Out of Neutral | Grace Baptist Church

The Top 10 of 2025

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/fd38a414-e026-41c7-b1bd-13bd86148f04/OON+Top+10+of+2025+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] As I look back on Out of Neutral in December, every year tells a story, not only about what I shared but about where people’s interests lie. This year’s most-read articles and most-watched videos ranged from practical topics like food, fitness, and small groups to more existential ones like death, judgment, and eternity. Here are the 10 posts that drew the most attention. See if there’s something you missed the first time or want to give a second look. 10. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I DIE? [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2016/10/12/straight-talk-about-the-afterlife-] LifeWay Research uncovered some surprising contradictions in people’s views about the afterlife and salvation. Why are so many confused, and what does the Bible really teach? 9. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PURGATORY [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/4/23/what-you-need-to-know-about-purgatory] Is heaven the next stop for those who trust in Jesus? Or do we go through a cleansing fire first? Understanding the history and biblical basis for purgatory helps us prepare for the afterlife and appreciate the great hope of the gospel. 8. SIX MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE LEADING SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDIES [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/6/18/6-mistakes-people-make-leading-small-group-bible-studies] Have you ever been in a small group discussion that was more awkward than awesome? You look around and see silence, rambling, confusion, and irritation. Maybe you’ve been the one leading and wondered what went wrong. Consider these pitfalls that can make even the best of Bible studies less than they were intended to be. 7. HOW FAKE NEWS HAS CHANGED YOU AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/3/5/how-fake-news-has-changed-you-and-what-you-can-do-about-it] Fake news isn’t just a problem—it’s changed how we think. We believe what feels right, trust people less, and spread misinformation without realizing it. Here’s how fake news affects you, why it matters, and what you can do to resist it. 6. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT FOOD? [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/1/15/what-does-the-bible-teach-about-food] The ancient church thought so much about food that they made gluttony one of the seven deadly sins. Today, many Christians are unsure whether the Bible has anything meaningful to say about food at all. As a result, our views of food are often shaped more by appetite, diet culture, guilt, or body image than by Scripture. This post offers a biblical framework for thinking rightly about food and the bodies God has given us. 5. BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT: HOW DO I KNOW IF I’VE COMMITTED THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN? [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/9/24/blasphemy-against-the-holy-spirit-how-do-i-know-if-ive-committed-the-unforgivable-sin] Many Christians fear they’ve committed the unforgivable sin. What did Jesus mean by blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? This post looks at the context to give clarity to Jesus’ warning and shows how fear itself points to hope in Christ. 4. WHAT “K-POP DEMON HUNTERS” GETS RIGHT ABOUT DEMONS AND SHAME [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/9/10/what-k-pop-demon-hunters-gets-right-about-demons-and-shame] A record-breaking Netflix hit mixes K-pop spectacle with spiritual themes of demons, shame, and deliverance. What does it get right, and where does it miss? This post explores the biblical themes raised by K-pop Demon Hunters. 3. WHAT HAPPENS IN A SMALL GROUP AND WHY YOU NEED ONE [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/5/21/what-happens-in-a-small-group-and-why-you-need-one] Church can be a lonely place if you never get past the crowd. God didn’t design us to be able to grow in isolation. This post explains what small groups are meant to be and why they play such a vital role in experiencing the family of God. 2. A CHRISTIAN’S GUIDE TO DIETING AND FITNESS [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/2/12/a-christians-guide-to-dieting-and-fitness] We receive powerful messages every day about losing weight and getting fit. But what if the modern messages about health are at odds with the Bible? Consider these three ways the Bible calls Christians to think about dieting and fitness. 1. IS IT WRONG FOR CHRISTIANS TO CHOOSE CREMATION? [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/4/16/is-it-wrong-for-christians-to-choose-cremation] In 1980 in Canada, only 6% of people opted for cremation, and most of them would have been non-Christians. Today, that figure is over 75%, and it’s a popular option among people of all faiths. How are Christians to think of this trend? Is this a question of faith? Is it wrong to cremate a body? It’s encouraging to see our reach growing with visits to our website double (142,000) and views of our YouTube channel (40,000) up by 60% compared to last year. While most visits to our website are from Canada and the U.S., significant numbers also come from China, the Philippines, Nigeria, India, and Ghana. It’s a privilege to be able to share God’s Word with people from all over the globe. Thank you for tuning in and sharing links to content you found helpful in 2025. If there are questions you’d like me to explore in the new year, please share them. I’d love to hear from you! In awe of Him, Paul

