Identity, the Creeds,
and Unity
Regarding the question of who you
are, most of us would first describe our families, say what we do, or offer
some general description of gifts we have, or some other characteristic or
role. But for Christians, what we are, most essentially, is children of God
(see Matthew West’s song, Hello, My Name
Is.) Our inclination to describe ourselves otherwise reminds me of the
movie, Miracle in which the coach of
the US Olympic team asks each player to say who they play for and each responds
with the name of his college. Later, while being forced to do an endless number
of sprints, one of them says, “USA—I play for the USA.” And that was what the
coach wanted—for their identity to be related to his team.
But what is essential to our identity as Christians? I have discussed some of that above, and discuss the role of creeds in understanding that below, but a critical part of living out this identity is to remember Jesus’s words during the Last Supper:
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
That directs us with respect to our relationship with other
believers. Regarding people who were not believers, Jesus was generally
offering, not pushing—and leaving towns if they were not interested. People
generally came to him. He made himself available in different regions, but they
chose to come. He employed a model of attraction—except for the Pharisees, he
didn’t “get in their faces,” but offered himself to those who were drawn to
him.
And yet, it seems undeniable that Christians have not always
followed Jesus’s model of attraction or his new command to love one another.
Conflicts among believers were there from the beginning, prompting Paul to write to Timothy, (2 Timothy 2: 23-25)
Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth.
This advice is echoed by the 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon, who warned:
Let us feel when we are disputing about points of difficulty, that we
need not get cross about them, because after all there are limits to our
present capacity as well as to our actual knowledge. Our disputes are often
childish.
I think there is something to be
learned from everyone, including from other religions and particularly from
other Christian churches. St Francis appreciated the five daily prayers of
Muslims when he visited Egypt in 1219. Most Christian churches share core
common beliefs even if they differ on particular beliefs and/or practices. I’m
not sure I have ever heard a sermon—even from my favorite preachers—that I
didn’t think had some misinterpretation or misrepresentation or exaggeration.
Though I seek to avoid those in what I say and write, I feel confident my
writings have many of them. But there is truth to be found in the thoughts of
others—truth that can be vital to you in your walk. Though not Catholic, I have
listened to a lot of the “Catechism in a Year” podcast. While there are some
particulars that I think may be too definitively stated, overstated, narrowly
interpreted, etc., I think that much of it is carefully articulated and
collected thinking and interpretation that would be valuable to anyone trying
to better understand and contemplate the Christian faith and life. Timothy
Keller was said to give “winsome” responses to critics as a way to engage them
in real conversation that might result in change, while staying true to what he
understood as the truth.
But, all in all, history is full of evidence that Christians have often not followed Jesus’s model of attraction or his new command to love one another, which brings great cost. Disharmony among Christians makes it harder for non-Christians to believe and is part of what was behind Gandhi saying, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” The consequences of this are captured in Brennan Manning’s profound quote:
The greatest single cause of atheism in the
world today
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with
their lips
Then walk out the door and deny him by their
lifestyle
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.
We must do better.
So what is it that is “essential”—the essence of the Christian faith? Here I think the Catholic Catechism explains it concisely in paragraphs 186-188:
186
From the beginning, the apostolic Church expressed and handed on her
faith in brief formula normative for all.1 But already very early
on, the Church also wanted to gather the essential elements of her faith into
organic and articulated summaries, intended especially for candidates for
Baptism: This synthesis of faith was not made to accord with human opinions, but
rather what was of the greatest importance was gathered from all the
Scriptures, to present the one teaching of the faith in its entirety. And just
as the mustard seed contains a great number of branches in a tiny grain, so too
this summary of faith encompassed in a few words the whole knowledge of the
true religion contained in the Old and the New Testaments.2
187
Such syntheses are called “professions of faith” since they summarize
the faith that Christians profess. They are called “creeds” on account of what
is usually their first word in Latin: credo (“I believe”). They are also called
“symbols of faith.”
188
The Greek word symbolon meant half of a broken object, for example, a seal presented as a token of recognition. The broken parts were placed together to verify the bearer’s identity. The symbol of faith, then, is a sign of recognition and communion between believers.
If that’s what the Creeds
are, then there is no division on the essential defining elements (“the whole
knowledge of the true religion contained in the Old and New Testaments”) of
faith for the vast majority of Christians around the world who profess the
standard creeds: if they all held up their symbolons, they would, to the
surprise of many, find that they all fit together and that the (literal)
fighting for centuries over less essential elements has been poisonous
distraction. And again, most sadly, that it has been in direct opposition to
Jesus’s command, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another.”
Too often it seems like we have fallen into the trap of focusing on traditions and customs as the Pharisees did so that, as Spurgeon put it,
Traditional religion is not submission to Christ, but to custom. Obedience to a denomination is not obedience to Jesus himself.
and,
We may do what the church tells us, and never do what Christ tells us, for these may be different things; and the church is not our Savior, but Christ.
Jesus didn’t say “if you follow the same customs or
practices” or even “doctrines.” He said “if you love one another.”
The “essentials” of the faith are just that, but there are
many, many, many interpretations, practices, customs, and other aspects of the
Christian faith (some of which are mentioned below) that are not essential and
should not be sources of disharmony and reasons we fail to “love one another.”
While the idea is found in the words of Jesus and Paul and
others in the Bible, it is crystalized in the motto:
“In essentials unity, in non-essentials (or doubtful matters) liberty, in all things charity.” This was probably first stated as such by protestant churches in the seventeenth century, but has been echoed in many Christian communities, including the Catholic church, with Pope St. John XXIII writing (Ad Petri Cathedram)
But the common saying, expressed in various ways and attributed to various authors, must be recalled with approval: in essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity (72).
