The word ‘confession’ has two different but related meanings. A ‘confession’ is an admission of sin and guilt, but another ‘confession’ is also a statement of beliefs.
Creeds often begin with either ‘I believe’ or ‘we believe’ - both formulations are needed, to balance the individual reliance on God as well as the corporate relationship to God.
The earliest creed is found in the New Testament, when Jesus challenges Peter to put beliefs into words by asking Peter, “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29 and Matthew 16:15)
Peter was already following Jesus and working for Him. But still Jesus wanted to challenge Peter to articulate his belief in words. By so doing, Peter clarified his faith, both for himself, and for others.
Several other confessions of faith are also found in the New Testament (cf. I Corinthians 15).
In the years after the last New Testament documents were written, the followers of Jesus continued to express themselves in creeds. In the first few centuries, the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed appeared.
Each successive creed added to, but did not replace, the previous ones.
In the 1500s, statements of faith like the Augsburg Confession appeared. In the 1900s, the Barmen Declaration was another expression of faith in Jesus. Which new creeds might appear in the 21st century?
Followers of Jesus repeat their creeds aloud, together, and often. Why? In a world filled with many bizarre ideas, one’s thinking is easily led astray. Only by reviewing, perhaps once a week, a brief statement of faith can one maintain a steadier relationship to reality.
