pilgrim people

It is often said, “doctrine divides, but love unites” or, “doctrine divides, but practice unites.” The idea behind both of these statements is that an emphasis upon doctrine will have a crippling affect on Christ’s church. It will cause her to debate and dispute over things that are merely theoretical and abstract, when the church should be focusing on a common bond of love for one another and their duty in good works. In fact, one of the most popular evangelical leaders in America recently said, “The first Reformation was about doctrine; the second one needs to be about behavior…We need a reformation not of creeds but deeds.”

Certainly a bond of love for one another and the duty of good works are necessary responsibilities of every Christian (Jn 13.34-35; 15.12; Eph 2.10; Tit 3.8; 1 Jn 3.10-23; 4.7-5.3) But to pit doctrine against love or doctrine against practice is to create a false dichotomy. We must understand that our unity as Christians is based on the truth we confess (i.e. doctrine). Our responsibility to love one another and perform good works is always to be done in response to the truth. To divorce doctrine from love and good works is to profess a religion other than Christianity, for Christianity is based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is first and foremost a message to be believed, not a mode of behavior. The Gospel is the message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ through which we are saved from the wrath of God. When that message is believed by true faith, there will be a change in behavior as a result. But to elevate deeds above creeds is to distort Christianity into mere pietism and moralism. Indeed, it is to base our unity on something other than the truth.

This is why we must confess essential doctrine. To neglect essential doctrine is to neglect the foundation of our unity. Our unity is not based on the political party we belong to, how we educate our children, or our personal opinions. Our unity is based strictly on the gospel and the truth we confess. That is why we call our confessions The Three Forms of Unity. We stand as a diverse people called from every tongue, nation and tribe, confessing these same things.

Moreover, unity is not something we can artificially create or conjure up. Nor is it a feeling we can produce. The Holy Spirit has already given this unity to us; we are simply called to maintain it.

This is what the apostle Paul gets at in Ephesians 4 where he tells us to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The very next thing he says is, “there is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” He states these seven articles of the Christian faith in what some New Testament scholars believe was a creed that new converts recited just before they were baptized and received visibly into the church. The point that Paul makes is very clear: there is no unity apart from unity in the truth.

Now, someone might ask, “Why not use the Bible alone? The Bible is the only written authority and inerrant rule for the faith and life of the church. Creeds and confessions, on the other hand, are documents that are capable of error. Why don’t we just say, ‘No creed but Christ’ or ‘No creed but the Bible’?” The answer is very simple: creeds and confessions are necessary because they are ecclesiastical statements about what we believe the Bible to teach. You see, statements like, “No creed but Christ” or “No creed but the Bible” are actually self-contradictory. Those statements are creeds in themselves!

The word “creed” comes from the Latin credo, which simply means, “I believe.” A creed is just a summary of what one believes. And a confession is similar. A confession is just a more detailed explanation of the Christian faith. The word “confession” comes from the Latin confessio, which means “I acknowledge.” Virtually every Christian has a creed and a confession of some sort whether he or she realizes it or not.

Let’s say I have a friend whom I ask, “What do you believe?” My friend, wanting to be Biblical and true to the Word of God says, “I believe the Bible.” So I then ask, “Do you subscribe to a particular creed or confession?” He says, “No, just the Bible. I believe the Word of God.” So then I ask him, “Well, what does the Bible teach about God? What does the Bible teach about Christ? What does it teach about salvation?” My friend is then forced to make a creedal statement. He is forced to make a confession. The moment he begins to summarize what the Bible teaches about God, Christ, salvation or any number of things, he has made a confession! This is what Peter did in Matthew 16 when Jesus asked him “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He made a confession.

A personal confession is a good and important thing. But as the church and one Body of Christ, we need to confess the same things. We need to be in agreement on the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Creeds and confessions are an aid to that end. They summarize essential apostolic doctrine and allow us as the church to stand united with one believing heart and one confessing tongue.

While our creeds and confessions always stand below the authority of Scripture, they nevertheless stand far above the private individual who thinks that he can interpret the Bible according to his own subjective opinion and be a doctrinal standard to himself. In the intro to his commentary on the Westminster Confession of Faith, A.A. Hodge spoke rightly of this type of person: “If they refuse the assistance afforded by the statements of doctrine slowly elaborated and defined by the Church, they must make out their own creed by their own unaided wisdom. The real question is not, as often pretended, between the Word of God and the creed of man, but between the tried and proved faith of the collective body of God’s people, and the private judgment and the unassisted wisdom of the repudiator of creeds.”

Of course, that doesn’t sit well with the American individualism. In our culture, we thrive on individuality and autonomy. But as Christians, we must remember that God has not redeemed for himself a huge group of individuals disconnected from one another. He has redeemed for himself a unified people who are in covenant with him. Likewise, Christ has not instituted a spiritual fan club; rather, he has instituted a church, which is called his Body. That Body must maintain its unity, lest it be dismembered and unhealthy. Creeds and confessions that faithfully state what Scripture teaches helps the Body to that end. They help preserve the church’s unity in the truth.