v 16 Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith.
Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
The most serious divisions in Church have come about over matters of doctrine – what people believe. So question, is there a kind of minimal set of beliefs that a Christian should hang on to? This section of Paul’s letter seems to give a basic set of beliefs, a kind of early creed. That has been amplified over the centuries, with such statements as the so-called Apostles’ Creed, the Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England, and even the much longer Westminster Confession which begins by stating the belief that “ the Scriptures alone are the church’s final authority in all religious disputes”. and “The Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture is the supreme judge of councils, ancient writers, doctrines, and private revelation.“ Most Christian organisations, including churches, do have a written ‘Statement of Faith’ that defines what is considered essential for Christian belief.
What do you think is essential in a Christian’s belief?
Whatever you state in answer to that, there is pretty general agreement that some kind of belief statement is an essential element of Church life.
—