1.21 Church

First, we should note that 1.21 is a confessional church. This means that we subscribe to a set of doctrinal standards, which include historic creeds of the church and our own Statement of Faith. These documents help guide us as we read, study, and teach the Bible. 

And yet in contemporary American evangelicalism this can seem strange. Why bother with creeds and confessions when we have the Bible? Isn't this just exalting a man-made authority in the place where God belongs, or replacing the Word of God with human formulations? The church throughout history has not thought so. Christians have always developed creeds and confessions. Scholars believe that there are traces of early creeds in the New Testament itself, and Church Fathers such as Tertullian stressed to believers the importance of reading the Bible according to the Rule of Faith: the basic Christian teachings which came to be summarized in the catholic creeds. And even when the Protestant Reformers expounded the principle of Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), they did not see this as incompatible with subscribing to the historic creeds and producing their own confessions of faith. So the non-creedal impulse of American Christianity is a historic novelty, out of place with what Christians have always believed, and failing to take into account the use of creedal material even in the Bible.

So what role do creeds and confessions play in the life of the church? First, we must stress that they do not take the place of the Bible. Scripture is the final arbiter in all matters of faith and practice, and does not require supplementation. All confessions are revisable as we come to understand the Bible better. What creeds do is provide a summary of what we believe the Bible teaches. Just about every church (and even heretical groups) claim to believe the Bible. So for us to just say, "We believe what the Bible teaches" would be less than helpful. By distilling key biblical teachings down into a confession, we are able to tell each other and the world what we believe, based on the Bible. Our confessional standards let you know what to expect in our teaching and preaching, and also help provide a handle for you as you seek to read the Bible for yourself.