Conversational Creed

I grew up Baptist and catechism went hand in hand with baptizing babies and we didn’t even talk about it. It still makes people think of heartless orthodoxy and pompous rituals. However, there is a whole wing of Jesus lovers that have used the catechism as a tool for Christian growth in their family and church life.

The Greek word katexeo is the root of the very old English word “catechize.” Catechism simply means oral instruction. It kind of like a doctrinal statement put into the form of a series of concisely worded questions and answers. Its purpose is to provide a framework of beliefs which can scaffold more advanced teaching of children and adults in matters of faith and godly living. Whatever the idea of catechism brings to your mind as long as the goal is to us closer to Jesus then perhaps we should consider using it.

We are going to begin with one question a week for 2019 to work our way through the New City Catechism together. While I don’t mind the word catechism, to provide clarity, I am going to refer to this as our Conversational Creed. Since it is made to be teaching tool used between two or more people and it contains our foundational beliefs. With that in mind, I’ve included some reasons below as to why we should use the catechism.

Worship in Spirit and Truth

It is through Scripture that our lives are transformed as our minds are renewed (Romans 12:2). The Bible was written by many different human authors with various literary genres including epistles, narrative, poetry, prophecy, and apocalyptic, the Bible remains unified through the Holy Spirit as Christ is revealed to us. But, as Paul instructed Timothy, we must be diligent in study to rightly divide the Word (2 Timothy 2:15).

Learning this systematic pattern of doctrine revealed in Scripture helps us to know how all the parts of God’s Word fit together and how to rightly divide the Word of Truth. A catechism helps with this like a blueprint helps guide the actions of builders so they can all work together in harmony to produce a result.

Of course, catechesis is not just about gaining new information. Knowledge of God and his word should lead to the glad-hearted worship of our glorious Savior! Catechism, when used rightly, will help to grow our knowledge of His truth. When that truth combines with the Holy Spirit in our hearts it is like blending the fuel and oxygen that leads to the combustion of worship of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Train Our Children in God’s Word

The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:6-9) makes it clear that parents have a responsibility to teach and talk about the truths of the Bible in their home. How will children learn the truths of God’s Word? It is good to bring them to church so that they hear Scripture preached. It is good to lead them in family worship at home with Scripture. It is good to encourage them to memorize Scripture. But a catechism can give them a complete system of belief to help support all of these efforts and make them more fruitful?

Keep us from False Teaching

Peter tells us that there are those who will twist Scripture which leads us to destruction (2 Pet. 3:15-16). They will teach from Scripture. They will maintain that what they are saying is biblical. They will use difficult passages to teach ideas contrary to other plentiful and easy to understand passages. We can prevent this deception from taking hold by learning summaries of biblical instruction that have stood the test of time.

As I walk through the questions and answers I will not only be referencing Bible verses which teach these truths but I will include comments from theologians and preachers of history and modernity that hold to these basic truths. This will help to unite us in a common faith.

Reach Our Neighbors with the Gospel

It can become easy to insulate yourself but the church has a mission of sharing the message of the gospel with the nations. This is not a church growth strategy, it is the command of our risen Savior (Matthew 28:19-20). Having a good grasp of biblical truths in your memory can help to give you confidence as you share Christ with others.

I’ve often heard believers say that they don’t feel like they can share their faith because they don’t have all the answers, while a catechism won’t give you all the answers (that’s what the Holy Spirit is for) it can provide a solid footing. For instance, in a culture surrounded by different religions and spiritual beliefs, we may be asked questions like, “What is God?”, “What is sin?”, and “Are there More Gods than One?”

Hopefully, you can now see some good reasons why we should have a catechism or Conversational Creed. Tomorrow, I will post more information about the New City Catechism and why we’re going to use that as our framework.