Subject: A New Reformation? |
Bible Note: Pressly again: "Accordingly, the Church from the beginning has found it necessary to act upon the principle of having a creed. Even in apostolic days, when an individual desired to be received into the household of faith, and to enjoy the privileges of the Church he was required, not simply to make a general declaration of his faith in the Sacred Scriptures as the word of God, but to signify his belief of certain great doctrines which the Church received upon the authority of the Bible. For example, when the Ethiopian eunuch, after being instructed by the evangelist Philip in the doctrines of Christianity, desired to be received into the Church by baptism, Philip demanded of him a profession of his faith:—"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." The eunuch then signified his belief, not simply of the lively oracles, as a revelation from God, but of the fundamental, distinguishing doctrine embraced in the creed of the Church, as founded on the word of God:—"I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." (Acts 8:37.) In the primitive days of Christianity, the creed of the Church was brief and simple, embracing a few of the leading fundamental doctrines of the Bible. But in process of time false doctrines were propagated, and the Scriptures were misinterpreted to make them countenance these doctrines; and hence it became necessary that the Church should declare explicitly what she understood to be the truth taught in those portions of Scripture which were perverted by the advocates of error. And thus as errors were multiplied, it became necessary that the creed should be enlarged, that a testimony might be lifted up in defence of the truth and in opposition to error." John |