I Believe…”
A Sermon based on Matthew 16:13-20
Sept. 10, 2023, STHPC, Pastor Deb Troester
In this morning’s gospel Peter makes a profound statement about Jesus Christ: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” This may not seem so astounding to us today – in every worship service we sing hymns, pray prayers, and hear sermons that affirm Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. But for Peter’s time, his statement was radical. Most people of that day thought Jesus was a respected teacher, a prophet, or maybe a rabble-rousing revolutionary. But few were saying that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. This statement was Peter’s declaration of faith – simple, yet profound, and one that would change his life forever as he lived out what it meant to follow Jesus the Christ.
Some time ago, the BBC’s religion and ethics website invited people to submit their personal statements of faith. One person wrote, “I believe in the omniscient power which created the universe.” Another began her creed with the words,
“I believe that human experience contains more than we can see or hear or touch.” Another person, a pastor, quite honestly admitted: “I believe in what I am able to believe about God and not necessarily in what I am told or expected to believe.” Many people will say that they are spiritual, but do not believe in any particular religion. All of us have a creed we live by, whether we realize it or not. Many American Christians, regardless of what they say, live by the creed, “God helps those who help themselves.” However, that statement comes from Benjamin Franklin, not the Bible.
Perhaps taking the time to write a statement of faith might be helpful in thinking through what we believe and what we don’t. For that reason, we often ask confirmation students to write such a statement. When our daughter was confirmed, she wrote, “I know God loves me, because He created chocolate!”
Most people want to believe in something beyond themselves. We want to believe that God exists and cares about us. But who or what is this God? The ancient Hebrews had an answer: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” –
thus stating the great monotheistic creed of Judaism – belief in one God, as opposed to the many gods of the ancient Middle East. Islam has a similar creed: “There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his Prophet.”
Presbyterians are among those Christians who are fond of statements of faith, sometimes called “confessions” – not as in confessing our sins, but in confessing our beliefs. In fact, the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) begins with the Book of Confessions, which contains eleven statements of faith, in the form of confessions, creeds, or catechisms. But why do we need a formal creed at all? The Book of Order states these purposes for our confessions: “These statements identify the church as a community of people known by its convictions as well as by its actions. They guide the church in its study and interpretation of Scriptures; they summarize the essence of Christian tradition; they direct the church in maintaining sound doctrines; they equip the church for its work of proclamation.”
Besides giving us continuity with the past and unity of faith with other Christians around the world, a creed can clarify our beliefs, and it can challenge us to examine our faith and to grow in our understanding of it.
Although all our creeds are important, two stand out: the Nicene Creed, which establishes the doctrine of the Trinity, and the Apostles’ Creed: a relatively short statement that sums up what is truly important for Christians to believe. As a child I remember standing in the sanctuary with my parents, colored light from the stained-glass windows pouring over us, reciting the Apostles’ Creed. I learned it, along with the Doxology, the Gloria Patri (“Glory Be to the Father,”) and the Lord’s Prayer just from attending church as a youngster. It was comforting to say or sing these words along with the grown-ups. It gave me a feeling of being able to participate in the worship service, even when I didn’t understand a lot of what went on.
Yet, even adults often say these familiar words without really thinking about what they mean.
So today I wanted to talk a bit about the Apostles’ Creed as a statement of faith. Historically, this creed dates back to the early days of the church. Legend has it that the twelve disciples met on the day of Pentecost to write it, each of them contributing one part. The story goes that they knew they would set out all over the world to spread the gospel and they wanted to be sure to agree on the basic precepts they would teach. Probably this legend is more fancy than fact, but by the second century A.D. the church was using an early form of the Apostles’ Creed to prepare candidates for baptism and to teach the basic principles of the faith. The form we have today is only slightly different from what Christians were reciting over 1800 years ago. Whenever we say it, we join in a tradition that is centuries old, and affirm, together with millions of believers, the basic tenets of our faith.
