One in Worship - One in Christ - One in Faith

“We believe in ONE holy catholic and apostolic Church.”-The Nicene Creed 

As we begin “One in Worship” this Summer, I thought it might be appropriate to talk about the oneness that we have in Christ, and the unity that we confess each week as we say the creeds. Each week we confess to believe in the Oneness of the Church. We confess to believe that there is only one Christian (or catholic-little “c”) Church.

Often we see the Church as divided, as the hymn says, “Though with a scornful wonder the world sees her oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed…” (The Church’s One Foundation). But the Scriptures confess something different! They confess that we are one, as we are one in Christ. Ephesians 4 says, “There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4-6).

We are one as we have been baptized into the Holy Christian Church in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are one as we all partake of the one loaf (the bread-body of Christ) and drink of the cup (wine-blood of Christ) in the Lord’s Supper, as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17.

We are one in Christ, and one in faith!

But how do we know that we are one in faith? What is the mark that allows us to know that what we believe is in unity with other faithful Christians and Christians throughout church history? What is the rule of that faith? What are its tenants and how do we know we are confessing what is true and right?

For this very reason the Christian Church developed creeds. While traditionally all Christian churches confessed the creeds, today it is less popular for certain churches to hold onto these great confessions of faith. But the truth is that they just trade one creed in for another creed (a statement of faith of their own making that may or may not agree with the historical faith).

A creed is a statement of faith. The word “creed” comes from the Latin “credo”, which simply means, “I believe”. The historic Christian creeds, or Ecumenical Creeds, are those statements of faith or summaries of the faith that the Church has historically agreed upon regarding the teachings of Scripture and the faith handed down to us by the prophets and the apostles.

We confess creeds for a number of reasons. Our faith is personal and subjective on a certain level, but the faith that we believe in is not subjective. It is not a faith of our own making. We aren’t free to decide what Christianity is or is not on our own, but only to confess what Christianity has already clearly laid out for us through the Word. Creeds voice an agreement with the objective truths of the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). By our faith we are known to the Lord as His, and by our confession of faith, or creed, we’re known to each other as His.

Creeds unite us together in a common faith. Creeds unite us with the Church throughout the ages; the saints that have gone before us. Creeds keep us from veering off course and teaching things of our own making rather than the Word of God. Creeds help you keep the pastor in line, making sure that what he says is in line with that rule of faith—God’s Word.

Creeds unite us! Creeds unite as we say, “We believe”, together with the people in the pews around us and together with the church for centuries. We believe! We are One in Christ and One in Faith.

This Summer as we are One in Worship, we will have a sermon series entitled “One in Faith”. We’ll explore the basics of Christianity through the outline of the creeds (namely the Apostles’ and Nicene). Beginning June 16th through August 18th, we’ll look at what it is that we believe and what unites us as “One in Faith”.

Week 1: “I Believe: Why Creeds and Confessions?”

Week 2: “I Believe: God, the Father Almighty”

Week 3: “I Believe: Jesus Christ…Full God and Full Man”

Week 4: “I Believe: Jesus Christ…The Savior and Redeemer”

Week 5: “I Believe: Jesus Christ…The Judge (His Second Coming)”

Week 6: “I Believe: The Holy Spirit”

Week 7: “I Believe: The One Holy Church”

Week 8: “I Believe: The Communion of Saints”

Week 9: “I Believe: The Forgiveness of Sins”

Week 10: “I Believe: The Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting”