Do you know what you believe?
Do you know what you believe?
As believers, it’s critical to know what we believe and to be able to explain what we believe.
“Is he a believer?”
“I’m a believer.”
“She’s a believer.”
“Believer” is one common way we describe ourselves as Christians. With good reason. A Christian is a person who has turned from her sin and trusted—believed—in Christ. As believers, it’s critical to know what we believe and to be able to explain what we believe. One helpful way to know and explain our beliefs is through a statement or confession of faith.
What is a statement of faith?
The Bible commands us to “contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” (Jude 3). A statement of faith helps us do that. A statement of faith can also be called a “confession” of faith. It means that we are “stating” or “confessing” what we believe the Bible teaches. The most ancient Christian statements of faith are called “creeds.” The word “creed” comes from the Latin word “credo” which means “I believe.” The most important parts of a statement of faith are the non-negotiable issues that you must believe to be a Christian. For example, we must believe what the Bible teaches about the Trinity (who God is), the divinity of Jesus, the sinful nature of people, and how God goes about saving us. A statement of faith often also addresses other issues that are of second- or third-level importance, like what we believe about how a church should be run or about the end times.
Why do we need a statement of faith?
A statement of faith helps us follow Jesus faithfully. When we study a statement of faith in light of Scripture, we find that it accords well with what Scripture actually teaches. Jesus says that following him is like traveling on a pathway or road (Matthew 7:13-14). When you travel on a highway, the side of the road has two boundaries, the rumble strip and the guardrail. The rumble strip is the long live of grooves in the pavement at the edge of the lane. When you drift out of the lane toward the side of the road, your tires hit those rumble strips and make a loud noise. The noise and the vibration warn us loudly that we might be in danger of a tragic accident. The guardrail is the final barrier on the road. If you’ve hit or crossed a guardrail, you have gotten yourself into a serious and possibly tragic accident. The Bible is like the guardrail on the Christian road and our statement of faith is like the rumble strip on the side of the highway. The Bible is the perfect authority. If you deny the Bible’s truth, you have careened off the road into the guardrail. Such a wreck is destructive and tragic. A statement of faith works like a rumble strip. It helps us stay on the road following Jesus, warning us that we might be in danger. The statement of faith can be wrong, just like someone might need to cross the rumble strips on the highway for a legitimate reason. But those times are rare and should be done in community. A statement of faith provides us with an overall correct interpretation of the Bible, so that it then helps protect us against our own careless and false interpretations.
A statement of faith can help us read the Bible correctly. God has given teachers to the church to help his people understand his Word: “They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read” (Nehemiah 8:8). A statement of faith is like a teacher, like a set of reading glasses. Reading glasses help someone with imperfect eyesight see the words in front of them. Reading glasses don’t change the words. They only make the words more clear to our sight. Similarly, we can use a statement of faith like reading glasses for the Bible. A good statement of faith is a helpful and valuable guide to see what the Bible says. A statement of faith can give us greater insight into the Bible, and help us see things in the text that we might otherwise miss.
A statement of faith helps us learn and teach consistently. Paul told his ministry apprentice Titus to “proclaim things consistent with sound teaching” (Titus 2:1). A statement of faith helps us summarize our beliefs so that we can learn and communicate them more faithfully. If someone asked you, “What do you believe about God?” You would start to give them a summary, based on your knowledge of the Bible. A statement of faith provides a summary that has been vetted by sound teachers and the community of faith so that we can learn and pass on the truth of the Word of God consistently and clearly.
A statement of faith connects us to other Christians globally and historically. A statement of faith humbles us, puts us into our place, and gives us perspective. Too often American Christianity has failed to understand that we are part of a much larger movement of what God has been doing and is doing in the world. Sometimes we are tempted to try to read the Bible by ourselves without ever asking for help understanding it. The Bible itself, however, teaches us that we do need help from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as we follow him. Every person, every group, every culture, and every time has blind spots. We can’t see our blind spots until someone outside points them out to us. A statement of faith can help do that.
What is your church’s statement of faith?
A healthy local church will have a solid statement of faith that it believes and teaches. Often your church’s statement of faith will be published on your church website. Our church affirms the inerrant authority of the Bible over all of life and Christian faith. The Bible is our final guide and authority. We also believe (or to use an older word, “confess”) the historic creeds of the church, believed by the Church throughout the world. The most important creed of the church is called the Nicene Creed, written the 300s (4th century) in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).
Our church also confesses the Baptist Faith and Message (BFM) (2000). We believe that it provides a helpful summary of the Bible’s teaching. The BFM was written in 1925 and updated in 1963. In 2000 the BFM was updated again to include, among other things, clear statements affirming a historic, biblical view of biblical interpretation and of gender and sexuality. You can find the full statement of faith at bfm.sbc.net. Here is a brief summary we use to make it more concise:
The one true Creator God eternally exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Father is the everlasting, infinite, and personal ruler of all things. The Father sent the Son to bring salvation to the world.
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became a real human man while remaining fully God. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and died as a sacrifice by crucifixion for the penalty of sin. He was buried, he rose on the third day, he ascended into heaven, and he will return physically one day.
God the Holy Spirit is personal and eternal, one with the Father and Son. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He points to Jesus, illuminates the Bible, and gives power and joy to believers in their daily lives and the church in its mission.
Men and women are created by God in the image of God, permanently male and female in soul and body from conception. With the exception of Jesus Christ, every person born after Adam and Eve is sinful by birth and action. Those who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus will be raised to eternal life. Those who do not turn from their sin and trust in Jesus will be raised to eternal punishment. Only by turning away from sin in repentance and turning toward Jesus Christ in his person and work by faith can a person be forgiven, reconciled to God, and experience true life and joy.
The church is God’s “Plan A” for the world. Any person from any place, time, or nation who has trusted in Jesus Christ is a part of the universal church. Every Christian should also become a member of a local church. The church preaches the gospel, makes disciples, and practices two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is only for those who have willingly become believers in Jesus Christ.
That’s our statement of faith.
What’s yours? Believer, I encourage you to look into your church’s statement of faith, study it, and use it to learn and teach what you believe.