A Beginner’s Guide to the Athanasian Creed

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/aeb03017-5342-41af-be48-7baa9388f81a/OON+m12w3+Thumbnail.psd.png?format=1000w] Christians today still wrestle with the same question that shook the early church: Who exactly is God? This is a question that was addressed by one challenge after another for the first 500 years of the church. How could God be three and one at the same time? How could Jesus be both God and man? These struggles refined the church’s understanding of God. By thinking deeply about the objections, Christians were driven back to the Scriptures and forced to develop clear ways of expressing complex truths. The Athanasian Creed is a product of that struggle. MISTAKES THEY WORKED HARD TO AVOID When we don’t bother to reflect on the lessons the early church learned, we often end up repeating the mistakes they worked so hard to avoid. They dealt with errors like: * Docetism: the idea that Jesus only appeared to be human; * Subordinationism: the belief that the Son and the Holy Spirit are inferior to the Father; * Arianism: the teaching that Jesus was a divine being created by the Father; * Macedonianism: the idea that the Holy Spirit wasn’t fully divine; * Partialism: the belief that the Father, Son, and Spirit are parts that make up the fullness of God; and * Modalism: the belief that God has different modes, sometimes acting as the Father, sometimes the Son, and other times the Spirit. These errors might sound academic, but every one of them affects how we think about God’s love, His work in salvation, and His presence with us. PEOPLE MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES TODAY You hear Christians repeating similar things today. Some people compare the Trinity to water, which can appear as liquid, ice, or steam. This illustration reflects Modalism and denies the fact that the members of the Trinity are distinct persons rather than just different hats worn by the one person. Others compare the Trinity to an egg or a three-leaf clover, with the three parts making up the whole. But this is Partialism and denies that each member of the godhead is 100% God, not just 33%. Jehovah’s Witnesses challenge the divinity of the Son (Arianism), and Muslims accuse Christians of worshipping three gods. The Athanasian Creed helps address these also. THE FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT ARE THREE DISTINCT PERSONS BUT ONE BEING The Athanasian Creed has two main sections, the first on the Trinity in general and the second on Jesus in particular. The first section contains the following statement: That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal. It describes God as both a Trinity and a unity. He is the three-in-one, Triune God. That doesn’t mean that God is a “blending” of a little bit of the Father, a little bit of the Son, and a little bit of the Holy Spirit. God isn’t stitched together from various parts but rather a single being comprised of three persons. The last line clarifies that the persons of the Trinity possess the same divinity and equal glory. There is no greater than or less than in the godhead. And it has always been that way. When it says, “their majesty coeternal,” it’s making the point that the glory the members of the Trinity share has existed since eternity past. JESUS IS FULLY GOD AND FULLY HUMAN In the section clarifying Jesus’ nature, it says: He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God's taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human. Jesus was begotten before time but born in time as a human. Jesus is “completely God, completely human.” It mentions the fact that Jesus has a “rational soul” as a way of showing that Jesus is not just a divine actor wearing a costume. He is human in every way, but without sin. When it says that “Christ is not two, but one,” it means that He is 100% God and 100% man without being 200%. That might make strange math, but it does represent what the Scriptures teach. And we shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not hard to believe that a God who can create the universe would be more complex than we are. The Athanasian Creed shows why precision matters. When we get God wrong, it taints all of our thinking. When we confess Him clearly, it honours the Word He’s given us. If you’ve ever been confused about how Jesus could be both God and man, or how the Trinity avoids being “three gods,” this creed can help. Read it slowly, line by line. The truth it protects is the truth that stirs our wonder. You can read the full text of the Athanasian Creed at the end of this post. In awe of Him, Paul ATHANASIAN CREED Whoever desires to be saved should above all hold to the catholic faith. Anyone who does not keep it whole and unbroken will doubtless perish eternally. Now this is the catholic faith: That we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence. For the person of the Father is a distinct person, the person of the Son is another, and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal. What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is immeasurable, the Son is immeasurable, the Holy Spirit is immeasurable. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal. And yet there are not three eternal beings; there is but one eternal being. So too there are not three uncreated or immeasurable beings; there is but one uncreated and immeasurable being. Similarly, the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, Holy Spirit is almighty. Yet there are not three almighty beings; there is but one almighty being. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three gods; there is but one God. Thus the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, the Holy Spirit is Lord. Yet there are not three lords; there is but one Lord. Just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as both God and Lord, so catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or lords. The Father was neither made nor created nor begotten from anyone. The Son was neither made nor created; he was begotten from the Father alone. The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten; he proceeds from the Father and the Son. Accordingly there is one Father, not three fathers; there is one Son, not three sons; there is one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits. Nothing in this trinity is before or after, nothing is greater or smaller; in their entirety the three persons are coeternal and coequal with each other. So in everything, as was said earlier, we must worship their trinity in their unity and their unity in their trinity. Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the trinity. But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully. Now this is the true faith: That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and human, equally. He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God's taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human. He suffered for our salvation; he descended to hell; he arose from the dead; he ascended to heaven; he is seated at the Father's right hand; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. At his coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire. This is the catholic faith: one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully. * The term “catholic" in “catholic faith” and “catholic church” doesn’t refer to the Roman Catholic Church in this document, but to the universal church, and the faith as it is held by Christians everywhere.

