The Truth In
Print Vol. 16 Issue 8, Sept. 2010
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928-782-5058)
Website Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Human Creeds and
Statements of Faith
The following is a brief article that was just put in the Newspaper
warning about the danger of human creeds and statements of faith. I’ll let it
serve as an introduction to this larger article.
“Human Creeds & Statements of Faith
Many believe that their church’s “creed” – often written long ago – is
equal in authority to the New Testament scriptures. However, many creeds and
statements of faith contain doctrinal errors. Paul commended the elders of the
church at Ephesus “to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build
you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them
which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). Paul commended them to the whole of God’s
word through Christ (cf. Matt. 28:20). He said, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
The word “shunned” means “to shrink, to draw back.” Paul said he had “not”
shunned to declare all the counsel of God ---the antonym for shunned being “to
be bold, to exercise courage.”
Some statements of faith are general with the intent that one who reads
will not be offended in any way --- such “attract” and often by stating mere
“social goals.” The lack of scriptural doctrinal statements is appealing to the
worldly minded, yet serves church leaders seeking wealth through numbers.
Others at times offer a Calvinistic flavor with statements of salvation by “faith only” and “eternal
security” --- thus an appeal by slighting the necessity of obedience in baptism
in order to be saved, while producing a false comfort that once saved one
cannot fall from grace (cf. Acts 2:38, Mk.16:15-16; Gal. 5:4; 2 Pet. 2:20-21).
It has grown popular in community type churches to present baptism as a
sacrament comparable to the Lord’s Supper--- with a false “twist” of baptism as
a sign of having already been saved.”
The Restoration Movement in America
I
would think that just about anyone who is interested in the Restoration History
in America has enjoyed, should they have read it, “The Search For The Ancient Order” by Earl West. Volume One, A History
of The Restoration Movement was published in 1974.
West’s discussion of “The Stone Movement” always impresses me as to how
men can take the Bible only and when faced with the challenge choose God’s word
over human creeds and confessions of faith — disavowing the control of the man
made structure to boot! West explains that the thought of his ordination with
the Presbyterian church led Stone to re-examine the
Westminster Confession of Faith. “When the Transylvania Presbytery met in 1798
at Cane Ridge, Stone was asked: “Do you receive and adopt the Confession of
Faith, as containing the system of doctrine as taught in the Bible”? He
replied: “I do, as far as I see it consistent with the Word of God.” Going on
West gives emphasis to the fact that “the Presbyterian doctrine taught man was
totally depraved, and had no ability to believe. Yet, how could this doctrine
be reconciled with the persuading of men to repent and believe? Why preach to
men to believe if they were totally depraved and couldn’t? For the next few
years this dilemma was to cause Stone no little anxiety” (Ibid, pg. 22). What
always happens happened and Stone was considered a heretic by the Presbyterian church! He wasn’t alone — he and others were teaching the
Gospel was for all men and sinners were capable of understanding and believing
and acting upon their belief. Thus the
Calvinistic Presbyterians believed Stone to be a heretic! West points out that
this was as far as Stone and others like him had gone in 1804, but it was far
enough that they withdrew from the Synod of Kentucky and set up their own
Presbytery — the Springfield Presbytery. Their mail out known as the “Apology of
the Springfield Presbytery” expressed their total abandonment of all
authoritative creeds except the Bible. West relates these facts along with the
success of fifteen churches established in Ohio and Kentucky in less than a
year, coupled with their awareness of their own error in forming their own
Presbytery and therefore the dissolution if it also in less than a year! Thus
to dissolve their own organization they wrote “The Last Will and Testimony of
the Springfield Presbytery.” It is one of the classical documents of the
period, and as West states it shows the desire of wanting to give up everything
of human origin in religion and take only the Bible. There were points made in that admission of error
that included such things as dropping the title “Reverend,” the Bible only,
freedom to preach the Gospel without any mixture of the traditions of men, the
autonomy of each local church. In time, as West points out, Stone’s continued
investigation of God’s Word led him and others to understand that baptism was for
the remission of sins and it should be administered to penitent believers (cf.
Acts 2:37-41).
I
still enjoy reading that over again — I get chills even yet as I read about how
men and women came to the truth and into the church of Christ.
“Perhaps the Apostles’ Creed,” One Said.
Recently I was told by another who was searching for a statement of
faith for the church he was starting that he’d had some disagreement with
another on just what to use. He explained that he couldn’t accept the obvious
error in what the “other” wanted to use and so he was thinking along the lines
of perhaps something like “the Apostles’ Creed.” In brief conversation I told
him I was perplexed that men would want to write their own “creed” and even
more so that a statement of faith would contain Calvinism which came up — and
it was obvious to me that so called ministers in our fair city simply do not
desire to go back to the beginning of the church in Acts 2 and preach what the
apostles did — that one must repent and be baptized for the remission of sins,
Acts 2:38! Why do they shun doing so? They will be lost for not doing so!
If
one put the so called Apostles’ Creed — written about A.D. 340 long after the
apostles died — on a website as a church’s statement of faith here is what
they’d be stating: I believe in God The
Father; and In Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary; under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, and buried; the
third day he rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father; from thence he
shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost; the holy
Church; forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body (See Chart pgs.
536-537, The History of the Christian Church, Vol. II, by Schaff).
Preach The Word, Paul said!
That’s what Paul said to do (2 Tim. 4:1-5). The so-called “Apostles’
Creed” contains points
that you can prove with New Testament scriptures, although no scriptures were
given in the Creed itself — but those points are not enough! On the day of
Pentecost, the day the church of Christ was established the Apostles preached
important truths concerning our Lord and Savior:
1.
Jesus of Nazareth is preached as Lord and Christ (Acts 2:22, 36).
2.
Jesus’ ministry, trial, death on the cross and resurrection is proclaimed (Acts
2:23-32).
3.
His exaltation is proclaimed (Acts 2:33-36).
4.
He is both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
Noted scholars, past and present, have written volumes answering the
“evil” and doubting skeptics and atheistic philosophers who contradict believe
in the deity of Christ. Yet these same turn away from the Word and present
baptism as a sacrament somewhat like the Lord’s Supper — falsely stating of
early Christians that “Their other sacrament, baptism, was a reminder that
believers were buried with Christ and raised with Him (Col. 2:12)” (Morris, as
cited by Douglas, NBD, 1088, The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict, pg. 257,
by Josh McDowell). The scholars who can see and expose many errors spouted by
false teachers and philosophers —- can be guilty of breaking their own rule
that you must consider the “whole teaching” and “in context” — and then you if
you desire you will know the truth (cf. Jo. 8:32).
There are churches that will claim “Our faith is based upon the
principles outlined in the historic creeds: Apostles’ and Nicene” — and then
state belief in the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Bible
as the inspired Word of God — but follow these with “every person is justified
by grace to God through faith in Jesus Christ.” This is not enough! The
apostle’s sermon did not stop with the four important truths above. Here is
another truth from the apostles in answer to what to do to be saved. I’ll make
it number “5”:
5.
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost.” ... “Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:38, 41). If you want the doctrine of Christ
revealed by the Apostles you’ll not hesitate to believe, preach and practice
this!
By Bob Lovelace
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