Are Creeds and Confessions Just Traditionalism In Disguise?

I've heard some Christians defend the use of creeds and confessions in the church.

Doesn't this elevate tradition over the Bible? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Your question at 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673.

And you can email us with your question at questions at corechristianity.com. So, Adriel, I know you're a runner, so I found a story to inspire you. Something really gets you going on your running. Kiromu Unada is 87 years old, and he is the oldest competitor in the Championship Ironman competition. In fact, the Japanese man hopes to continue competing well into his 90s. So two years ago, at the age of 85, Mr. Unada went to Hawaii, and he set a new mark for the oldest person to compete in the World Championship Ironman course. Now, this year's Ironman has been canceled due to the coronavirus, but Mr. Unada is maintaining his grueling training schedule since he plans to return to Hawaii next year. As you know, the Ironman race is widely considered one of the toughest endurance events in sport, requiring athletes to swim 2.4 miles, bicycle 112 miles, and then run a full 26.2 mile marathon. So, Adriel, I think it is time to up your game, man.

Yeah, that would be a significant upping of my game. It was funny when you said, Bill, I know you're a runner. I just thought, oh, man, please don't say that because I really am not a runner.

Anybody who hears you who knows me would say, what? I do try to go on. I mean, especially now with coronavirus, everybody's been kind of locked down just trying to get some exercise because the gyms are closed, but I'm the guy who's out there running, and people are probably looking at him thinking, yeah, that guy doesn't know what he's doing.

He's just sort of hobbling along. But that's a, man, what a story. And there have been a few of these, right, Bill, that you've shared with these guys who are running marathons or swimming across the Atlantic well into their 90s. It's pretty wild.

I'm going to send you some videos of Mr. Renata to get you inspired, OK? Yeah, or just to make me want to hide in the closet because I just feel like such a failure. I'm really glad that you asked this question because it gives me the opportunity to talk about the importance of the church. This statement comes in the context of Jesus talking about what we call church discipline.

And that's kind of a scary phrase, but let's let's unpack it a little bit. Let's look at that passage. Matthew Chapter 18.

I'm going to start in verse 15. Jesus said, If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you've gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church.

And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them, Jesus said. And actually earlier this statement, you know, binding and loosing comes up again earlier in this same gospel in Matthew Chapter 16 verse 19. This is when Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ. Verse 18, And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

So again, what in the world does that statement mean? Well, one thing I think that we have to understand about this is that Jesus had a very high view of the ministry of the church, much higher, I think, than many Christians today have. I mean, basically, he says to Peter and later to the disciples in Matthew Chapter 18, speaking about church discipline, when the church binds something on earth, it is bound in heaven. Now, how does the church bind and loose? Well, it happens through the preaching of God's Word, through the discipline of the churches.

The gospel is proclaimed, get this, Morgan, heaven is being opened. But when people turn from the gospel, when they don't repent, it's being shut to them. And when people in the church continue in sin, and that's what Jesus was getting at in Matthew Chapter 18. When you go to your brother, they've sinned against you, and they continue in their sin, and others in the church go to them, and they continue in their sin.

They're hard-hearted. They're clinging to their unbelief, their sin, whatever it is. There comes a point where Jesus said you treat them as a tax collector, as a non-believer. They're cut off from the body of Christ. It's church discipline.

That's what we refer to as excommunication. And essentially what he's saying is when that happens, when they're excommunicated, it's as if heaven is being shut to them. We don't realize that what's happening in the ministry of the church affects heaven, if you will, binding and loosing.

And so Jesus has this very high view of the ministry of the church, and I think that's one of the big takeaways from a passage like this, Morgan. We have to realize that what's happening when we gather together for worship, to hear the word of God proclaimed, to receive the Lord's Supper, these gifts that Jesus gives to the churches. It's as if the kingdom of God is being opened to us, and we're embracing it.