A Beginner’s Guide to the Nicene Creed

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/5c046756-30ef-4f9d-a3c6-d5ce1be3bd10/OON+m12w2+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] In 325 AD, Constantine, the Roman Empire’s first Christian Emperor, assembled over 300 church leaders to try and resolve an issue that threatened to divide the church. Bishops came from as far away as Persia, Gaul, and North Africa. What they affirmed about the nature of God has become the definitive statement of Christian belief for the last 1700 years. Even if you’ve never read the Nicene Creed, you’ve probably been taught language from it because its influence is so foundational. Let’s look at the creed and consider why it’s so important. THE CONTEXT OF THE NICENE CREED Comparing the Nicene Creed to the Apostles’ Creed I walked through last week [https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/12/3/a-beginners-guide-to-the-apostles-creed] helps to explain its focus. Whereas the Apostles’ Creed calls Jesus the Son of God and details His birth, death, resurrection, and ascension, it doesn’t clarify the sense in which He can be both God and man. A church leader named Arius argued from certain Scriptures that Jesus was great and glorious but created by the Father and therefore inferior to Him. The Nicene Creed aimed to answer his objections. The creed was then refined and restated at Constantinople in 381 as new groups denied the deity of the Holy Spirit and questioned the full humanity of Jesus. THE CREED CLARIFIES HOW WE UNDERSTAND JESUS The critical line in the creed concerning Jesus says: > We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. You’ll notice that the word “begotten” appears twice. In the Bible, Jesus is frequently referred to by a Greek term that can be translated as “begotten” or “one and only” (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). In John 3:16, for instance, it says God gave “his only Son” (ESV) or “his only begotten Son” (KJV). Does this mean that Jesus was created by the Father at a certain point in time? No, they answered, Jesus is “eternally begotten … not made.” In other words, Jesus has always been the Son. As Jesus said, “before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), and as Paul wrote of Him, “by him all things were created … he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). The other important word in this line is “homoousios” translated as “one Being” as in “one Being with the Father.” Arius wanted to put “homoiusios” meaning “similar Being” as the Father, but the council disagreed. Jesus is “true God from true God.” As John 1:1 says, referring to Jesus as the Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Son is God every bit as much as the Father is God because they share the same essence and being. THE CREED CLARIFIES HOW WE UNDERSTAND THE HOLY SPIRIT Whereas the Apostles’ Creed merely affirms belief in the Holy Spirit, the Nicene Creed describes more of who He is: > We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. Each of these descriptions of the Holy Spirit comes directly from Scripture. Paul said, for example, “the Lord is the Spirit” in 2 Corinthians 3:17, and Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life” in John 6:63 and “the Spirit of truth… proceeds from the Father” in John 15:26. Similarly, the author of Hebrews introduces a quote from the Psalms by saying, “as the Holy Spirit says” (Hebrews 3:7). These descriptions help us to see that the Holy Spirit is both one God with the Father and the Son, but also a distinct person with unique roles. The phrase “and the Son” (Latin “filioque”) is in brackets because it was not part of the original text of 325 or 381 but added by the Western church more than 200 years later. The Nicene Creed protected the church during a time of confusion and controversy, and it can continue to guard us today. Its careful language clarifies essential truths and helps us recognize error. Reflecting on the creed helps align us with believers around the world throughout history and fuels our wonder at the nature of the God who saved us. In a fractured age, these ancient words bind us together in the worship of the one God in three persons. You can read the full text of the Nicene Creed below. In awe of Him, Paul THE NICENE CREED We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

