Articles of faith – What are they?

what does the bible say?

Articles of faith are sometimes called a statement of faith or statement of belief or doctrinal statement and are used for organizations, churches, and sometimes individuals to summarize the important foundational beliefs to which they adhere. Most often, these statements include brief descriptions of the specific doctrine with Scripture references. Articles of faith are vital tools for both individual believers and church communities, providing a concise, organized summary of what they believe. The Bible provides us with several articles of faith to show us the essentials of the faith (Deuteronomy 6:4–7; Exodus 20:1–17; 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). Historically, articles of faith arose to preserve orthodox teaching and guard against false doctrines. The insidious entrance of false doctrine was a problem even in the early church. We see this in many of Paul’s letters. For instance, he wrote to the Galatians, in part, to re-emphasize that Christians are no longer under the Law (Galatians 1:6-9), and in his first letter to believers in Corinth, he warned of immoral practices creeping into the church. Paul also advised Timothy to guard the true doctrine so that he would save himself and those he taught (1 Timothy 4:16). Today articles of faith can guide Christians to evaluate beliefs, teach others, and unite believers around the core truths of the gospel. Articles of faith help Christians discern truth and live according to God’s Word.

from the old testament

• The Bible contains several summary statements regarding issues of faith. One of the earliest articles of faith is the “shema,” as Jews call it, found in Deuteronomy 6:4–7: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I comm and you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
• The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17) are also part of the early articles of faith as they present God’s moral standards.

from the new testament

• One New Testament article of faith is contained in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” Early Christians used this passage to describe the core of their beliefs.
• Often, the danger from false teachers or heretical teachings within the church gave rise to the creation of creeds and articles of faith. Believers would gather, search the Scriptures, and then set forth the true, or orthodox, doctrines of the church. We see this occur in Acts 15:1–29 in the so-called Jerusalem Council. Similarly, the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and others came about due to challenges to orthodox belief.

implications for today

Articles of faith provide a clear and organized summary of the core beliefs that define Christian faith, making it easier for believers to underst and and remember what the Bible teaches. Today, many organizations publish their articles of faith on their website under “About” and often organize the articles topically, such as statements regarding their beliefs about God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, humanity, sin, salvation, the church, etc. Reviewing these statements is a quick way to evaluate whether the organization lines up with the essential beliefs of Christianity. These essentials include belief in one God who eternally exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). They affirm that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man (John 1:1, 14), that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose bodily from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Salvation is by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ and not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Humanity is created in God’s image but separated from Him because of sin (Romans 3:23), and reconciliation comes only through repentance and faith in Christ. The essentials also include the authority and inspiration of the Bible as the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16–17), the existence of the universal Church as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–13), the hope of Christ’s return (Titus 2:13), and the final judgment of all people (Hebrews 9:27). These foundational truths anchor the Christian faith. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to “test everything; hold fast what is good.” Articles of faith can help give us a solid framework to know what is a biblical belief regarding certain matters.

Recap

understand

• Articles of faith summarize core Christian beliefs and provide a clear framework for understanding God’s Word.
• Articles of faith preserve orthodox teaching, guard against false doctrines, and unite believers around essential truths.
• Articles of faith help us evaluate organizations or individuals and help believers live according to God’s Word.

reflect

• How well do you underst and the core beliefs of your faith, and how do they impact the way you live?
• How do you use articles of faith or personal statements of belief to share your faith or evaluate what you hear, see, or read?
• How does reflecting on foundational truths impact your relationship with God?

engage

• How can we ensure that we are preserving biblical teaching while addressing contemporary challenges or misunderstandings?
• How can evaluating articles of faith help us discern false teaching or clarify disagreements between believers?
• How could we use shared statements of belief to strengthen unity, discipleship, and accountability among believers?