[Is the Apostles' Creed a Test for True Conversion? Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries] "The answer to this important question is adapted from Dr. John MacArthur's book Reckless Faith.
Creeds were never formulated to establish fundamental doctrines but rather to defend them. They are repudiations of false doctrines that condemned new error by affirming established truth. As time passed, new errors required new affirmations; thus church creeds and Christian confessions have become longer and more complex. Ancient statements of Christian doctrine, such as the Apostles' Creed, tend to be far simpler and more narrow in their focus. The Apostles' Creed is one of the earliest and simplest statements of faith in the history of creeds. It is not an exhaustive statement of faith, although it does summarize some of the major points of apostolic doctrine. It was a brief, rudimentary confession designed to distinguish Christianity from Judaism or pagan religions.
But in recent times there has been no shortage of evangelical leaders who seem determined to use the Apostles' Creed not as a wall of defense for an exclusive faith, but as a generous gate for an inclusive religion. Perhaps the most popular and persuasive defender of this view was Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, and a highly respected leader within evangelicalism. Colson implied that the true non-negotiables of Christianity were all settled by the Apostles' Creed. He suggested that all evangelicals should be willing to embrace, as brothers and sisters in Christ, everyone who gives assent to this ancient creed. The problem with this view is that the creed was not written for the purpose of establishing unity but to confront error.
The creed is by no means a complete statement of all the fundamental doctrines that are essential to genuine Christianity. For example, since there is no statement about the deity of Christ, a Jehovah's Witness, who denies Christ's deity, could give full assent to the Creed and still be lost. Arguing for the Apostles' Creed as the arbiter of fundamental Christian doctrine has only added further confusion to an evangelical movement already suffering from perpetual erosion of doctrinal truth. Read more.
[Mike Gendron Comment] One of the major attacks on the Christian faith today is the attack on the exclusivity of the Gospel. Many evangelical leaders are declaring that anyone who names the name of Christ or believes the Apostles' Creed should be embraced as a brother or sister in Christ. This is a most grievous mistake that is destroying the sanctity of our Lord's Church. As a devout Catholic for over 30 years,
linger: I repeated the Apostles" Creed every week :blabla: and believed every doctrine it asserted. However, I remained unconverted and still trapped in religious deception. Two of the most important apostolic doctrines that are left out of the Apostles' Creed are salvation by grace alone (Eph. 2:8-9) and the Lord's command to repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15). Repentance is not an option because God is calling all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). And those who add works to God's grace have nullified the only means by which God saves sinners (Rom. 11:6)." oly: Pro-Gospel.org
Creeds were never formulated to establish fundamental doctrines but rather to defend them. They are repudiations of false doctrines that condemned new error by affirming established truth. As time passed, new errors required new affirmations; thus church creeds and Christian confessions have become longer and more complex. Ancient statements of Christian doctrine, such as the Apostles' Creed, tend to be far simpler and more narrow in their focus. The Apostles' Creed is one of the earliest and simplest statements of faith in the history of creeds. It is not an exhaustive statement of faith, although it does summarize some of the major points of apostolic doctrine. It was a brief, rudimentary confession designed to distinguish Christianity from Judaism or pagan religions.
But in recent times there has been no shortage of evangelical leaders who seem determined to use the Apostles' Creed not as a wall of defense for an exclusive faith, but as a generous gate for an inclusive religion. Perhaps the most popular and persuasive defender of this view was Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, and a highly respected leader within evangelicalism. Colson implied that the true non-negotiables of Christianity were all settled by the Apostles' Creed. He suggested that all evangelicals should be willing to embrace, as brothers and sisters in Christ, everyone who gives assent to this ancient creed. The problem with this view is that the creed was not written for the purpose of establishing unity but to confront error.
The creed is by no means a complete statement of all the fundamental doctrines that are essential to genuine Christianity. For example, since there is no statement about the deity of Christ, a Jehovah's Witness, who denies Christ's deity, could give full assent to the Creed and still be lost. Arguing for the Apostles' Creed as the arbiter of fundamental Christian doctrine has only added further confusion to an evangelical movement already suffering from perpetual erosion of doctrinal truth. Read more.
[Mike Gendron Comment] One of the major attacks on the Christian faith today is the attack on the exclusivity of the Gospel. Many evangelical leaders are declaring that anyone who names the name of Christ or believes the Apostles' Creed should be embraced as a brother or sister in Christ. This is a most grievous mistake that is destroying the sanctity of our Lord's Church. As a devout Catholic for over 30 years,
linger: I repeated the Apostles" Creed every week :blabla: and believed every doctrine it asserted. However, I remained unconverted and still trapped in religious deception. Two of the most important apostolic doctrines that are left out of the Apostles' Creed are salvation by grace alone (Eph. 2:8-9) and the Lord's command to repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15). Repentance is not an option because God is calling all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). And those who add works to God's grace have nullified the only means by which God saves sinners (Rom. 11:6)." oly: Pro-Gospel.org
