The Apostles’ Creed: The Articles of FaithSample

Agreeing on Essentials: John 17:23

Throughout the world there are hundreds of millions of true followers of Christ who stand firmly committed to the central biblical teachings expressed in the Apostles’ Creed. In fact, at this very moment countless Christians suffer persecution and even martyrdom for these commitments. They may disagree with us about a number of other theological issues. In fact, they may object strongly to viewpoints that you and I hold dear. But despite our differences, we stand together in what the creed says about God, the church, and salvation. Remember what Jesus prayed for the church in John 17:23:

May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:23).

Notice that Jesus said that unity in the church was proof that he had been sent by the Father. When we stand shoulder to shoulder with other followers of Christ, stressing what we have in common theologically, we testify to the world that the gospel is true, and this empowers our evangelism.

Having defined the gospel and having agreed on the common ground of the gospel, I think one way that we can pursue unity and truth is to say that we are so committed to that unity that we have in the gospel, that we are going to pursue unity with one another, in life and ministry, in such a way that we do not ask one another to relinquish our convictions of truth. But we in fact celebrate even those areas in which we differ from one another. We differ from one another respectfully. We differ from one another intelligently. We differ from one another lovingly. But we look for things in one another that we have mutual joy in, at the truth and convictional level. And we celebrate those things to a certain extent, so that the unity is enjoyed and so that we can have legitimate, conscientious differences in other areas of our theological convictions. – Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III

The Apostles’ Creed can help Christians everywhere to differentiate between essential beliefs and beliefs that are of secondary importance. As we stress this creed in our personal lives and in the corporate life of the church, we will find that theology doesn’t necessarily divide us from each other. Instead, we will find ourselves uniting with other faithful servants of Christ, and thereby fulfilling Jesus’ own vision for his church.

Click here to watch The Apostles’ Creed: The Articles of Faith, lesson one in the series The Apostles' Creed. Biblical Education, For the World, For Free. thirdmill.org