For the past year the high school ministry has gone through what are known as the ecumenical creeds of the Christian faith, and the past few articles I’ve written for the POST have dealt with a few of those creeds.

We have looked over the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed (also known as the Nicea-Consantinople creed). One of the last ones we looked at in youth group was the Athanasian creed.

More than likely not written by Athanasius, this creed was drafted between the 5th and 7th century. This creed addresses all the main issues as the other ones did; clauses 1-2 give us the requirements.

Clauses 3-28 give us a clear explanation of the trinity. Clauses 29-42 go over the dual nature of Christ (also known as the hypostatic union), and his work in the gospel. The response is presented in the last section - clauses 43-44.

Again, in one sense this creed does not add anything new to what has already been said in the other creeds. Unfortunately, just because we had other creeds, doesn’t mean heresies all of a sudden went away.

New ones were popping up during the time of this creed as well. Heresies of all shapes and sizes are still with us today, making the Athanasian creed just as relevant today as it was in the 5th century.

There is one aspect to this creed that does stand out from the other ones. Unlike the other creeds, which give us a basic statement of faith, the Athanasian creed makes the emphatic claim that “whosoever will be saved…”

The Athanasian creed tells us what we MUST believe, or else. There is a very real and sobering notion that in order to be saved you must believe these things or you will perish for all eternity.

The very beginning of this creed starts off by saying, “Whosoever will be saved: before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic (universal) faith: Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled: without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.” The creed then concludes with, “This is the catholic (universal) faith: which except a man believes faithfully, he cannot be saved.”

This has been a point of contention for some concerning this creed. As great of a presumption as this may be, is it not true? Are not the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ explicitly clear that there is only one way to salvation (John 14:6, Acts 4:12)?

The Athanasian creed is a bit longer than the other ones but it is refreshingly straightforward. It is designed to be very practical in that it tells Christians what they must believe and whom they must worship.

That is why the youth group has spent a fair amount of time going through the Athanasian creed (as well as the others); they are the foundations of what Christianity is all about. Whosoever will be saved, therefore, must believe in these things. Want to think rightly regarding the trinity?

Want to think correctly concerning Christ? Do you want a great summary of what “is necessary for everlasting salvation?” Read, learn, and teach the Athanasian creed.