What's Essential?
Have you ever wondered what’s really essential to the Christian faith? How do you know you are saved? Have you ever looked at the bible and felt overwhelmed by it all? Where do I start? How can I do all that? Do I even want to? It’s particularly perplexing when we’re constantly wondering what God expects of us.
The apostles and early church leaders were confronted with these types of questions. What was necessary to be called a Christian? Since the roots of the Christian faith were Jewish, there was an assumption by some of the Jewish leaders that the customs and practices of the Jews should be operative for the new Christians. That didn’t go over so well once the faith started spreading to the Gentiles. In fact, without the history of Judaism as a guide, many of the customs and rituals of the Jews simply didn’t make sense. The reality was, even for the Jews many of the customs had become mere rituals devoid of connection to the God they were intended to honor.
In the New Testament book of Acts chapter 15, we are told a story by Luke about how the early church met to discuss one particular issue. After lengthy debates about whether new converts to Christianity should be circumcised (Jewish custom), they chose not to make that a requirement. Instead, they asked everyone to abstain from eating food sacrificed to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality (Acts 15:29). When this letter was read to the new Gentile believers, they were overjoyed. The movement was making room for them and opening doors rather than closing them. You can only imagine how things might have gone if that “Jerusalem Council” had drafted a different letter.
As the church progressed and increasingly became dominated by Gentile believers, it was necessary to help new converts understand what they were converting to. It was clear from Jesus that it wasn’t complicated to become His disciple. All that was needed was to believe in God (John 5:24). But, as the rich young ruler found out, neither would it be easy or formulaic to be sold out to Jesus. It requires everything of us.
The apostles and the early church developed a simple creed to help people define what it meant to believe. Early on it was probably known as the Roman Creed. Basically, it was a short telling of the story of the bible. At some point in the first or second century, it became essential for every new believer to know, recite and commit to the creed before baptism. A legend has been passed down that since there are 12 affirmation statements in the creed, that each statement was written by one of the 12 apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That is most likely fiction, but it was how the Roman Creed eventually became known as the Apostles Creed. Beyond the mere legend, there is a strong belief that these were the core teachings of the early church. As people were prepared for baptism, this is what they were taught. It has lasted up to this day, though somewhere in the 6th - 8th century it was modified into what we know and recite today as the Apostle’s Creed.
Belief in the Trinitarian God as outlined in the Apostles Creed is and has been the foundation of Christian belief from the beginning. It builds a little scaffolding around the basic idea of “belief in God” by affirming His revelation to us through Creation, His Son, and His church under the power of the Holy Spirit. Many scholars note that it is an essentially Christological creed since the majority of it focuses on Jesus Christ. You can see the traces of excitement of the new movement in having seen or heard stories of the real Jesus and their excitement to proclaim that good news. At its core, it is a succinct statement of the biblical story meant for all believers to have in common.
So, do you know it? Could you recite the Apostles Creed? If not, we’re going to study it together for a little while. We’ve just been working on doing LIfe Together, and the core of that series was about our unity in Jesus Christ and what He’s done to each of us. Having that common thread is what distinguishes, unites, and compels us. But, do we really know at its core what we’re saying when we say we believe? While nothing can add or take away from your basic belief, a deeper dive can reveal more about what you believe and thereby inspire you to recognize the deep love of God in the story. It is through this exploration and growth that we find how to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
In a small book on the Apostles Creed written by Benjamin Myers, he sets up his theological exploration of the Creed by using a metaphor. He says it’s like getting word that you inherited an estate from a wealthy relative. However, having never seen that estate, you only have a limited idea of what it’s all about. So, you go and visit. However, you can’t take it all in at once. You can only explore certain parts at a time. It is simply too big. As you explore each part, you are more excited and more aware of the richness of the estate. For Myers, that’s what theology is to the bible and the creeds. It is a way of mining the treasure that we have already laid claim to in our belief.
The Apostles Creed is a unifying set of statements for the Christian community. It’s also a beautiful and yet succinct view of God’s love for each of us. As we increasingly embrace that love with newfound insight and understanding, we can then further appreciate how that love can be shared with others. Remember that this year is a year of outreach to our neighbors, our friends, and our family. It is a year to share what we are convinced of. The essential truth of the gospel, codified and articulated in the Apostles Creed, is how we’re going to grow deeper in love so that we can share more love in our community.
I look forward to sharing this new sermon series with you starting this week called “Believe & Be Love.”
Many Blessings,
Pastor Scott