Why Use Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms?

Throughout the history of the church, God’s people have used concise statements about what they believe according to the Scriptures. These are commonly referred to as creeds or confessions. These statements are not Scripture, but they are helpful expositions of God’s Word that facilitate affirmations of faith shared by the church universal. It is not uncommon on a typical Sunday at King’s for us to employ one of these confessions as a part of our gathered worship. You will hear us regularly say that our liturgy is meant to be participatory and a creed or confession is a helpful tool that unites our voices together to proclaim God’s truth.
 
When many people think of creeds The Apostles Creed or The Nicene Creed are the only two that come to mind. The Apostles Creed was beginning to be formed as early as the first century and The Nicene Creed came along around 325 but what you may not know is that early Christians used sections of Scripture as corporate creeds in the infancy stages of the church. 1 Cor. 15:3-5, Rom. 1:3-4, Phil. 2:6-11, Col. 1:15-18, and 1 Pet. 3:18-22 were regularly used as corporate confessions in the late first century and served as the basis for the early ancient creeds.
 
Creeds and confessions serve as doctrinal guardrails. They keep us from running off into the ditch of heresy with time tested interpretations of Scripture. These statements also promote unity in the body of Christ across all times and all places. We recognize when we come together for worship that we never do so in a vacuum. We stand upon the shoulders of faithful saints who have gone before us. Reciting creeds and confessions unites believers across cultures and generations and reminds us that we are part of the “one holy universal and apostolic Church”.
 
These statements also serve a pedagogical purpose. The repeated use of confessions and creeds in corporate worship serves to instruct the congregation in sound doctrine. This is helpful for all the saints… children, new believers, and mature Christians who have followed Jesus for many years. The Heidelberg Catechism, for example, is structured in a way that teaches doctrine and serves to foster heartfelt devotion to Christ. It helps us internalize the truths of Scripture and prime the pump of our heart to adore Jesus.
 
Many may argue that reciting these statements together is wooden or rote repetition and makes corporate worship dry and less spontaneous. We would argue the opposite. Corporate agreement with these statements lifts our eyes to our Savior and his work and fosters deep joy in our agreement together. They help us proclaim what God has done, is doing, and will do, and they anchor our corporate worship in the grand narrative of redemption rooted in the faith “once for all delivered to the saints”. Below is a list of some of the creeds, confessions, catechisms, and statements you will hear us use in our gatherings. We always send out the coming Sunday’s affirmation in our Lord’s Day Look Ahead email so that it will not be new to you when you confess it.
 
The Apostle’s Creed (1st Century)
The Nicene Creed (325)
The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
The New Hampshire Statement of Faith (1853)
1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith