Confessions and Creeds

Hadleigh has a low grade fever. The good news is she seems completely fine. The bad news is this keeps me constrained, and it is especially a bummer to be house bound when she seems fine.

So in light of being house bound for a while I am finishing up my book, Presbyterian Creeds by Jack Rogers. I think that I want to move on to a book that will cover some of the confessions that weren't covered in this book, but overall it has been a fascinating read. The book covers the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, and then moves on to the Scots Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Second Helvetic Confession, the Westminster Confession and Catechism, and then it has a couple recent confessions which I think mostly deal with the Presbyterian Church USA.

The fun part is reading about what brought about these confessions and how they were written and approved. Like did you know that the Westminster Confession and Catechism was written to unite all the churches of Great Britain. It was initally accepted and then after a civil war was rejected by the Church of England, and adopted by the Church of Scotland. The very purpose for which it was written never came about. But the Westminster Confession and Catechism came to America with the pilgrims and became the main confession of the church in America. Interesante.

I also love the Heidelberg Catecism. It is so beautiful and personal. After reading about the history of how it was written, I understood even more why it is so personal.

My fav question from the Heidelberg Catechism is the first question.

1 Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That I am not my own, 1
but belong-
body and soul,
in life and death- 2
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. 3

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, 4
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. 5
He also watches over me in such a way 6
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven: 7
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. 8

Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life 9
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him. 10

1 I Corinthians 6.19-20
2 Romans 14.7-9
3 I Corinthians 3.23; Titus 2.14
4 I Peter 1.18-19; I John 1.7-9,2.2
5 John 8.34-36; Hebrews 2.14-15; I John 3.1-11
6 John 6.39-40; 10.27-30; 2 Thesselonians 3.3; I Peter 1.5
7 Matthew 10-29-31; Luke 21.16-18
8 Romans 8.28
9 Romans 8.15-16; 2 Corinthians 1.21-22; 5.5; Ephesians 1.13-14
10 Romans 8.17