Greetings!
What must we believe to be Christian? There are many things we Christians can and do believe. There are many things we fail to believe. But what must we believe?
What is distinctive of the Christian faith? What is of the essence? What is the core? What must we believe to be Christian?
We are not the first to ask this question. It was asked and answered in the Heidelberg Catechism:
Q. 22. What, then, must a Christian believe?
A. All that is promised us in the gospel, a summary of which is taught us in the articles of the Apostles' Creed, our universally acknowledged confession of faith.
Then, of course, the Catechism quotes the Creed in its entirety and explicates each phrase. This suggests to me that, at the very least, the content of the Creed is important and continues to be important to us today. It summarizes all the promises of the gospel in which we must believe.
By extension, this also suggests to me that the Heidelberg Catechism, the Second Helvetic Confession, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the Confession of 1967, all of which quote and refer to the Creed favorably, are also important and continue to be important to us today.
In all the busyness of our lives and churches, it is a temptation for us not to read, study, learn, absorb, and follow the church's confessions of faith. Let us instead commit ourselves to learning from them what we must believe as Christians.
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DonateGrace and Peace,
Dr. James C. Goodloe IV, Executive Director
Foundation for Reformed Theology
4103 Monument Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23230
Better Preaching, Teaching, and Pastoral Care
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