A Beginner’s Guide to the Apostles’ Creed

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/501e3355-af92-46de-9bb3-3ade27e5d440/OON+m12w1+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] The rate of change in our society continues to speed up, and there is both more information and more error in our world all the time. At a time like this, history can serve as an anchor and test of whether we have strayed from the truth. The Apostles’ Creed is one of the oldest confessions of Christian faith and one of the three creeds that have been almost universally affirmed by all branches of the church for more than 1600 years. If someone tells you, Christians don’t agree about anything, point them to the Apostles’ Creed. You can recite it in less than a minute, but it gives a short summary of Christian belief that’s been used from the earliest times to disciple converts. Let’s break down the three sections, each of which begins with a member of the Trinity. SECTION 1 INTRODUCES US TO THE NATURE OF GOD > I believe in God, the Father almighty, > > creator of heaven and earth. People sometimes think that any belief in God qualifies a person for heaven, but in the ancient world, almost everyone believed in some kind of god. The question was whether a person trusted in the true God. The first statement in the creed requires individual, personal faith in the God who is Father, almighty, and creator. Calling God Father here describes His relationship to the Son, not so much His relationship to us. While it is also true that the Bible calls God our Father, this title prepares us to see God as a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is all-powerful and so able to accomplish all that He purposes. As creator, He is the maker and therefore the rightful ruler of heaven and earth. And “heaven and earth” are listed like “night and day” or “east to west,” giving two opposites as a way of describing everything in between. God is the creator of all things. SECTION 2 TELLS THE STORY OF JESUS > I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, > > who was conceived by the Holy Spirit > > and born of the virgin Mary. > > He suffered under Pontius Pilate, > > was crucified, died, and was buried; > > he descended to hell. > > The third day he rose again from the dead. > > He ascended to heaven > > and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. > > From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. To be a Christian is to trust in Jesus as Christ, Son, and Lord. Christ simply means anointed one, the promised Messiah. To call Jesus “Son” doesn’t just mean that He’s a child of God the way that all believers are. Jesus is the “only Son,” the second member of the Godhead, who is Himself divine and uniquely related to God the Father. Jesus is our Lord in that He’s the one to whom all believers owe their allegiance and commitment. The story that follows describes why. Jesus entered our world and took on a human nature through the miracle of the Holy Spirit who conceived Him and in the womb of the virgin Mary who bore Him. Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit ensured that He took on a full human nature without inheriting our sin nature. Belief in this event is a good test of a person’s confidence in the miraculous. Naming Pontius Pilate as the one under whom Jesus suffered crucifixion situates Jesus’ story in time and place as real, verifiable history. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are taken almost directly from 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, but the “descent into hell” is confusing and disputed. The problem stems from the fact that both the Latin and Greek words behind the English translation simply mean the realm of the dead for both the righteous and unrighteous, not the place of eternal torment that we call hell. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven where He reigns with the Father until He returns to judge the world. When someone says they believe in Jesus, this summary helps determine whether they believe what Scripture teaches about Him. SECTION 3 AFFIRMS THE RESULTS OF SALVATION > I 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 final section begins with faith in God the Spirit. His name highlights His holiness, and He is the one who applies the benefits of salvation to believers. On the Day of Pentecost, He gave birth to the church. The catholic church here doesn’t mean the Roman Catholic denomination, but rather the universal church made up of all believers. The communion of saints describes the relational sharing of believers together in community. The creed gives no place for a person who believes in Jesus but doesn’t believe in the church or the need to share in fellowship with other believers. The section ends with three aspects of our salvation: forgiveness, resurrection, and eternal life. The resurrection of the body is the one that people most often ignore. People think of “going to heaven,” but the reality is that our bodies will be raised and made new and more glorious. We have a great salvation. As you affirm the Apostles’ Creed, you stand in agreement with Christian truths that have been taught and recited for hundreds of years in congregations around the globe. As you read through it, reflect on why these truths in particular were seen as so primary. Take any statement you’re unsure about back to Scripture. And consider how the Apostles’ Creed could help you teach your children and confirm their understanding of our faith. In awe of Him, Paul

