Today I came across a post from 9Marks that all Christians need to read and consider. It rightly asserts that, as believers, it is important to confess the ancient creeds of the church regularly.

In Confessing the Faith: The Place of Confessions in Church Life, the author writes:

“We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.”

Our young church recites these words from the Nicene Creed when we gather in Vienna, Austria. For many evangelicals, such ancient traditions may seem either obvious or archaic, but our church recites creeds, confessions, and catechisms (henceforth just confessions) nearly every Lord’s Day.

One reason this post caught my attention is that the church referred to is in Austria. And, the author points out why this is remarkable.

Here in Europe, Christian principles and virtues are no longer the norm; rather, they are viewed as an aberration. According to our wider culture, believing that a man rose from the dead is the height of idiocy, worshipping a triune God is a contradiction, and acknowledging that we live in a created world is wishful thinking. All the more reason to confess the reality of these things each Lord’s Day! Confessions serve as expressions of Christianity throughout space and time that testify to the normalcy of being non-normal.

Why Is this Important for Us in America?

Just as the Christian faith has already become an aberrant belief in Europe, I fear the same thing is happening in the United States. Christian beliefs are increasingly thought hateful, homophobic, and out of step with the culture.

Also, churches that boldly proclaim “deeds, not creeds” don’t have a solid foundation for their beliefs. When trials come, how will they withstand them without such grounding?

What Should We Do?

Rather than offer a formula solution, allow me to tell you what my church does.

I am a member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (LCMS). And we confess the ancient creeds.

An Important Side Note

Please do not confuse us with the ultra-liberal apostate Evangelical Lutheran Church in America or ELCA. I point this out because the media often does not make a distinction in the headlines.

For example, “The Lutheran church elected it first transgender bishop..” seems to say that all Lutheran’s support transgenderism. Not true. Only so-called Lutheran synods that ignore the clear teaching of the Bible do so. The ELCA is one such church.

The LCMS affirms the biblical teaching about sexuality. Enough said!

Back to What My Church Does

We are a confessional Christian church. That means we subscribe to the confessions of our faith. With the LCMS, this means we adhere to the sound teaching of Scripture as taught in the Book of Concord.

They included the three ancient creeds we confess at the beginning of the Book of Concord. This alone establishes our adherence to them.

So, we confess the ancient creeds.

Every Sunday, we recite either the Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed.

Once every year, on Trinity Sunday, we slowly and carefully recite the Athanasian Creed.

Our children are also taught the creeds in Sunday school and in confirmation classes.

Why Do We Do This?

The creeds are necessary because they provide us with a foundation for our faith. When faced with trials, we can grasp onto them to remain strong.

Also, they are an excellent tool to use in sharing our faith with others.

If your church does not profess the ancient creeds, ask your leaders why this is so. Or, consider joining a congregation that professes and is faithful to the creeds of the church.

Faith should always seek to be understood, and the ancient creeds provide this understanding.