"Hio Silver!" and Bad Theology: Individualism and the Creeds

Alright, time for the next part of this series on Individualism or "Lone Ranger Christianity" (LRC). In this post, I'll look briefly at the ancient creeds, namely the Apostles and Nicene Creed. Now, the Apostles Creed has two phrases on the subject within a larger sentence, so I'll quote the whole line:

"And I/we believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. Amen."

The Nicene Creed says:
"And I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church."

Let's break this down, first considering the Church and then "communion of Saints"

One
The Church is one. Not institutionally or organizationally but in the eyes of Her Beloved, Ecclessia is one united body with "One Lord (Christ), one faith (Christ crucified, Christ risen, Christ ascended and Christ returning), one birth (regeneration by the power of the Spirit, also a reference to Baptism). One holy name She blesses (the Trinity), partakes one holy food (the Supper), and to one hope she presses with every grace endued."

The oneness of the Church is significant. We are not a bunch of individuals sharing similar ideas who associate  with each other. We are one body, connected and joined together as the Bride of Christ.

Holy
The Church is holy Bride of Christ (Rev 21) and Her holiness is not of Her own creation or origin. Despite Her sins, She appears a virgin, pure and innocent, because of Her Lord (if you want more on this, read James Jordan's book "The Law of the Covenant", specifically the appendix. I'm leaving it here.)

The designation "Holy" is important as well. It has been said by Cyprian and Calvin among others that he who has not the Church for his mother has not God for his Father. Highly true. While one can be outside the visible Church and still be redeemed (e.g. the thief on the cross), outside the Church there is no ordinary way to be saved. And this makes sense. If you are truly saved, you are in the Church, though it is possible to be a member of the visible Church yet not be regenerate.

By "Holy", the creeds remind us that the Church is God's means for bringing salvation to the world, a salvation guaranteed and secured by Christ and proclaimed by the Church.

I belabor this point because many American evangelicals have an aversion to this language. I mean, it sounds like "Salvation is the work to the Church" or something else that either smacks of Roman Catholicism or is an encroachment upon our precious freedom. Salvation is of Christ alone, provided and secured by Him and yet it is through the work and ministry of the Church, to whom the keys have been given (Matthew 16) that this salvation is made manifest in the world.

Catholic
This one gives many people the creeps. If you've ever said the Apostles Creed during a worship service and can remember the first time you did so, you may have had this experience. You're reading along and of the sudden...."catholic Church....CATHOLIC!" You either mumble or entirely skip this part, wondering at this Papist phrase. Well, first off  both the Apostles and Nicene Creeds existed a thousand years before the Roman Catholic Church. It was not until the Reformation that the Catholic Western Church divided into three groups, the Lutheran Catholics, the Reformed Catholics and the Roman Catholics. The next time your Roman Catholic friend or neighbor tells you that we protestants broke off from Rome, kindly correct him that in actuality, these three streams split from one river. Much of what the Reformers were saying was already matters of dispute (the Augustine element held strong in the likes of Bradwardine, Bernard of Clairveaux, and even Thomas Aquinas.) Luther just brought to the debate table something the Church was already divided on and made that divide official.

By "catholic" the creeds mean "universal, whole etc." The Church throughout the world has two forms, the local church and the catholic Church. The very idea of "catholic" rules out any individualistic or LRC view on the Christian life and faith.

Apostolic 
In other words, founded by the apostles. This is not founded by the likes of Joseph Smith, Joel Osteen or any other false teacher and cult leader. Founded by Christ, the Church is built on the work and teaching of the Apostles.

Church
Church in of itself rules out LRC. Church means gathering, assembly or congregation.


Communion of Saints
This is a two way deal. We have communion with our fellow Christians in worship (i.e. The Supper) and in our daily fellowship. However (and hear me out) there is also a fellowship with those have already gone to side of Our Lord. It is not, like the Papists say, that we pray to them or anything but rather when we gather for worship we are, like John (Rev 4-5) transported to the Heavenly throne room where we, together with Angels, an Archangels and the saints of old, we worship our God.

Basically this concept means that there is a special bond and union between all Christian, past and present, everywhere on the globe. We are fellowship and we cannot see our faith in private terms.

The next post will look at the Reformed Confessions (WCF, BC, 2nd HC).
Until next time!