Is “No Creed but the Bible” Biblical?

[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b23a868a65e24fb5da70bb/7366d8e4-f605-4e3c-a5ad-484d2dcd0a4b/OON+m11w4+Thumbnail.png?format=1000w] Some things sound so spiritual we assume they must be true. * “We believe in the Bible, not creeds.” * “We don’t want to be bound by the traditions of men!” * “We believe in Scripture alone.” Each of these statements contains a grain of truth but wrongly understood can lay the groundwork for theologically naïve thinking. Without learning from the creeds, we can make false conclusions from the truths of Scripture. HOW WHAT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA WENT WRONG The phrase “No creed but the Bible” became popular in the 19th-century American Restoration Movement. It was a time of religious revival in the United States, and leaders emerged believing it was an opportunity to do away with denominations and unite the church around the Scriptures once and for all. They thought that all that was keeping believers from standing together was the creeds and confessions of their history. The desire for unity and commitment to the Scriptures was admirable, but it naively assumed that everyone would read the Bible the same way. In fact, the movement itself split in 1906 over whether instruments should be used in worship and whether missionary societies could be used to advance the gospel. What became clear was that the leaders in this movement did, in fact, have a creed, but they just hadn’t articulated it in writing. WHAT’S WRONG WITH “NO CREED BUT THE BIBLE”? The division of the Restoration Movement highlights the problem with ignoring or eliminating creeds. Creeds are just statements attempting to summarize the Bible’s teachings. Even if you reject written creeds, everyone still has a set of beliefs that guide their actions and decisions. Evaluating your beliefs in light of what a consensus of church leaders has expressed is an important way to clarify whether you’ve correctly understood the Scriptures. Creeds have also been used to protect the church against false teaching. If you and another person disagree about what the Bible teaches in a particular area, do you just assume that they’re wrong? Or do you give up your own position and assume they’re right? Disagreement should force us back to the Scriptures, but creeds and confessions show us what a majority of the church has believed. The church can, of course, be wrong, and God might reveal new insights to you from His Word, but surely that’s the exception, not the rule, which is why humility is essential. If you’re excited about what the Holy Spirit is teaching you through the Bible, you should be all the more excited about what the Holy Spirit has been teaching His people from the Scriptures throughout history. ARE CREEDS BIBLICAL? The Bible itself contains what scholars believe are simple creeds. Deuteronomy 6:4 is probably the oldest: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” Jews have been putting these words on their doorframes for thousands of years as a short summary of their faith. Their Assyrian or Egyptian neighbours might hear some of the Bible’s teachings and be impressed by them, but the creed would help clarify where they stood. They could ask, “Do you believe that the LORD our God is one, or do you believe in multiple gods or another god altogether?” In the New Testament, many believe, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 functioned in a similar way. Paul writes: 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. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. Notice that he identifies these words “as of first importance” and has received them and passes them on as a way of preserving the faith. This would be one way that a church could identify a true disciple from a false teacher. Philippians 2:6-11, 1 Timothy 3:16, and Romans 10:9 might have functioned in the same way. DON’T PROTESTANTS BELIEVE IN “SCRIPTURE ALONE”? The Reformation cry of “Sola Scriptura” never meant that we don’t learn from anything but the Bible. It says that only Scripture holds ultimate authority over us. Creeds and confessions can and should be tested by the Bible, critiqued by the Bible, and subject to the Bible. Nevertheless, creeds can guide us, protect us, and unify us. In future episodes, we’ll look at some of the creeds and confessions that have been foundational to the church. Understanding why creeds exist prepares us to appreciate what they say and why the church has guarded them for centuries. In awe of Him, Paul