GodReflection: Power Words

A creed is a formal statement of belief. Most all churches who tie their heritage to the Protest Reformation have a written creed.

Those of us who belong to fellowships of Christians formed since the Protestant Reformation also post creeds. Our creeds are less formal. You can find them on websites, in church bulletins, and in our practice of what people and which churches we will fellowship.

It seems we humans have a need to test others orthodoxy. I must know if you believe right. Creeds help sort belief. No wonder division plagues the body of Jesus.

I want to use creed in my vocabulary as a word of power instead of a tool for divisiveness.

Here is what I think.

A creed is nothing more than a statement of belief. Stated or unstated—I live by a creed.

What if I used creed as a power word directed by me toward me, rather than to determine who is in and who is out?

What if I thought of creed as a self-directed elevator speech rather than as a formal document?

Mine might read like this:

I believe Jesus to be the risen son of Almighty God. Through faith repentance and baptism, I accepted his blood as cover for my sin so that I live restored to fellowship with God. Jesus fulfills his promise as he empowers me with his Spirit to be his light and salt in my world. I am no less than the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus to those whom God places in my path.

That’s not a bad creed if I say so myself. It takes every ounce of faith and humility I can draw from my soul to fulfill—so I am not always successful.

Often, after a display of arrogance and a lack of faith, I know immediately that I failed to live up to my belief. Worse yet, I fail the one in whom I believe.

However, when I get out of the way and let Jesus shine through, I suspect God smiles as I live by my creed.

So, I return to when I started. Is it possible for creed to be a power word in my life?

Perhaps it can—as long as it is not a document of division and defense—but rather a power to help me remember who I am.

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells – A GodReflection on Creed as a Power Word.

Gary@GodReflection.org