Skip to content

Course 26 · Lesson 6.2

Relating the statement to the creeds and the traditions

8 minute read

Lessons in this course

Course 26 outline

Module 1: Comprehensive Biblical Knowledge Examination

  1. Preparing: a review plan for the whole Bible
  2. The examination: books, story, genres and key passages
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers and planning review

Module 2: Historical Theology Examination

  1. Preparing: a timeline, key figures and key councils
  2. The examination: periods, controversies and primary texts
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers and planning review

Module 3: Systematic Theology Examination

  1. Preparing: an outline of the doctrines
  2. The examination: God, Christ, humanity, salvation, church and last things
  3. Sample questions and what a good answer contains
  4. Evaluating your answers, especially on fairness across traditions

Module 4: Philosophical Argument Evaluation and Historical Apologetics Assessment

  1. Evaluating a philosophical argument: premises, validity and objections
  2. Exercises: cosmological, moral, evil and hiddenness arguments
  3. Assessing historical evidence: sources, dating, witnesses and bias
  4. Exercises: the resurrection, the reliability of the New Testament and the canon

Module 5: Written Defense of Three Christian Propositions

  1. Choosing three propositions and defining the terms
  2. Building the case: arguments, evidence and sources
  3. Stating and answering the strongest objections
  4. Evaluating your defenses against the criteria

Module 6: Statement of Faith and Rule of Life

  1. Writing a personal statement of faith
  2. Relating the statement to the creeds and the traditions
  3. Writing a personal Christian rule of life
  4. Making the rule concrete and reviewable

Module 7: Reflection on Theological Development

  1. Mapping your development: beliefs held at the start and now
  2. Changes of mind: what changed and what caused the change
  3. Writing the reflection

Module 8: Strengths, Uncertainties and Continued Study

  1. Scoring the results of the components
  2. Naming your uncertainties without shame or evasion
  3. A plan for continued study, with dates for review

All courses

Program / Course 26: Comprehensive Assessment / Lesson 6.2

What you will learn

  • Compare your statement of faith with the Nicene Creed clause by clause.
  • Identify where your statement agrees with, goes beyond or departs from the creed.
  • Say which tradition or traditions your statement most resembles, and where it differs from each.
  • Revise the statement for consistency with your studies.

The big idea

A personal statement of faith is more useful when it is compared with the great creeds and with the teaching of the traditions. The comparison shows which beliefs you share with the wider church, which go beyond it and which depart from it. It is not a test of orthodoxy, and no church is asked to approve the result. It is a way of seeing clearly where your statement stands, and whether it is consistent with what you have learned in the program.

Key terms

Nicene Creed
The creed of the councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), in the form used by most churches. The Catholic and many Protestant churches use the Western form with the filioque.
Apostles’ Creed
A shorter creed used in the West, especially at baptism. It is not from the apostles themselves but developed from early baptismal professions.
Chalcedonian Definition
The statement of 451 that Christ is one person in two natures, divine and human.
Consistency
Agreement among the parts of a statement, so that no part contradicts another.
Departure
A place where your statement differs from the creed or tradition. It is not necessarily an error, but it should be noticed and explained.
Tradition
A body of teaching and practice handed down in a church. Here, Catholic, Orthodox or a Protestant tradition.

Background

The creeds are not a substitute for a personal statement, but they offer a standard that most Christians have shared for centuries. The Nicene Creed is recited by Catholic and Orthodox Christians and by many Protestants. The Apostles’ Creed is also common in the West. Reading your statement beside them helps you to see what you share with them.

There are three kinds of relation. Your statement may agree with a clause, using different words. It may go beyond the creed, for example by saying more about the Bible or about baptism, which the creed does not address in detail. Or it may depart, by omitting or denying a clause. A departure is not necessarily a mistake, but it is significant, and the student should be able to say why.

The traditions add further teaching. A student who finds that the statement resembles Catholic teaching on the sacraments, Orthodox teaching on theosis or Protestant teaching on justification can say so, and can note where it differs. Many people find that their statement does not match any single tradition. Honest comparison helps to name that, and may also lead to further reading. It is not required that the student join or leave any church as a result, and this course does not claim to guide that decision.

Step-by-step explanation

Step 1: Set the creed beside the statement

Copy the Nicene Creed from the library, clause by clause, on the left side of a page. On the right, write the matching part of your statement. Leave the space blank where you said nothing.

Step 2: Mark each relation

Mark each row: agree, goes beyond, departs or silent. For each departure or silence, write one or two sentences on why. For example, you may not have mentioned the Holy Spirit because you have not yet thought it through, or you may hold a different view.

