Day 251 -FOUNDATION STONES IN A YEAR

by King's Cross Training November 17, 2022

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

1 John 5: 11

When you were in High School or University, did you ever find yourself facing a literature exam not having read the book or play? There was only one thing that could possibly help – the abridged, study-guide version of the book.

Similarly, the Apostles’ Creed acts as a summary of fundamental Christian teachings found in our primary source, the Bible. The Creed does not replace Scripture or overpower Scripture. In fact, it can’t do this precisely because it is from Scripture. The Creed is a summary of Scriptural teaching and in no way replaces the Bible as the primary source in the life of the believer.

Therefore, we need to view the Creed as a summary. J.I. Packer in his wonderful little book Affirming the Apostles Creed relates the Creed to something akin to a “power-point declaration of the basics of the Christian message.” It’s not as if the Creed says, “this is everything you ever need to know in your walk with Christ” but it does say, “this is the minimum you need to affirm to walk with Christ.” As Albert Mohler puts it, “All Christians believe more than is contained in the Apostles’ Creed, but none can believe less.” The Creed is a summary of Scriptural teaching and in no way replaces the Bible as the primary source in the life of the believer.

For our purposes, it is surely very comforting to know that the doctrine we are studying this month, the resurrection of the dead, was deemed so essential that it was written in to the summary.

Prayer

Thank You for preserving these truths Father