A creed is a concise, formal, and authorized confession stating what a church believes and teaches. A creed attempts to summarize "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). It expresses the conviction that "continuity with that faith is the essence of orthodoxy, and discontinuity with it the essence of heresy" (9).
Creeds not only communicate doctrinal content and provide the basis for shared confession of faith, but also are liturgical, provoking and expressing praise, confession, adoration, and thanksgiving.
Much that is unique to the Christian faith and practice would be lost without the presence of creeds. The church needs a corporate creed to bind its members together in confessing and practicing a shared faith. We cannot simply devise our own creed. We must confess together a shared faith in order to have a common witness to the life of salvation.
For my extended summary of this great book, click HERE.
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