I was at a wedding a few days ago. While I was waiting for the ceremony to begin, I looked at the hymnal this particular church had selected. In the back of the hymnal they listed several Christian creeds. There are many creeds of the Christian faith such as the Apostles’ Creed, the Creed of Nicaea, the Athanasian Creed, the Chalcedonian Creed, and the Nicene Creed. I am sure there are others.
The word creed comes from the Latin term credo which is translated as “I believe”. It is a statement of essential or core beliefs. These multiple creeds raise several questions. If a creed is an essential belief, why are there so many different creeds? Which creed should one believe? How does one know which creed is valid?
While the various creeds have much in common, there are differences. For example, the Nicene Creed mentions baptism and the Apostles’ Creed does not. Is baptism an essential belief? Will our belief on the topic of baptism determine where we spend eternity? If not, why is it listed as an essential belief?
Jesus said all the Law and Prophets were fulfilled in one simple sentence: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:40). Should not our creeds be equally brief? Why do we want to make Christianity so complicated? I think God has made things much simpler.
