[1] Church: Creeds and Sacraments

[20] Church: Creeds and Sacraments

67. Are creeds of faith important?

a. "Creed" comes from Latin credo meaning "I believe" (fist words in the Apostles’ Creed). It contains:

brief statements of belief to summarize major points of faith
interpretations and clarification of Biblical doctrine, but cannot claim divine authority

b. Importance of creeds:

Some Christians dislike creeds and confessions because they object formalism, but every church has some kinds of creeds, sometimes called statement of faith.

They guide church members in understanding the central truth of the Bible.
They unite a diverse church body in a common doctrinal purpose.
They serve as an authoritative standard to settle disputes in times of controversy. They distinguish heresy from orthodoxy. [Heresy (meaning an arbitrary or self-determined choice separating one from the unity of the Church) is a self-chosen view in essential matters of faith, one that contradicts with the traditionally received orthodox teaching.]
They defend against abuses such as misuse of church property by those who have different beliefs.
They act as a banner or a symbolic declaration to the world of its identity.

c. Historic creeds:

Apostles’ Creed (2nd century) and Nicene Creed (325) are universally accepted by all orthodox churches. According to Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther, the Apostles’ Creed remains the best condensed statement of Christian faith and the most reliable way to learn the heart of faith.
Important historic creeds: Westminster Confession (1646) of the Presbyterian Church (widely accepted by conservative churches), Augsburg Confession (1530) of the Lutheran Church, Helvetic Confession (1562) of the Reformed Church, Thirty-Nine Articles (1563) of the Anglican Church

68. Why are there denominations? a. Definition: religious organization with a distinctive set of doctrines and system of governance

b. Origin: Denominations were formed when groups of Christians congregate and organize themselves in different cultures and different periods of history.

c. Why did God permit denominations to exist?

It is true that to non-Christians, the existence of denominations show a lack of unity.
Different denominations vary in:

non-essential doctrines, such as Calvinism in Presbyterian and Reformed churches, and Arminianism in Methodist and Evangelical Free churches
style of worship, such as the emphasis on dignified worship in Anglican and Lutheran churches
Christian life emphasis, such as the emphasis of holiness in Methodist churches
activities, such as the emphasis in missionary work in the Alliance churches

Through their diversity, denominations fulfil the function of serving and nurturing Christians of varied cultural background and various personal dispositions.

d. Proper attitudes towards denominations:

What all Christians hold in common (such as the Bible and the Apostles’ Creed) are much more crucial and decisive than the points on which denominations differ. As Didache (an important 2nd century Christian document) says: "In the bread to be consecrated, many grains go to form one loaf." All true Christians are brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.
It is important to not let sectarianism leading to pride and self-congratulation of distinctive features of one’s own denominational tradition and rejection of others.

e. Ecumenism: a movement to unite different denominations, example, World Council of Churches

Yet the usual result is that a vibrant denominationalism is replaced by an ineffective ecumenism where teaching and moral standards are lowered to the lowest common denominator.

69. What are means of grace? What is prayer? a. Means of grace are those activities within the church that God uses to give more grace to Christians. Some prefer to designate only baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the means of grace. Some include prayer, teaching of the Word, worship, church discipline, giving, spiritual gifts, fellowship, evangelism, personal ministry to individuals.

b. Prayer is personal communication with God.

c. Purposes of prayer:

It is not a way to make our needs known to God because God knows everything (Mt 6:8).

(1) Prayer expresses our trust in God so that our trust and faith in God can increase.

(2) Prayer is fellowship with God so that our love for God can be strengthened.

(3) Prayer is a means by which we learn to be grateful, remembering that everything comes from God.

(4) Prayer is a means by which we can relieve our burdens before God.

(5) Prayer is a way through which God allows His children to be involved in His work.

d. Effect of prayer: Prayer does change the way God acts (Jas 4:2; Lk 11:9-10; Ex 32:11-14; 2Ch 7:14)

e. Proper attitudes in prayer:

(1) Pray according to God’s will (Jn 15:17; 1Jn 5:14-15; Mt 6:10; 26:39): His will can generally be known from the Bible such as His commands and promises. Also, the Holy Spirit gives us guidance in our prayers (Ro 8:26). In cases when we do not know what God’s will is, we should ask for deeper understanding and then pray for what seems best to us.

(2) Pray with faith and real confidence of answer (Heb 11:1; Mk 11:24; Mt 21:22; Jas 1:6)

(3) Pray continually over time (Gen 32:26; Lk 6:12; Mk 14:39; Mt 18:1-8)

f. Components of Prayer: (1) Praise for God’s greatness and nature (Mt 6:9; Lk 24:52-53; Rev 4:8)

(2) Thanksgiving for God’s blessings (Col 4:2)

(3) Confession of own sins (Mt 6:12; 1Jn 1:9; Jas 5:16)

(4) Petition for self and for others (Php 4:6)

70. What are sacraments? a. Definition:

"Sacrament" comes from Latin sacramentum which means a secret now revealed or a symbol.
It is a holy ordinance (ceremony or rite) where the grace of God in Christ is represented.

b. Types: Protestants accept two types of sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper (as only these are commanded by Christ). Roman Catholics added 5 more: confirmation, penance, extreme unction (anointing a dying person with oil), holy orders (ordination to priesthood), matrimony (marriage).

c. Characteristics of sacraments:

(1) a visible symbol to help believers to understand and to remember God’s salvation in Christ

(2) those who partake the sacrament in faith receive the grace of closer fellowship with Christ, of spiritual growth and strengthening, and of increasing assurance of salvation

(3) a way through which believers express their faith and obedience to God: Though sacraments are not a necessity for salvation (1Pe 3:21) yet these are commanded by Christ and deliberate neglect of them is similar to all wilful and persistent disobedience to God.