We're receiving it. But if we turn from the Lord, if we continue in unbelief, if we reject the truth, well, then heaven is being shut. And so this is what Jesus is getting at here. He's not saying that pastors or ministers have this sort of magical power to open and close heaven for people. No, it's through the ministry of the word as the gospel is being proclaimed, heaven is opening up before us. And in the life of the church, we're called to care for the body of Christ. I have to think of this for myself as a pastor, as an elder of the church, we have to be careful to guard the flock. And when there's an issue in the church, an issue of sin, of open sin, well, that's when you go through the process that Jesus describes there in Matthew chapter 18 to address those issues for the sake of the purity of the church and for the sake of caring for the sinning brother or sister. And so Jesus really cares about the church, how the church is functioning, about the purity of the church. And it's so important, as Jesus says, whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. What's taking place in the church relates to even our eternal destiny. So thank you for that question and hope that helps you understand it a little bit better, Morgan. You know, Adriel, as a pastor, let me ask you, have you ever had to practice significant church discipline in your congregation?

Well, a couple of things. You know, one, the discipline of the church doesn't just relate to when someone is excommunicated. Actually, we're all participating in, quote unquote, church discipline insofar as we're encouraging each other, exhorting one another, pointing each other to Jesus. In that sense, we're all under the discipline of the church, and we should view it positively, not negatively. Sometimes we think about church discipline, we just, oh boy, that just, you know, you kind of want to shrink back.

But really, it's meant to be about the care of souls. Now, we have had instances where people have left the church, I think even avoided the process of discipline by just trying to kind of get away. And in those situations, the church does still need to address those issues in particular. And so yeah, you know, I would say that our church, just like every church, has had to deal with these kinds of things. And I think it's a part of what God calls us to as ministers, as faithful shepherds, not to just let sin go. I mean, that's just devastating for the church, because like the New Testament says, sin is like leaven.

It'll spread to the whole body, but to address it, to deal with it, and sometimes that happens in a very public way, and sometimes it's more in a private way. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and if you have a question for us, you can call us anytime at 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673.

Hi, my name's America. How do I position a conversation regarding someone who's an atheist or a Buddhist about Jesus without them getting upset with me and with having such a short time to speak with these people? How can I position Jesus in a way that will be effective and smart, if that makes sense? It's hard to talk to people that don't believe in the Lord, and I really want to be able to be of some value to them and my conversations with them about Jesus.

Thank you so much. I hope that made sense. Yeah, no, I can tell that you really want to share your faith with these people, and it is difficult, especially when you don't have a lot of time, and depending on the environment. I mean, I don't know where you are. This is kind of in an office space at work or something like that, but sometimes the environment makes it more difficult.

The fact that you don't have a lot of time, the fact that there's not very much of a relationship, you know, all of those things are kind of contributing factors, but ultimately, here's the thing. It's the Holy Spirit that opens people's hearts. Now, they need to hear the Gospel, the Word, but I think your confidence has to be in the Word, in the Spirit, and not in your own abilities per se, and that's why you have to pray. Turn to the Lord and say, God, give me an opportunity. Open the door for me to be able to share what I believe about you. And I think that God, that's a prayer that He will answer.

I mean, it's so amazing. This is one of the prayers that the disciples pray over and over throughout the Book of Acts. They're praying for boldness. They're praying for an opportunity. Paul says, pray for me, you know, that an open door might be given to me to preach the Gospel.

America, pray for that. Pray that the Lord gives you an opportunity and that God opens the hearts of the people that are around you that you want to share the faith with. And so the first thing I would say is pray. Secondly, you know, when you do get into a conversation, as the opportunity arises, focus on the Gospel, on who Jesus is.

You know, we sometimes think that the best approach is to kind of share our personal story, and I think that can be helpful in terms of getting a conversation started. You know, well, I'm a Christian. This is how Jesus has changed my life. But especially in our postmodern world where religion is viewed as a matter of personal preference and religious belief isn't really true or false.

It's just like whatever you like. When we share our story as just our story, oftentimes the way people will respond is by saying, well, that's great for you. I have my own story, too. And so I think we have to focus, America, on the fact that it isn't just my story or this other person's story. It's history. It's the fact that Jesus came to earth, died, rose again from the dead objectively.

He rose again and commands all people everywhere to repent. That there's this hope that the world can have in the work of Jesus Christ and what he's accomplished. And so it's not just my story or your story.

It's the story of God that affects every single person, regardless of what they believe or what they think. They can be a Buddhist. They can be an atheist.

The fact of the matter is God commands all people everywhere to repent and to place their faith in his son, Jesus Christ. I recognize, again, that starting that conversation can be kind of awkward. And I think that the best approach is, you know, you get to know people so that there's a context into which you can have these conversations. Don't just treat people like a project. I think that's really important. Don't view them just as a project. Genuinely love them. Take interest in them.

