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Christians often confess their faith in simple, elegant
ways: "My Lord and my God!" (Acts 20:28); "Jesus Christ...is
Lord of all" (Acts 10:36). Such confessions or creeds summarize
the heart of our faith. They also safeguard the truth of
the Bible against false teachings. For these reasons many
churches adopt creeds
to show clearly where they stand.
The CRC has done that as well. It does not adopt creeds
to add teachings that are not in the Bible, but rather to
give a clear summary of what God's Word teaches. While the
CRC expects its members and leaders to affirm the teachings
of these creeds, it does not ask for rigid agreement with
how they formulate them. Confessions are human works, always
open to improvement. The CRC commits itself to revise the
creeds if there is anything in them that goes beyond Scripture.
The CRC holds three creeds in common with most other Christian
churches.
- The Nicene
Creed comes from the fourth century, when people
taught that Jesus was only a creature. This creed boldly
emphasizes the biblical message that Jesus is truly, fully
God.
- The Apostles'
Creed also comes from the fourth century. It elegantly
expresses our faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- The Athanasian
Creed affirms the biblical teaching that the Father
is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but
in such a way that there is only one God. It then goes
on to confess that Jesus Christ is at the same time fully
God and fully Human.
There are also three confessions that the CRC shares with
other churches of the Reformed faith. These distinguish
its teachings from that of other denominations.
- The Belgic
Confession was written as a defense against accusations
that the Reformed churches promoted false teachings. It
summarizes what the Bible teaches about itself, our fall
into sin, Christ, salvation, the church, civil government,
and our Lord's return.
- The Heidelberg
Catechism provides an excellent tool for teaching
the Reformed faith. It emphasizes that our rescue from
sin is a free, unearned gift of God through Jesus Christ.
Responding to that gift, we show our gratitude to God
by living in faith and obedience to our Lord.
- The Canons
of Dort
assert that we cannot save ourselves because sin has
affected every part of our nature. We cannot even come
to faith by ourselves. God must break through our stubborn
rejection. God takes the initiative, choosing us in Christ
without consideration of any good in us, not even foreseen
faith. God's Spirit alone can work in us the miracle of
saving faith that gives us new life in Christ.
In 1986 the CRC adopted a new statement of faith to counter
modern secularism. Secularism is the widespread belief in
our culture that our faith in God is limited to our private
lives. It denies that it has any real influence in the marketplace,
the classroom, the office, or the legislative assembly.
The contemporary testimony Our
World Belongs To God reasserts the claim of our
Lord over every area of life. Being Jesus' disciples means
that we serve God everywhere, all the time.
Positions
Over time, the Christian Reformed Church has clearly stated
its position
on a variety of contemporary topics. |
