Almost all religious bodies have a creed book of some kind by which they are guided in organization, worship, practice, and doctrine. They may call the creed book by different names. Manual, Discipline, Handbook, Prayer Book, Catechism, or Key to the Scriptures, are only a few of the titles given to the many creed books of the religious world. If one wishes to know what a certain denomination or religion believes and practices, one only needs to read the creed book of that particular religious group or denomination. Of course, if one wishes to know what the 1st-century church believed and practiced, as revealed in the New Testament, then one only needs to read the New Testament.

 

Please note that creed books may either say too much or too little to be acceptable to the sincere seeker of truth, who understands that the Bible warns of going beyond (adding to) or taking from the Word of God (Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Matt. 15:7-9; 1 Cor. 4:6; Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Jno. 9-11; Rev. 22:18-19). In the light of these passages of Scripture, if a creed book says more than the Bible, it says too much to be acceptable to God. Furthermore, if a creed book says less than the Bible, it says too little to be acceptable to the Lord.  

 

Finally, if a creed books says exactly what the Bible says, it is not needed because we already have the Bible. The reality is that some are not satisfied with what the Bible teaches, so they write a creed in order to include more in their worship, practice, and teaching than what the Bible teaches. At the same time, some want to leave out some of the teaching of the Bible in their worship and practice, so they write a creed and, conveniently, ignore what the Bible says about it. Sadly, many creeds are written to manipulate and change (pervert) Bible teaching in order to justify their own ideas about organization, worship, practice, and doctrine (Mark 7:8). It is clear that the reason denominations have their man-made creed books, is that they want to do various things that the Scriptures will not allow them to do.

 

Another objection to creed books is that they are constantly being revised to conform to changing ideas in the society. Political correctness has run amuck in many denominational churches. What was almost universally condemned as immoral behavior a few generations back is now openly practiced in many main line denominations. Same sex marriages, abortion on demand, homosexual church leaders, etc. are voted on in denominational conventions, and accepted as doctrine, in spite of what the Bible teaches concerning these sinful practices (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-11). If society wants it and demands it, then, just vote it into the creedal statement of faith for the denomination. Various creed books have, therefore, changed drastically over the years. But the Bible has not changed, nor will it ever become outdated, as the word of the Lord is “perfect” and forever “settled in heaven” (James 1:25; Ps. 19:7; 119:89). The same Bible that God has given us, is the same Bible that will judge us in the last day (John 12:48). God’s word has not changed any more than God has changed (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8-9).

 

Finally, man-made creed books (including man-made church traditions) deny the all-sufficiency of the Bible. If we are required to have something in addition to the Bible, then the Bible is not all-sufficient. But this would contradict many passages in the Word of God that emphasize the completeness and all-sufficiency of the Bible in all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:3; Jude 3).

 

These objections to creed books also pertain to unwritten creeds that some may wish to bind upon others. We need to lay aside the doctrines, traditions, and creeds of men (and women), that are either written or unwritten, and base everything that we do in word or deed upon a “thus saith the Lord” as revealed in the only book that has even been, or ever will be, inspired of God – that is, the Bible.