Get to know them. And as you do that, I think you'll find that there are more opportunities to begin to talk about the things that are important. Your life, your family, your faith. You know, Peter said in First Peter chapter three, verse 15, in your hearts, honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect.

That's what you want to have. You want to have gentleness. You want to have respect. And what's interesting about that text is Peter assumes that the people around you can see. You can see your life. They see how you respond to suffering. They see the hope that you have in Jesus. And that's what prompts them to say, what gives? What is the reason for the hope that is in you? Well, there's a relationship there.

It's in the context of a relationship. And so pursue that relationship with these people. Don't just treat them as projects and pray for opportunities to get to share the love of Christ with them. And I trust that the Lord will give you those opportunities.

May the Lord give you boldness as he does. This is Core Christianity, where we answer the questions that you have about the Bible and the Christian faith. And we have an amazing team of people behind us producing this show. They write the core articles for the website. They produce our core Bible studies.

These are the resources that are helping you and other believers more fully understand the gospel and have the confidence to share your faith like we were sharing with America. And as you can imagine, this requires a lot of different people to come alongside us and support this work. We can't do it without your prayers and your financial support. And that's why we're asking you to come alongside us and become a regular supporter of Core Christianity with a monthly donation of twenty five dollars or more. You can join what we call the inner core and be part of the team that makes this show possible. Just head over to CoreChristianity.com forward slash inner core to learn more or give us a call at 833 the core.

That's 833-843-2673. Let's get to another question. Adriel, this came in from Samuel, who sent us an email and said, my wife and I haven't been able to conceive and we're thinking about pursuing in vitro fertilization. Is this an option for Christians? Why don't we pray first, Bill? I'd like to pray for Samuel and for the person listening right now, too, who maybe they're in the same place as Samuel.

They've been wanting to conceive, but haven't been able to. Let's pray for them. Gracious Father, we thank you, Lord, that you are the God of heaven and earth, that you know all things, that there is nothing that surprises you, that you're in control, that we can trust in you. And yet, Lord, we know that there are difficult things that we often face, and I know that this is one of the most difficult things for many couples. And I think of Samuel right now and pray for him and for those listening, for the one listening right now who is in the same place, who longs to have a child but is unable to conceive. Gracious Father, would you first grant them your comfort, give them a sense of your presence, Lord, a sense of your love, how easy it is for us to think, God, that you don't love us, that you are withholding good things from us, things that we long for that will help them not to fall into that trap to truly know and believe your goodness, your love. Give them, Lord, courage, give them contentment, and we do pray, Lord, that you would, in your mercy, grant them children. We look to you, Lord, we trust in you, and we thank you for your love for us in your son Jesus, in whose name we pray.

Amen. Samuel, I think that the answer to your question, can Christian couples married who have been having a difficulty in trying to conceive, can they pursue IVF, in vitro fertilization? Is that an option for Christians? I think the answer is yes, but with some reservations. I mean, obviously, this is a wisdom issue, and from what I've read, there's a high cost associated with this as well as a lower success rate.

And I think that's going to weigh into the wisdom piece. And part of the question here is, ethically speaking, whether or not a human embryo is a life, and I believe that it is. And I think that this is the Christian view. This is why we believe that abortion is so heinous, why we pray against it, why we speak out against it. When a sperm and an egg meet, you have a human life. And in IVF, often there are several embryos that are taken to try to increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy. And some of those embryos might be frozen, usually around four are used. And if all four implant, some of them can be or oftentimes are aborted.

But we have to avoid that. IVF is a valid option for believers, but I think you have to still go through the procedure in a way that recognizes the dignity of each human life, of each embryo. You know, Psalm 139 verse 13 says, for you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother's womb. And so maybe that looks like instead of taking all these embryos and freezing them and not using them or that kind of a thing, maybe we're going to go through IVF. But we're going to try to implant two as opposed to four so that we know we're not losing any or mishandling. I just think we have to treat life in this process, just like in everything, as sacred. And I know that you believe that life is sacred, Samuel, that you long for children.

