Does Creed Matter?
Follows the message Spiritual Disciplines That Shape a Christ-Centered Life from the Rooted series
Some Christians grew up saying the Apostles' Creed every Sunday, and others have never said it once. Does it matter? Yes. Saying what you believe out loud, together, anchors you to who God is and who you are. That matters most when the culture keeps trying to tell you otherwise. And the structure of worship you share with other believers is one of the main ways God grows you.
Key takeaways
- Yes, a creed matters, because saying it out loud with other believers reminds you who God is and who you are in Christ.
- A creed is a short summary of what Christians have always believed, such as the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed.
- Liturgy is the order of a worship service, and every church has one, whether historic or simple.
- Spiritual disciplines work like a sail or a trellis: they give the Holy Spirit something to move and give your life a structure to bear fruit on.
Why do spiritual disciplines need structure?
Good intentions aren't enough to grow you; you need a structure to grow on. In his weekend message in the Rooted series, Pastor Marty used Paul's pictures of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer from 2 Timothy 2. He called the spiritual disciplines a blueprint for the Christian life.
Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:3
On Beyond Sunday, Pastor Sean Sloan pointed out that a blueprint does nothing by itself. Structure alone can't make someone into what they don't intend to be. But even the person with the best intentions still needs a structure to become what they want to be.
A guest pastor from another Naperville church named the common thread in Paul's three images: intentionality. The soldier needs focus, the athlete needs discipline, and the farmer needs patience. He added two pictures of his own that are worth keeping:
- The sail. You raise the sail to catch the wind, but the sail can't make the wind. Your spiritual disciplines are the sail, and the Holy Spirit is the one who moves you.
- The trellis. A trellis holds up a vine, but nobody invites friends over to admire a trellis. The structure exists so the vine can bear fruit.
What is liturgy, and does every church have one?
Liturgy is simply the order of a worship service, and every church has one, whether it follows a historic pattern or a simpler one. The word may sound unfamiliar at Calvary, but it is common in Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and other traditional churches.
Think of a Sunday service as a small model of your whole week. In one gathering you pray, give, hear Scripture, worship, and connect with people. You are doing together, in an hour, what you are meant to carry into Monday, your workplace, and your school.
The guest described the historic order his church follows, and it is a helpful picture of what each part is for:
- A call to worship that starts with God and invites the Holy Spirit
- Congregational singing as the people's response
- Confessing a creed together
- A pastoral prayer for the congregation's needs
- Silent confession of sin, followed by a word of assurance
- Readings from the Old and New Testaments and a full sermon
- A song of response and a benediction that sends people out
He wants a real sermon every week, he joked, because "sermonettes make Christianettes."
Can you follow Jesus without the church?
Not really. Scripture doesn't picture lone ranger Christians. When you read "you" in a New Testament letter, it is often plural. Western readers tend to hear it as personal, but much of it is written to the body of Christ together.
Jesus is the true temple. In Him, believers become living stones built into one house, the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3 and 6).
You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5
Scripture also calls the church a body, which means caring for each other takes real work. Paul tells believers to protect their unity on purpose, because we're selfish and we're busy.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:3
How does community keep your beliefs on track?
Community keeps you anchored in Christ so you don't drift off on your own ideas. When you hear God's Word with other believers, encourage one another, and sometimes correct one another, you stay close to the truth.
Some ideas feel like they're from God but have no anchor in Scripture and no confirmation from mature believers. Those ideas can lead you a long way off course. Walking through life with a church family is part of how God protects you from that. And it does more than protect you. Watching another believer sing through a hard season, the guest said, does something to your own soul.
Why say a creed out loud?
Saying a creed reminds you who God is and who you are, and it pushes back on every other label the world hands you. A creed is a short summary of what Christians have always believed. The Apostles' Creed, which opens "I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth," and the Nicene Creed are the best known.
For example, the guest pastor said that when his church confesses the creed, he thinks of the young women in his congregation. Social media tells them every day that they are the sum of their looks. Saying the creed together is a way of standing up and saying, "I am not who the world says I am. This confession defines who I am and how I live."
Pastor Sean noted that Calvary is a church of many nations, and every culture tries to label people, often by politics, income, or gender. "What the creeds do," he said, "is anchor us back to our true identity." The guest named one more pressure common in places like Naperville: the belief that your worth is whatever you achieve. The creed undercuts all of it, because the cross does.
Build a simple structure this week
- Read the Apostles' Creed slowly each morning and notice which line you need most that day.
- Choose one discipline to practice on purpose: prayer, Scripture, giving, fasting, or serving.
- Show up to worship in person and stay afterward to talk with someone.
- When you read "you" in a New Testament letter, ask whether it means all of us together.
Pray
Lord, root my identity in who You are and what You have done. Thank You for Your church. Help me grow with others, and let the structures I practice make room for Your Spirit to bear fruit in me. Amen.
Common questions
What is a creed?
A creed is a short summary of what Christians believe. The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed are the best known. Many churches say them together during worship to remember who God is and who they are in Christ.
What does liturgy mean?
Liturgy is the order of a worship service. Every church has one, whether it follows a historic pattern with creeds and readings or a simpler order of worship, Scripture, and prayer.
Do Christians need to go to church?
Scripture describes believers as one body and one temple, so following Jesus is never meant to be a solo effort. Gathering with other believers grows your faith, encourages you in hard seasons, and keeps you anchored to the truth.
How does saying a creed shape your identity?
It reminds you who God is and who you are in Christ. That pushes back on the labels culture gives you based on looks, achievement, politics, or anything else.
Your next step
Growth happens best with others. Join a group at Calvary and practice these habits together.