- by Carrie Shaw
- on June 8, 2025
The Creeds: Defining Christianity
It is not, I think, an entirely unreasonable expectation that when we talk about Christianity today, what we describe should closely resemble – if not match – what it was when first established. That is to say, what originally defined “Christianity” should still define it now.
Certainly, cultural shifts and the passing of time mean the outward expressions may look different, or that there may be more modern ways of displaying gospel truths. I don’t mean to suggest that the gospel must always resemble the first-century culture into which it was born.
But in an age of shifting definitions – or an inability to define anything at all – what is a woman? – has Christianity suffered the same fate? Has it, in fact, become “all things to all people,” a kind of “whatever you wish it to be“?
This reality came to the fore for me this week when I learned that a local church of Anglican persuasion does not believe in – nor teach on – the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Firstly, this is not something I would expect to hear from a church of more traditional persuasion. If anywhere, I might have assumed such a belief would be found in a more fringe or progressive lane.
Secondly, this is not a secondary or tertiary theological issue – it is of primary importance. The true and full resurrection of Jesus Christ – body, soul, and spirit – forms the bedrock and cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without the bodily resurrection, we are, as Paul the Apostle puts it, “of all men most miserable.” Death has not truly been overcome, sin has not been vanquished, and our hope is in vain.
The belief in the physical resurrection of Jesus was a core preaching of the Apostles, the early church, and the historical Church Fathers – eventually enshrined in the creeds that defined orthodox Christianity across Christendom.
The heresies that denied the bodily resurrection – such as Docetism and various Gnostic errors – were strongly refuted by early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. Ignatius, writing around 110 AD, insisted repeatedly that Jesus “was truly born, truly persecuted, truly crucified, and truly raised from the dead in the flesh.“
The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ is a topic I’ll come back to, but this example is just one of several shifts away from the traditional definition of Christianity that I’ve observed in recent years.
While I certainly don’t claim to be an expert in all matters theological, I do believe that a growing unfamiliarity with our ancient Christian heritage – and specifically with the creeds that once defined Christianity – combined with a more culturally shaped, feelings-driven approach to faith, has led to increasing confusion about what Christianity actually is.
The following series of articles is the result of these observations – not written from a place of intellectual superiority, but as an appeal to all sincere believers who genuinely care about biblical faithfulness and the integrity of historic Christianity.
If there are areas where we’ve grown unclear on matters of theological importance, let’s return to authoritative preaching – guided by Scripture and anchored in the wisdom of Church history.
If we are already teaching faithfully in these areas, let’s not waver in our commitment to Scripture for the sake of relevance or broader appeal.
The gospel, when preached with faithfulness, still carries the power to convict, to save, and to shape the lives of believers – just as it did for those for whom ground zero was a lived experience.
Part 1: God – “We Believe…In God, The Father, Creator Of Heaven & Earth”
The first and most fundamental statement of Christian belief is the belief in a creator God.
Scripture teaches** that ‘in the beginning’, God existed. Outside of time, not bound by creation or the limits of space and matter, God simply is.
Long before the stars were hung in the inky velvet of our night sky, God was there. Long before the planets of our universe were assembled in their places and the earth and sky and sun of our very own planet appeared, God was there. Before there was anything, God was there. God has always been there.
Christianity, of course, has its roots in the Jewish faith – a monotheistic religion. Instead of a pantheon of gods like the nations around them, Israel worshipped one God: the Creator of heaven and earth, who revealed Himself to Abraham, Moses, and the prophets. This foundational belief in one sovereign, holy God sets the stage for everything that follows in the Christian story.
The opening line of the Christian creed proclaims the reality of God’s sovereignty – affirming that He is the Creator of all things, both visible and invisible, and that nothing exists outside His authority or authorship.
While creation is good, it remains distinct from God, brought into being by the overflow of His creative love – a rejection of pagan or pantheistic beliefs.
As Romans 1 puts it, “For what can be known about God is plain to them [humanity], because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes… have been clearly perceived… in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:19–20). This echoes Psalm 19, which declares that “the heavens declare the glory of God” — showing that creation itself is a witness to God’s existence and power.
However, the general revelation of creation — and even a belief in God — does not make someone a Christian. It simply makes them a theist.
To become a Christian requires, firstly, what theologians call special revelation — the specific, saving knowledge of God revealed through Scripture and ultimately through Jesus Christ. As Hebrews states, “God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1–2).
And this brings us to Part 2: “We believe…in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord”, which I’ll cover in my next article…
