Indexed: Early Christian Creeds

Growing up, I often heard the term "creed" mentioned in churches and denominations, but I didn't fully grasp its significance beyond being a statement of belief. As I matured in my Faith and studied the Bible more extensively, I discovered the profound importance of these creeds, especially those that predate the writing of the New Testament books.

Creedal statements were essential to the early Christian Church. They were critical confessions used in baptism, liturgy, and teaching and in defense against counterfeit Christianity. Many of the statements identified as "credal statements," or confessions, found in the New Testament predate the writing of the New Testament books themselves! This means that these statements we being memorized and taught very early after Jesus' resurrection!

The unearthing of credal statements was performed by identifying grammatical structures or changes in syntax that diverged from the authors writing style and structure. Furthermore, critical scholars who did not accept the Bible's claims as truth found many of these creedal statements. This means that the early creeds are strong evidence for the historicity of genuine and universal belief - things like Jesus' divinity and resurrection were NOT legends later introduced into the story.

What Is A Christian Creed?

In our pursuit of understanding the essence of Christianity, we must examine the early Christian creeds, as they were pivotal to the faith of the earliest believers. These creeds, or Credo statements, served as succinct summaries of core beliefs and worldview. They helped early Christians convey and remember essential truths in a time when the New Testament had not yet been compiled.

The term "creed" is derived from the Latin word "Credo," meaning "I believe." A creed is more than just a casual statement; it signifies a deep conviction and a high level of belief in its content. These statements encapsulate key elements of Faith, often concerning the nature of God, the death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Crucial Role of Early Christian Creeds

Memorability and Usability

The early creeds were thoughtfully crafted to be easily memorized and recited in various settings, such as liturgical gatherings, public preaching, baptismal ceremonies, and even during times of persecution. Their simplicity and brevity allowed believers to affirm their faith without relying on a completed New Testament.

Safeguarding Orthodoxy

As the Christian community began to expand, so did the risk of doctrinal deviations and heresies. Early Christian creeds played a vital role in discerning authentic Christian beliefs from erroneous teachings, serving as a benchmark for measuring true Faith.

Primary Theme - Diety, Death, and Resurrection

Next, we will explore a handful of the primary creeds that have been authenticated by New Testament scholars. In these, you will notice the affirmation of three core pillars that make up the Christian Faith:

The deity of Jesus
The bolidy death of Jesus
The bodily resurrection of Jesus

These three pillars are everything. If you do not affirm all three of these, then you do not hold to the same Faith of the Apostles, and you are not a historical Christian.

The Profound Significance of "Jesus Is Lord"

As we will see, one recurring phrase in the early Christian creeds demands special attention: "Jesus is Lord." Beyond a mere affirmation of Jesus' authority, this declaration ascribes divinity to Him, acknowledging His equal status with God the Father (Jehovah) in the sacred Jewish Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) - the fundamental confession of monotheistic faith. Early Christians clung steadfastly to this confession, even in the face of persecution and martyrdom.

Key Early Christian Creeds:

Romans 10:9-10

"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

In this passage, Paul writes that if one confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, they will be saved. Paul is outlining the key tenets of the Christian Faith: that Jesus is Lord, that He was raised from the dead, and that salvation is available to all who believe. Many New Testament Scholars see this passage as an early creedal statement because it contains a concise and memorable statement of essential Christian beliefs.

This statement would be seen as extremely odd to 1st-century Roman citizens. In ancient Rome, many people confessed belief in various gods and spirits, often in public rituals. But the idea of confessing one's faith in Jesus as the only Lord was a bold statement, as it rejected the polytheistic worldview of the Roman Empire. Paul was urging believers to not only confess their belief privately, but to publicly declare that Jesus was their Lord and Savior.

In addition, we should note that the belief in Jesus' resurrection is also central to Paul's argument. At the time, the Roman Empire and the Greco-Roman world did not believe in physical resurrection. Rather, they thought of the afterlife as a disembodied state. But for Christians, the belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus is a key tenet of our Faith, as it demonstrates that Jesus was the Son of God and that God's power was real and active in the world.

Philippians 2:5-11

This beautiful creedal passage elucidates the dual nature of Jesus - fully God and fully man.

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Scholars have long recognized that this passage is a creedal statement, and it is considered one of the most important statements of early Christian belief. This passage, sometimes called the "Christ hymn," describes Jesus as being in the form of God, yet he humbled himself and became a man, ultimately dying on the cross. This passage affirms Jesus' equality with God, as well as His willingness to sacrifice Himself for the salvation of humanity.

Now, let's consider the significance of this passage. First, the statement that Jesus was "in the form of God" affirms His divinity. This was a significant claim in the early church, as it was a bold and startling departure from the monotheism of Judaism. It was also a counter-cultural statement in the Roman world, which was polytheistic.

Secondly, the statement that Jesus "humbled himself" emphasizes His humanity and his willingness to die for others. Jesus set aside his divine glory and power to become a man, and ultimately to die on the cross. This was a significant theological statement, emphasizing that Jesus was not just a divine Being, but also fully human.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8

This is my favorite one and likely the earliest creed dated to within months of Jesus' death.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

There is a LOT to unpack in this passage. Let's break it down:

First, in verse 3, Paul references the Gospel message that he received and passed on to others.
- This statement is not original to Paul, it was passed to him. It was likely a very early creed that far predates Paul’s writing.
- New Testament scholars who study the Greek here believe that Paul is basically quoting and not writing something original.
Second, also in verse 3, Paul emphasizes that the resurrection of Jesus was in accordance with the Scriptures, meaning that it was part of God's plan from the beginning. This affirms that the early church was convinced that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.
Third, the appearances of Jesus to the disciples after His resurrection are significant, as they provide evidence for the reality of the resurrection and the transformed lives of the disciples.

Some might object to this passage by stating that Paul wrote his epistle to the Corinthians around 51 AD, around 20 years after Jesus' crucifixion. They claim that the belief in Jesus' Diety, death, and bodily resurrection was a later invention by the Apostles.

This simply is not true. New Testament scholar James Dunn has stated that this creed is likely from within mere months of Jesus' death and resurrection. But don't take my word for it. Take the word of renowned New Testament scholar Dr. Gary Habermas:

"Do critical scholars agree on the date of this pre-Pauline creed? Even radical scholars like Gerd Lüdemann think that “the elements in the tradition are to be dated to the first two years after the crucifixion . . . no later than three years after the death of Jesus.” Similarly, Michael Goulder contends that Paul’s testimony about the resurrection appearances “goes back at least to what Paul was taught when he was converted, a couple of years after the crucifixion.” "An increasing number of exceptionally influential scholars have very recently concluded that at least the teaching of the resurrection, and perhaps even the specific formulation of the pre-Pauline creedal tradition in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, dates to AD 30! In other words, there never was a time when the message of Jesus’ resurrection was not an integral part of the earliest apostolic proclamation. No less a scholar than James D. G. Dunn even states regarding this crucial text: “This tradition, we can be entirely confident, was formulated as tradition within months of Jesus’ death.” — Gary Habermas, “Tracing Jesus’ Resurrection to Its Earliest Eyewitness Accounts,” God is Great, God is Good (InterVarsity Press, 2009), 212.

As we explore the richness of early Christian creeds, we cannot help but recognize their profound impact on the contemporary Christian Faith. These timeless statements of belief continue to inspire and guide millions of believers worldwide. They serve as an enduring defense against counterfeit Christianity and modern distortions of the Gospel, preserving the unadulterated Faith authored by Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) passed down from the Apostles.

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