Our reading in 1 Timothy brings to mind the suggestion, first made by the Unitarians, then picked up by evangelical Christians with Rick Warren at the forefront. The suggestion is that doctrine divides and that what we need is more deeds, less of an emphasis on creeds. What does Paul have to say about this? He says that creeds are essential! Having an adequate understanding of the Gospel as passed down from the Lord through his apostles is critical. This is what the early Church classified as "tradition" and goes a long way to explain their emphasis on tradition. Literally, tradition is that thing which was "traded" from Christ to his apostles and has been traded from them to us through the Scripture and their proclamation of biblical truth.
What do we need? We need creeds. We need good solid confessions of faith. We need the kind of understanding of the faith that raises up servants of God who will stand and proclaim God's truth fearlessly regardless of the personal costs they will incur. Is our faith built on the true Gospel that has been given to us by our Lord? Is it built on the shifting sand of our own experience and feelings? What kind of foundation do we need?
You might ask what will happen if we focus on creeds and not deeds. I ask in return if the Holy Spirit is no longer working through his people in this world. I would ask if our emphasis on creeds makes us less likely to love our Lord and love our neighbor as ourself. I would ask if an emphasis on creeds makes us less aware of the defeat of sin and death on the cross. I would ask if an emphasis on creeds makes us less aware of the righteous wrath of God revealed against all unrighteousness. In fact, an emphasis on creeds will make Christians more staunch social and cultural activists. We will realize more acutely what our Lord values. We will strive to work as his servants in this harvest field which surrounds us. Surely, an emphasis on creeds will result in laborers reaching out to their neighbors with the compassion of their Savior.
Creeds, yeah.
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