful and meaningful prayers.
We can be glad as Christians that God has raised up good scholars and teachers who preserve the Scripture and statements based on it so as to feed our faith.
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