A Statement of Faith

I have been thinking about creeds, statements of faith and such. I mainly understand them to be like gates that allow certain people in and keep certain people out. Well and good. We are to be like-minded and remember that there are wolves in sheep's clothing out there.

However, I began wondering if I might use such as a title page rather than a gate - something that invites people into the faith and inspires them, rather than something to try to keep certain people out. Could a statement of faith be used to help myself and others understand and explain what is most important to ourselves rather than as a way to keep unwanted ideas out of our group? I wanted to ask the question, "What do I want to have first and foremost in my mind as far as my faith is concerned?" And as a necessary derivative question, "What do I want people to know about my faith above all else?"

The main question that followers of Jesus have to wrestle with is, "What is a disciple? What does a disciple know, do, and hope to become?" I like the basic answer to this question in The Connecting Church by Frazee. I would phrase it this way:

As a disciple of Jesus, I obey his commands: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself."

I like this because above all else, a believer is one who follows Jesus. One who follows Jesus obeys his commands. Jesus himself identifies these commands as the most important and covering the whole of scripture.

Although such a statement leaves a lot unanswered, it supplies those who do follow Christ with a working definition of what it means to be a disciple. It lays a groundwork on which the ideas, practices, and virtues of being a follower of Jesus can be laid. In this sense, I see it as complete.

Statements that don't work well are ones that are too long to use effectively in everyday living or are ones that focus too closely on a particular "soap box" so that a properly filled-out faith cannot be built on top of them. Ancient creeds are helpful for capturing many of these basics, but often they are written to address heresies in a particular language that people were using at that time for discussion and argument.

Again, I wanted to avoid getting drawn into the idea of a statement of faith as a gate. I hoped to use it as a step-stool so I can reach some of the highest ideals of my faith without trying to climb the shelves of arguments and discussions present in all such endeavors.

Such a statement of faith may not be what everyone would choose, but it is certainly not heretical. The main problem would be that it is simplistic. I would say it is simplistic if I regard it as complete in and of itself. Instead I hoped it would be merely simple, but profound enough to touch on most if not all aspects of faith at least indirectly, and direct enough to use as a constant reminder of what a life of discipleship is all about.