And so, yes, I do think that this is a valid option. I do think there's going to be, you know, the question of wisdom and just the ability to be able to go through this. I know that sometimes just the cost prohibits families that want to try this from being able to try and believe the things you're going to have to weigh. But in the process, just knowing, right, the importance of caring for and treating each embryo with dignity because we believe that it is a human life. And so maybe that means going through the process a little bit differently than it's typically gone through by couples that don't have that same view or that same belief.

And maybe that means there's less of a likelihood because you're taking less embryos than oftentimes are taken. But you're doing it in good faith and wanting to continue to trust in the Lord and also to affirm the dignity of every human life. By the way, there's a great book called Bioethics and the Kingdom of God. It was written by a professor that I had in seminary when I was studying to be a pastor by a man named David Vandrunen.

And he explores some of these ethical questions related to things like IVF. And that might be a helpful resource for you. We'll make sure to put that in our show notes so that if you wanted to pick that up, you could. And pray that the Lord gives you and your wife wisdom and that he blesses you. Thanks for your question. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

And Samantha posted this on our Instagram account. She says, I've heard some Christians defend the use of creeds and confessions in the church because they teach Orthodox interpretations of scripture. How is this any different from the Roman Catholic view that elevates sacred tradition to the same level as scripture?

That's a really good question. I mean, in the Catholic views, sacred tradition is placed sort of side by side with scripture as an authority for the church, whereas we would also see, you know, things like creeds and confessions. I would see things like creeds and confessions or even a church's statement of faith as a kind of authority, but not on par with scripture, not an equal authority with scripture.

And so it really is not the same thing. All of our confessions, all of our statements of faith, whatever you want to call it, they're subordinate to the word of God. Ultimately, the only infallible interpreter of the scriptures are the scriptures themselves. You know, there's there's no person, no individual or even group of people that can say we have the corner on the perfect interpretation of scripture. And so we're always going back to the scriptures to gain a deeper understanding and to correct ourselves.

It is sometimes the case that people will say things like, I don't need any creeds or confessions. It's just sort of me and my Bible. And ultimately, I believe the word of God. And that sounds really nice, but practically speaking, it doesn't really work out because I can talk to a Mormon and they'll say my authority is the Bible. I can talk to a Jehovah's Witness and they'll say the very same thing. What we believe is just based on the teachings of the Bible, I can talk to all sorts of different groups, denominations, sects, and each of them will say, I have the teaching of the Bible in its purest form.

And that can become very confusing. And so it's not really helpful to say, look, all I have or all I need is the Bible. I mean, in one sense, it's true that the Bible is the only infallible authority for the life of the Christian. But what do you mean when you say, I believe the Bible or I embrace the Bible? We want to be transparent about what it is that we actually believe about the Bible.

Otherwise, I mean, it just is not a very helpful thing to say. I think of it like this, and I tell people in our church this all the time, you know, we have doctrinal statements that we stand by and that's not to put those on par with scripture. It's really a safeguard for the people in the church and for me. So that if at any point I as a pastor started teaching something that was out of line with what I've confessed to believe about the scriptures, people in our church could come and say, hey, you're being inconsistent. You're no longer teaching that which is biblical, that which you've said you're going to teach.

So there's a level of accountability that's given there. Now, if I didn't have that, if I just said, well, I believe the Bible and people said, well, you're being inconsistent, I could say, well, well, no, I'm not. I just believe the Bible and this is what I think about the Bible. And so having creeds and confessions is different than the view of the Roman Catholic Church that I think elevates sacred tradition above what we would or where we would place these sort of traditions or creeds and confessions.

And so look, Samantha, let me just summarize. This is, you know, the idea of having creeds and confessions is different than what the Catholic Church believes with its view of sacred tradition in that we don't elevate our creeds and confessions to being sort of an equal standing with the authority of scripture. We recognize that our creeds aren't infallible, that the only infallible interpreter of the Bible is the Bible itself. But at the same time, we want to also have some kind of statement of faith, some creed that we stand by. And we need that in order to be transparent, in order to be honest, and in order to protect the faith so that when we say this is what we believe, we have a clear articulation of what we mean by that. And that's really for the good of the church, for the safety of the church. If you want to know the Lord and grow in your relationship with the Lord, you need to understand what you believe. And that's why these creeds and confessions can be so helpful. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this podcast. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.