Most major Christian denominations, both Protestant and Catholic, accept the beliefs of the Apostles’ Creed. It unites us in spite of our differences.
Even churches that don’t make a practice of repeating it in worship accept the beliefs stated in it. In fact, the line in the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the holy catholic church,” affirms our unity as believers. Some people find this line confusing: “Catholic” in this sense does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church, but rather the church universal. The word catholic comes from the Greek word katholikos, meaning universal or general. The Apostles’ Creed affirms that all Christians everywhere are one body, regardless of any differences that may separate us.
How can the Apostles’ Creed help us to clarify our beliefs? Some churches make a point of saying that they “have no creed but the Bible.” It is certainly true that the Bible is the basis of our faith. But the Bible can be confusing, and requires a certain amount of study to understand. Also, although we believe that the Bible is inspired by God and all of it is important, some parts are more essential than others for our faith. For example, John 3:16 “for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” gives us a better understanding of Christianity than the dietary laws of the Old Testament. Creeds help us to focus on the more essential teachings of the Bible.
The Apostles’ Creed distills what is most central to our faith in a simple, easily memorized form – especially important in earlier times when most people could not read. In seventeen short lines the basic beliefs of Christianity are spelled out – our belief in God as the Creator of the universe, in Jesus Christ, His only Son, who died and rose again, and in the Holy Spirit who accompanies us in our daily lives. Here is a plain statement of Christianity in a nutshell – the sometimes confusing doctrines of the Bible condensed down into a few words.
The Apostles’ Creed is not just a dead document, stating ancient beliefs, but it challenges us to examine our beliefs and put them into action. As we say the Apostles’ Creed, we need to ask ourselves, “What does this really mean? I wonder if I really believe that? What effect does this belief have on the way I live?
For example, when we say we believe that God made heaven and earth, we are affirming the existence of a Creator – I am not referring here to arguments regarding creation versus evolution, but simply that God, using whatever means God may have used, created the universe. So the creed challenges us to reflect on the God who brought all that is into existence. The line “Maker of heaven and earth,” was added to the creed in the 3rd or 4th century because of the Gnostics, who believed that all matter was evil – that only the spiritual was good. Both Christians and Jews affirm the goodness of Creation – that the natural world is good and reflects the loving care of a good God for His creatures. We say we believe in God the Creator, but do we fulfill our responsibility to take care of God’s creation?
Or if we say that we believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only son, our Lord, are we living as if Jesus is the Lord of our lives? Do we try to put his teachings into practice? Do we really do unto others as we would have them do unto us? If not, we cannot truly affirm that Christ is Lord.
How can we say that we believe in the communion of saints and the holy catholic church if we do not accept other Christians as our brothers and sisters in the faith? Can we say we believe in the church universal if we do nothing to help Christians who are suffering hunger or persecution in other parts of the world?
It's all right to interrogate the creeds as well. I know of at least one person who recites the Apostle’s Creed omitting the phrase, “resurrection of the body” because she believes only our spirits will be resurrected. Another person once told me she omits “virgin Mary” because she does not believe in the virgin birth. I don’t think that shows doubt, but rather intellectual honesty and integrity not to merely repeat something they don’t really believe. On the other hand, the creed challenges us to reflect on why millions of people have affirmed these beliefs over the ages and why that could be important for us.
Thus, creeds can both comfort and challenge us. They give us a place to stand and a place to grow. They reflect our roots and point to the future. Although a creed can divide, it can also unite; the Apostle’s Creed has united Christians for centuries. While it is not scripture, the Apostles’ Creed is based on our best understanding of the Christian message as found in scripture – an understanding that Christians throughout the ages have affirmed.
Peter’s statement “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” was heartfelt and sincere. But it was not just words. Peter gave his life to follow this Jesus whom he proclaimed to be Lord. May the Apostles’ Creed become for us not just merely words, but a statement of faith that challenges us to grow in our understanding of what it means to be a Christian, and to live by that understanding, by the grace of God. Amen.
© Deborah Troester, 2023