In this connection it must also be kept in mind that the dogmas have never been fully incorporated in the church’s creedal statements and ecclesiastically fixed. The life and faith that the church possesses is much richer than what comes to expression in its creedal statements. The church’s confession is far from formulating the entire content of the Christian faith. To begin with, a confession generally comes into being in response to specific historical events and arranges its positive and antithetical content accordingly. Furthermore, a confession does not make clear the inner coherence that exists among the various dogmas nor does it ever fully articulate the truth which God has revealed in his Word.
(Herman Bavinck, translated by John Bolt and John Vriend, Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 1: Prolegomena, p. 31)
So for those who assert we only need the Apostles' Creed or some similar statement, you're missing the point. They were never intended to cover everything, nor do they reflect the battles won and lost in theology since that time. Instead, the scope of what we must believe is much broader than basic mental assent to a few key facts about God, the Bible, Jesus, and the cross. Those things are essential, but there is much more in Scripture. Incidentally, this is the same sort of approach that sets out to ask, "What is the minimum I can believe and be a Christian?"
We need to beware theological minimalism.
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