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Our Creed is NO Creed? An Extract from A Manual of Procedures for Seventh Day Baptist Churches "Seventh
Day Baptists consider liberty of thought, under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, to be essential to Christian belief and practice.
We therefore encourage the unhindered study and open discussion
of Scripture, and uphold the individual's freedom of conscience
in seeking to understand and obey the will of God. It is for this
reason that we have no binding creed. In this article we study the historic significance of this non-creedal principle and endeavour to confirm its conformity with the teaching of Scripture. The Non-Creedal Principle What concerns me as a Seventh Day Baptist is the misrepresented viewpoint expressed in the quote "Members can believe and do what they like and still be members of the church." Although this statement may have been reported accurately, my objection to it is that the statement is not representative of the denominational stand on belief and practice. At the outset we need to understand that the freedom that Seventh Day Baptists have is not, and never has been, the freedom to believe and do whatever you like. For an understanding of what Seventh Day Baptists mean by the "Non-Creedal Principle" we quote from A Manual of Procedures for Seventh Day Baptist Churches, a publication which has been widely accepted in Seventh Day Baptist Circles. “Seventh Day Baptists are a non-creedal people. For one hundred and sixty years after the organisation of their first church in America, they set forth no statement of their beliefs lest the result become a binding creed. Indeed, they studiously avoided doing anything of the kind. They guarded their hard won freedom of conscience so carefully that they would not lay down a statement of beliefs for anyone, including themselves. If a person were penitent for sin, accepted Christ as Saviour and guide, was immersed in water, kept the Sabbath and took the Bible as his rule of faith and conduct, what more could be asked of him? The way they felt about it was clearly stated in 1811: any prescription of man... as to rules of faith and morals (are generally esteemed) not only useless but nearly presumptuous. And not withstanding they are harmoniously agreed in the important, fundamental and essential points of the Christian Religion; yet as to smaller matters and mere circumstantial points there may be a great variety of beliefs. As the years passed, however, and Seventh Day Baptists lost immediate and personal contact with each other in their movement westward, the need was increasingly evident for a statement of faith. Consequently, at the General Conference session of 1831, a committee was appointed to draft an expose of faith. The report of this committee was received and placed on file in 1833; two years later it was adopted as representing what Seventh Day Baptists generally believed. The wording of the resolution reflects the non creedal principle and defines the title word, expose: ...not that it should be a yoke of bondage, but that it might show the excellency of the Gospel as taught by them and be a guide to those desiring to found Seventh Day Baptist churches. In 1852 the question was revived in the General Conference session and certain amendments were voted to the Expose of 1833. Immediately following this action, the Conference passed a clear definition of its function: RESOLVED, That this expose is not adopted as having any binding force in itself, but simply as an exhibition of the views held by the denomination. In 1880, the General Conference adopted a new statement, calling it the Seventh Day Baptist Expose of Faith and Practice. At the General Conference of 1935, a teacher of a Bible class in a local Seventh Day Baptist church presented a resolution stating his conclusion that the time had come to consider the preparation of a new statement of belief. A committee was appointed, and in 1937 the General Conference adopted a Statement of Belief under eleven titles; the four members of the committee differed widely from each other in theological orientation. This document has been amended slightly and studied widely and critically, but it remains the current exposition.
Statement of Belief of Seventh Day Baptists (i) General Statement (ii) Polity SDB aversion to Creeds For these persecuted brethren, fellowship was a privilege and was conducted at times with necessary discretion. These churches were organised locally wherever the opportunity arose, and in all practice and belief were autonomous. Consequently a denominational creed or "Statement of Uniformity" was neither welcome nor possible without the prior establishment of a denominational hierarchy. After the threat of persecution had subsided churches met together for fellowship and support. Yearly meetings developed into the first General Conference which was organised in America in 1801. The newly formed General Conference was not hierarchical and never has been. Seventh Day Baptist polity opposes a mirroring of the Papal hierarchical system. Throughout their history SDB Conferences have neither legislated nor enforced creedal tests. A hierarchically organised church has the power to change the doctrine and beliefs of its church. The SDBs as a denomination do not have such power. Their sole Head whom they share with the rest of the Church of the God is Jesus Christ. Seventh Day Baptists cooperate to form associations of local churches rather than to create a single organised entity which may seek to enforce particular beliefs and practices. Our freedom is not that we may believe whatever we wish, but rather that we may follow the conviction of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the teachings of the Bible even when these convictions are not shared by a fellow member. Thus all beliefs are personally appropriated and founded upon the Word of God rather than on Church Councils or creeds. It is through the instruction of the Holy Spirit that a Seventh Day Baptist should grow in wisdom and truth. It is evident from the biblical record of the early church that the Spirit did not reveal all truths to all the apostles at the same time. Paul at one time had a different understanding to Peter and Barnabas and Paul took that opportunity to share this knowledge with his brethren. (Gal 2:11-19) Peter had a different level of revelation on prophecy and the end times than did Paul. And to John on Patmos even greater insights into the events of the last days were revealed. Likewise we do not expect that our brothers and sisters will have exactly the same convictions and understanding as we do. They may have more; they may have less. No hierarchy can impose spiritual understanding. Toleration of different views is necessary for personal growth and corporate learning. Church history records numerous examples of authoritarian leaders who dictated to their flock without toleration of diversity. This approach inevitably leads to the persecution of "heretics" by excommunications, tortures, punishments, imprisonments, and the martyring of the saints. We should always be free to hold to the truth of a teaching or to discard it in the same way as the Bereans did. "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few." Acts 17:10-12 (KJV) Hard won Freedom Reader Responses Welcome! |
When a group of people have covenanted together in the presence
of God to form a congregation, they usually discover a need to
define their faith, both for their own and their children's welfare
and as a statement to the public of that for which they stand.
Since 1937 it has often been the action of the church to affirm,
"we agree with the Seventh Day Baptist Statement of Belief." Sometimes
they have written their own, using the Statement as a guide.