The Importance of Knowing Your Churches Confession of Faith
Llandaff Cathedral, South Wales by. John Chessell Buckler
2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
If we were to have a meeting of all the local denominations in your town, including the local Roman Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormons, and simply ask, " What is it that you believe?” Most would say, “We believe the Bible!” So, how would we identify the differences between those denominations and even the “Bible-professing” cults?
What makes you a Baptist and not a Methodist? Or a Methodist and not a Mormon? Even then, there are various versions of those denominations within the many denominations. So, who are you defined more accurately by than just “Christian”? Sure, tradition is a factor. Many are Baptist because they were raised Baptist. But, many would say, “I’m Pentecostal because my mother was Pentecostal,” and not be sure why they are otherwise. Thus, it poses the question? Why are you in/belong to the church that you attend?
Do you understand the doctrinal teachings/beliefs/confessions/creeds of your denomination?
Can you proudly say why you identify as or claim to belong to your denomination, other than because I believe the bible (because that is what most people claim of every branch of Christianity.)? Do you know the history of your denomination or religion? These are crucial questions that many Christians today do not even consider. Many take pride in their claim that they belong to a particular denomination but don’t even know what makes them a Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, etc. And then there are the non-denominational churches, who also claim “we believe the bible.”
Do you know your church or denomination’s Statements of Faith?
Every church has a statement of faith either in written form, verbally, or sometimes just in the pastor’s mind. Many blindly follow their pastor without knowing what he believes. Unfortunately, most preach very subtle messages without mentioning an *orthodox doctrine in their many sermons. *(Orthodox: a belief/doctrine that is accepted as truth according to scriptures)
Biblical ignorance runs rampant today. It’s evident that many “Christians” today know very little about the bible, much less basic Christian orthodoxy. If they were honest with themselves, most would say they only read the scriptures on Sunday mornings when the preacher reads the text aloud. And that is IF they go to church that Sunday.
Scripture as our authority.
To be clear, the Holy Word of God has complete authority on matters of the faith. But, the authoritative Scriptures will not do us any good if we cannot say or identify what they teach. Pastors are called to preach, restate, interpret, and apply God’s Word, not merely read it. A Statement/Confession of Faith is a little different from a sermon in this sense. It is a restatement of the Word for a particular purpose, in this case, to summarize the overall teaching of that Word on various topics. It’s more of a teaching tool, a guide through the scriptures of what your church believes and professes.
Every major denomination has a statement of faith, a confession of faith, a creed, or a treatise with a statement of faith within it. Even if your church is independent or non-denominational, it typically has a statement of faith in its Constitution or By-Laws in order to be recognized as a non-profit religious organization (501-c3). But at the very least, you should know what your pastor believes. You may be surprised at what you find out! Some may profess to be of sound biblical doctrine, but be cautious. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” The best way to know if this applies to them is to know what they believe regarding biblical orthodoxy.
You must examine the listed statements/beliefs/practices, review them, compare them to scripture, and look for certain red flags.
Some red flags to look for are:
1. Doctrinal statements without scriptural references.
This may or may not hold any significance, but they may leave out scripture because the doctrine is not based on scripture but on tradition or the philosophy of the founder/pastor/elders. If they do provide scriptural references, you want to read those references in the full context that it was intended. Look at them from an overall perspective of scriptural teaching.
2. If your church does not adhere to or practice the denomination's statements/doctrinal/confessional teachings.
A statement of faith helps to provide continuity and unity within the congregation. At the very least, it should be used when teaching new member candidates about the church's beliefs and teachings. In addition, it can be a valuable tool to evaluate the pastor, teachers, and members when necessary. Some say “doctrine divides,” but from a biblical view, doctrine unites. If all of Christianity were to come together in agreement with the doctrinal truths of scripture, how wonderful would that be?
3. Do the statements contain basic doctrinal Christian orthodoxy?
Are the issues that truly define the biblical Christian message present? Such as the divinity of Christ? The truths of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection? The Trinity that God consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? The Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God? The true teaching of sin, heaven, and hell? And most importantly, the truth of the Gospel? To name a few. They may be absent because the point of the statement is to list the doctrinal subjects that make them unique from others. However, there should still be an understanding of those core orthodox beliefs.
4. Are the statements vague?
They may contain orthodox doctrines but leave them vague on purpose. The definition of terms is very crucial when it comes to doctrines. I have viewed statements, for example, that said, “We believe that there is but one God, the God of the Bible (Exodus 3:6-14).” That sounds good at first glance, but it does not mean that they believe in the triune God (the Trinity) of the bible. After investigating further, I realized that they teach the heresy of modalism (which means they do not believe in the Holy Trinity. Rather, they teach that God is at times or at one time the Father, then He was the Son, and now is the Holy Spirit. Or he can change from one to the other at any given time). So, we must ask questions in this scenario to get more information. Many churches don’t even realize that their pastor teaches this heresy of modalism, for instance, and never picks up on his subtle way of teaching/preaching it.
Summary.
Overall, I want to encourage you, first and foremost, to study your bible! It will benefit you greatly in this matter and in all areas of life. Second, get a copy of your church’s Statement of Faith. If hard copies of it aren’t readily available, you can find most of them online for most major denominations. Go through it and compare it to the Scriptures. Third, talk with your pastor to ask the tough questions (especially on basic doctrine orthodoxy). Fourth, review other Confessions/Statements of Faith from different denominations, understand what they believe, and compare them to your own. This will prove beneficial to understanding where we are united and divided. Who knows, your knowledge of it may lead to their conversion or yours to a more biblically sound church. And last but not least, pray. Pray about it and through it as you study and ask the questions mentioned above.
If you do not belong to a church or do not have some form of a statement of faith, I would encourage you to look at the many out there and discover where you stand and align with the scriptures. Know what is essential so that you know where to stand.
We should profess to be a Christian first, but to narrow down precisely what we believe about being a Christian, we secondly profess to be of a particular denomination. So, if you are going to profess, “I am a Reformed Baptist Christian,” then be and know what makes you a Reformed Baptist. If you will profess to be a United Methodist Christian, then be and know what makes you a United Methodist.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
For more resources and further study:
https://www.eyesopenedministries.org/studytools
https://founders.org/2016/04/06/the-biblical-basis-for-creeds-confessions-and-statements-of-faith/
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/creeds-confessions-biblical-beneficial/
Some examples of confessions of faith:
https://www.the1689confession.com/
https://reformedstandards.com/westminster/wcf.html