All of this seems related to the apostle Paul saying, in 1 Corinthians 13:12:
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in
part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.
—doubtful things will be resolved
when we see clearly and we shouldn’t let them separate us in the meantime.
Though we share the same essentials (creeds), we have a
great tendency to emphasize our differences. If we can’t see ourselves as
siblings (which I believe we are), it seems like we should at least see
ourselves as cousins. We should be able to get along with cousins as well,
recognizing the faith that we do share instead of emphasizing our differences.
In a healthy family you would talk about differences, but still love and try to
support family members with different views and pray for them. It’s hard for me
to imagine we would ostracize and attack them, but such has been the history of
the church.
Again, Jesus sought to draw believers to himself by
attraction, not by arguing or raising his hand against them, which has too
often been the recourse of Christians. Again, that undermines the credibility
and attractiveness of the message and, most importantly, does not bring anyone
closer to God. We need to cherish and love each other for what unites us
instead of hating for what separates us. That would set a different and much
needed example for the world.
So what are the Creeds that express
our “whole knowledge of the true religion”? There are two main creeds used in
churches throughout the world, both drawing on, as the Catechism states,
“knowledge of the true religion contained in the Old and the New Testaments.”
The simplest is the Apostle’s creed, while the Nicene Creed, adopted in the
fourth century, offers more detail, They are thought to be consistent with each
other and both are used in many churches. They are,
Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God,
the Father
almighty,
Creator of heaven
and earth,
and in Jesus
Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived
by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin
Mary,
suffered under
Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died
and was buried;
he descended into
hell;
on the third day he
rose again from the dead;
he ascended into
heaven,
and is seated at
the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will
come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the
Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic
Church,
the communion of
saints,
the forgiveness of
sins,
the resurrection of
the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one
God,
the Father
almighty,
maker of heaven and
earth,
of all things
visible and invisible.
I believe in one
Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten
Son of God,
born of the Father
before all ages.
God from God, Light
from Light,
true God from true
God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all
things were made.
For us men and for
our salvation
he came down from
heaven,
and by the Holy
Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was
crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death
and was buried,
and rose again on
the third day
in accordance with
the Scriptures.
He ascended into
heaven
and is seated at
the right hand of the Father.
He will come again
in glory
to judge the living
and the dead
and his kingdom
will have no end.
I believe in the
Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from
the Father and the Son,
who with the Father
and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken
through the prophets.
I believe in one,
holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one
Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward
to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the
world to come. Amen.
Modern versions of
these creeds are found in “What we believe” statements of churches around the
world, ranging from the Salvation Army to Bethel Church, and generally seem to
seek to use more modern and accessible language to articulate the same beliefs—in
fact, Hillsong Worship’s song, “King of
Kings” has many of the elements of the creeds set to music.
So the Creeds offer the “symbolons”
by which Christians can recognize each other and know that they are part of the
“one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” (note the small “c” on
catholic—Oxford defines it as meaning “including a wide variety of things;
all-embracing)
But there are many complex and “doubtful” or “uncertain” matters over which we are called to offer “charity” instead of forcing division. I discuss many of them in the section on “Discernment” below, but for me, an important one of those is the question of predestination, the elect, and which people will go to heaven. There has been much divisive debate and different churches have a variety of stands on this. There is, of course, a correct answer, but I believe that only God knows the names—as Spurgeon points out,
He hath not published the page whereon the actual names of the redeemed are written; but that page of the sacred decree whereon their character is recorded is published in his Word.
Only God knows which people truly possess that character—the
disciples probably thought that Judas did. Even trying to figure it out reminds
me of the refrain of Kenny Rogers song, The
Gambler. Ultimately, I believe that God wishes for each and all of us to be
reconciled to him and so the invitation/promise really is to each of us and it
is our job to accept and embrace it, and not to speculate or care about the
outcome (the complexities of predestination and the elect). As much as we might
be drawn by “what’s in it for me” thinking, our relationship with God shouldn’t
be a “quid pro quo” deal—that we worship and serve him in exchange for him
saving us. It should be heartfelt uncontrollable outpouring resulting from awe,
wonder, and gratitude. For me, Chris Tomlin’s song, Who You Are to Me expresses that well.
“Whoever is not against
us is for us”
Getting back to the idea of unity and embracing a wide variety of things, Jesus pointed his disciples to accepting the work of others—even if he didn’t know them:
Mark 9:38-41
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out
demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us.41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
And Luke reports the same message:
Luke 9:50 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”
Jesus didn’t ask details
of the doctrines they taught or anything else about their message. And Mark’s
account suggests that the smallest kindness done in his name is worthy of
reward.
These statements echo the words of Moses, who (as reported
in Numbers 11: 25-29) admonished Joshua for wanting to stop men from
prophesying because they had not been “in the tent” with Moses when the Spirit
came on those with Moses: “I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and
that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”
The need for unity has been recognized by many—at the end of
the last millennium documents such as “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” and
the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” were signed by members
of various Christian denominations to attest to the importance of unity focused
on the creeds and faith.
The key issue is that of faith, to which we will turn next.
Sections in this chapter:
- The heart of faith
- The core message and goal for your life
- Seeking to trust God and become more like Jesus
- Knowing your role—and God’s
- Fruit of the Spirit
- Managing our priorities and our praise
- Identity, the creeds, and unity
- The struggle of finding and holding faith
- Ultimate truth
- Faith must be our own
- Levels and types of faith
- Faith vs. knowledge
- Faith and the Law and Works
- Free Will and The Fall
- Seeking to understand the Bible and life through discernment
- The challenge of discernment
- Handling different discernments
- "Our own words"
- Exploring challenging passages and ideas
- The importance of prayer
- Personal reflections
- The importance of living the life
- It’s not too late
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