In Part 1, I explained the historical background of the Nicene Creed and published the creed for our readers’ information. You should read Part 1 before you read Part 2. In this post, I am sharing Dr. Yarnell’s responses to several questions that I posed to him. So, the questions are mine, the answers are his. Let me share a disclaimer. Dr. Yarnell is a respected professor of theology, Research Professor of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Seminary. I am not a theologian, but rather a missiologist. I’m sure some readers will ask questions. It may be that Dr. Yarnell will respond. I don’t know. If he does not, then I’ll try to answer as best I can.
What is the importance of the Nicene Creed in church history?
Wise Christians who came before us developed the classical creeds, both as positive teaching tools to prepare converts for baptism and as negative instruments to correct heresy among teachers. Positively, Jesus commanded us to teach new disciples everything the Lord teaches in his Word (Matt. 28:18). The creeds have been widely commended as excellent teaching tools for Christ-followers of all ages. Negatively, our Lord Jesus and his apostles also warned us that false christs, false apostles, false teachers, and false prophets would arise to try to lead even the elect astray, if they could (Matt. 7:15-20; 24:23-27; 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; etc.)Regarding the creed as a teaching tool, the form of the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed comes from the command of Jesus Christ, who commissioned his church to baptize new believers “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). The first formal confession of a new believer occurs in baptism, which is Trinitarian. So, the early church reflected on the meaning of “the Father” and “the Son” and “the Spirit,” who share the one “name” of the only God the Lord. They examined what Scripture says about each of the divine Persons as one God. From there, the three articles of the creed were completed with important truths from other portions of the whole inspired biblical text. Regarding the disciplinary use of the creed, the church’s continuing struggle against heresy seems to be part of God’s providential plan. Paul tells us God allows heretical teachers to arise so those who are approved may be known (1 Cor. 11:19). Heresies serve as a whetstone against which the teaching of the church is sharpened. Heresy is the dark backdrop against which the light of the Lord may shine brightly to highlight his Truth. Horrifically, the devil intends to use heresy to lead people astray into darkness. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit guides the church into all truth, and wise Christians listen to the meaning of the Word of God carefully and teach its truth. The battle against heresy and error resulted in the classical creeds, including the most widely received creed in history among Christians, the Nicene Creed.
Southern Baptists already have our Statement of Faith and Message (2000). Why do we need to adopt another one?
We have a good statement, one which presumes the utility of “creeds” in the very first article. However, our confession does not define exactly what our creed is. The original framers of the Baptist Faith and Message relied heavily on two popular confessions of the time, the Abstract of Principles and the New Hampshire Confession of Faith. Alas, the 1925 committee chose the minimalist description of the Trinity. This historically allowed those who affirm the ancient heresy of Modalism to fit within the bounds of Article II, on God. Southern Baptists wisely added a little language to forestall that heresy in 2000, but we still left the door open for another major heresy in the early church, Arianism. While the Baptist Faith and Message addresses some of the foundational and essential doctrines of the Christian faith addressed in the Nicene Creed, it does not recall the entire genius of the common creed of Christians. This is particularly the case with the eternal relations of origin between the Persons of the Trinity, the eternal generation of the Son (John 1:14, 18; 3:16; Heb. 1:5; 5:5) and the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit (John 15:26). Because of the rise of novel doctrines of the relations between the Persons of the Godhead, it would be wise to address the dogma of the Trinity with more depth than we currently have. Not only must we be careful to hold off Modalism in its varieties; we must also be careful to hold off Arianism in its varieties, as well as other heresies that keep cropping up.
Clarifying Note by Mark: The term, modalism, may not be clear to some readers. This was an early heresy that pertained to the doctrine of the Trinity. The Modalists taught that there is one God who at various times reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You could think of this as one actor who plays three different parts in a movie. Thus, the Modalists denied that God is Triune, three in one.
How will adopting the Nicene Creed help the Southern Baptist Convention?
First, adopting the Nicene Creed will place the Southern Baptist Convention clearly on the side of orthodox believers in Christ throughout the ages. It is the universally recognized standard of true faith. Its nearest rival is the Apostles’ Creed. Some have suggested and I would be delighted to add the Apostle’s Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Chalcedonian Formula to our confession. However, it might be best to cross one bridge at a time. Adopting the Nicene Creed on its own would be helpful. Adding the Nicene Creed to the Baptist Faith and Message would be helpful. What may prove less than helpful is including the creeds in the preamble or an appendix of the Baptist Faith and Message. Second, the Nicene Creed in its 325 version was crafted with several anathemas to serve as a way of improving catechetical discipline. As a teacher, I know God will hold me to a higher account (Jam. 3:1). I have therefore proposed the Nicene Creed to address directly the catechetical needs of the teachers behind the pulpits of our churches and the podiums of our entities, and indirectly the needs of the people we influence. Third, as so many polls by LifeWay Research and Barna have repeatedly shown, American evangelicalism has a serious problem with orthodoxy. (You can read my comments on these scientific polls elsewhere.) While we have shrunk in membership, Southern Baptists remain a large evangelical constituency. I believe we must take seriously the huge problem evangelicals have with the many among us who do not honor the Son as truly God and the Holy Spirit as divine Person. When it comes to “the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1), we must be clear about what “the gospel” is (Gal. 1:6-10) and who the “God” of the gospel is (John 20:28; Acts5:3-4; Rom. 1:18ff). Otherwise, we will find ourselves under severe discipline by the Lord God himself.
Have other theologians and Baptist leaders endorsed your effort?
Yes, quite a few have affirmed the effort, both publicly and privately. Others have called to let me know they are open and ready to help. However, rather than saying who these pastors, missionaries, teachers, and others are, please let me use this opportunity to address a deeper issue. My answer to your question will be framed according to who I am and who I am not. First, I am not a politician, nor am I interested in building a political movement. Neither will I speak for others. Other Baptists as free Christians, can and should speak for themselves. We are still Baptists, and Baptists are at their best when each person speaks as God leads each one and convicts each one (1 Cor. 7:7), rather than speaking or not according to the whims of some petty party or celebrity potentate. Our days of
secular political activity should come to an end. Baptist discussions are best when we are God-glorifying, Word-immersed, Spirit-led, and respectful of others. That means being ready to hear from all believers, for they too have his Word and Spirit (v. 40b). Second, who I am is a sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit through the preaching of the Word. I have learned through thick and thin that I must be entirely committed to saying only what God has called me to say, according to his will as expressed sufficiently in his Word. Yes, I am also a pastor and a theologian motivated above all to ensure the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified, without equivocation or obfuscation. And, yes, I believe the creed can assist us in doing that well. However, there are plenty of other believers in our convention who have the Word and are led by the Spirit. They too can speak his will.
Do you plan to make a motion to adopt the Nicene Creed at this year’s SBC Annual Meeting?
I am praying God would lead us to adopt the creed, and that we would do so. Who makes such a motion must be led by the Lord to do so. Whether or not that will happen is up to the Lord and those ready to do as he might call. As yet, I have not sensed the Lord’s leadership for me personally to make a motion to adopt the Nicene Creed. But I am a most willing instrument for God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (and him alone). As we all should be. Thank you very much for asking me to have this conversation with you. I hope it is helpful to you and your many readers.