Step 3: Compare with the traditions

Choose the traditions closest to your views and read their own statements: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an Orthodox author such as Timothy Ware, or a Protestant confession. Mark where your statement agrees and where it does not.

Step 4: Check consistency

Read your statement as a whole and ask if any parts conflict. For example, a belief that salvation is a gift sits uneasily beside a belief that it is earned. Note any conflicts. You need not resolve them now, but you should record them.

Step 5: Revise and date

Revise the statement where you want to. Write a new date and keep the earlier version, so that you can see what changed. Add a short note on what you still need to study.

  1. Which clauses of the creed do I affirm easily, and which with difficulty?
  2. Where does my statement depart from the creed, and why?
  3. Which tradition does my statement most resemble, and where does it differ?
  4. Are there any conflicts within my statement?
  5. What have I said that no tradition would say?
  6. What do I need to study before I can decide?

Examples

Agreement in different words

The creed says that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. My statement says that Jesus entered the world through Mary by the Holy Spirit. The student marks this as agreement, noting that the wording is different. (A constructed example.)

A departure with a reason

The student has not said anything about the resurrection of the body. The note reads: I have not yet decided what I think about the nature of the resurrection body, though I affirm that Christ rose. (A constructed example.)

A conflict noted

The statement affirms both that God has chosen who will be saved and that every person can freely choose God. The student notes that traditions differ on how to relate these, and that further reading is needed. (A constructed example.)

Different perspectives

Catholic

Catholic teaching holds the creed as the summary of the faith of the church and the basis of catechesis, and asks believers to profess it in its entirety. A Catholic student would look for agreement with every clause and with the teaching of the Catechism.

Orthodox

The Orthodox churches recite the Nicene Creed without the filioque and hold it as a sign of the unity of the faith. An Orthodox student would compare the statement with the creed and with the teaching of the Fathers and liturgy.

Protestant

Most Protestant churches accept the early creeds as faithful summaries of Scripture, though they hold them as subordinate to Scripture. Some free church traditions have not used creeds in worship and prefer to say that they have no creed but the Bible, while still holding common doctrines.

Scholarly

Historians note that the creeds arose in particular controversies, that their wording was debated, and that their use varies. They are historical documents as well as statements of faith.

Why it matters

Seeing where a statement agrees with the church’s creeds, and where it departs, gives the student an honest picture of their own belief in relation to the wider Christian tradition. It also reveals what the student has not yet thought about.

Common misunderstandings

Misunderstanding: Any departure from the creed means the statement is not Christian.

Correction: This course does not make that judgment. Churches decide for themselves what they require. The student is asked only to notice and explain departures.

Misunderstanding: The Apostles’ Creed was written by the twelve apostles.

Correction: It developed from early baptismal professions in the Western church, and its form took shape over several centuries. The name reflects that it summarizes apostolic teaching.

Misunderstanding: Joining a tradition is the aim of this lesson.

Correction: It is not. The lesson helps the student see where they stand. Decisions about church membership are the student’s own.

Knowledge check

What three relations can a statement have to a clause of the creed?

It can agree, in the same or different words; go beyond, by saying more than the creed on a point; or depart, by omitting or contradicting it. A departure is not necessarily a mistake, but it should be noticed, and the student should be able to say why it exists.

Why compare the statement with traditions as well as creeds?

The creeds are common ground, but traditions teach more: about sacraments, authority, salvation and the church. Comparing the statement with each tradition’s own texts shows where it agrees or differs and prevents loose labels such as saying one is Catholic-leaning without knowing what that includes.

What should a student do on finding a conflict in the statement?

Write it down, say which parts conflict, note whether traditions have ways of relating them and decide what to study. There is no need to resolve it at once. An honestly marked conflict is useful and may point to a good question for later study.

Does the creed comparison decide what the student should believe?

No. It shows where the statement stands relative to widely shared statements and traditions. The program does not approve or reject statements and does not advise on church membership. The student remains responsible for their own conclusions.

Think it through

  1. Which clause of the creed is hardest for you, and what does that tell you?
  2. Is there a tradition that you resemble more than you expected?
  3. How do you feel about departing from a historic creed in some place?
  4. What question would you take to a teacher you trust, if you wanted to?

Independent assignment

A creed comparison

In your own notebook, write about 500 words. Make a two column comparison of the Nicene Creed and your statement, mark each row agree, goes beyond, departs or silent, explain each departure or silence in a sentence, note one tradition that is closest to your statement and one difference, and record any internal conflicts. Do not send this to anyone or post it anywhere.

Further study