Tonkawa,
Thanks for sharing this space with me the last 5 weeks as we conclude these sermonettes on the Apostles’ Creed.
The last reason we need the creed? Evangelicals have no idea what they believe.
Ligonier and Lifeway Ministries partnered together to do a survey on the state of evangelical belief in the US and the results are saddening. 46% of these self-identified evangelicals agreed that God accepts the worship of Judiasm, Islam, and Christianity the same. 36% agreed that by doing good deeds they could earn their place in heaven. 45% agreed that there is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That means 55% don’t believe in God. Only 47% believe Jesus’ resurrection was bodily. Only 60% agree that Jesus is fully God and fully man.
We are biblically illiterate in the west, not knowing what matters most, and the fruit of not knowing is not believing in what matters most. AW Tozer famously said that the most important thing about man is what comes into his mind when he thinks about God.
Luke Timothy Johnson said, “Christians who say these words should know what they are doing when they say them and what they are saying when they mean them.”
But if we only know, but do not believe, we are in trouble.
Paul said it this way: “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:9-10).”
This is our aim, not that we can recite a creed and not that we know rote responses to theological questions, though those things matter greatly. But scripture does not say, “If you confess with your mouth and know with head knowledge that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.” or “For with the head one intellectually understands and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” There is confession with the mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” But where does that confession come from? The heart. Knowledge does not justify the Christian. Belief does. And out of that belief comes confession with mouth.
Our creed is not, “I know.” Our creed is “I believe” and that makes all the difference in the world. Institutions can say, “I know” and ...