The Christadelphian November 1958, John Carter

“The Statement of Faith”

Much has been made about accepting the Statement of Faith without reservation. But the Statement of Faith can be given the authority that belongs to the Scriptures. Bro. Snelling has printed that he “asked the Editor what parts of the B.A.S.F. were controverted by bro. Barnard” and that he received “an evasive reply”. This is unworthy of bro. Snelling. What we said was: “You seem to think that the B.A.S.F. has the authority of Scripture. Bro. Barnard reproduces the errors of J. J. Andrew . . . if the line had been taken then (that is, in the 1890s) that his views did not contravene the B.A.S.F. they would not have been rebutted. There can be errors which are not included in the B.A.S.F. but which vitally affect the truth.”

It will be seen that we base our case on the Scriptures as the ultimate authority. Bro. Snelling’s comment does raise the issue of what is the final basis of authority. The Statement of Faith is a worthy effort to define what we believe the Scriptures teach. It necessarily reflects the emphases of the time when it was compiled. It could not anticipate errors that might arise. A statement drawn up in the first century would define the unity of God and the sonship of Jesus but could not deal with the intricacies of the Trinitarian controversies. This fact is illustrated in the credal Statements of Christianity. The so called Apostles’ Creed could be accepted by us (one phrase about the descent into hell would be tautological in our view, but that phrase is a later addition). Contrast the Apostles’ Creed with the Nicene and the “Athanasian”. Suppose the latter had been formulated in the first century as a doctrine to be rejected, it would have been meaningless to practically all at that time, since the controversies which led to the formation of those Creeds had not arisen. In the same way an error could arise not foreseen when the B.A.S.F. was formulated. Are we thus to be restricted in our contentions for the faith to the definitions of the Statement of Faith, and allow error on the ground that a man claims that his teaching does not deny the Statement of Faith; or do we attribute a foreknowledge to those who formulated it concerning every possible error? Or is the authority for our faith the inspired Word of God? The Statement of Faith is a necessary definition of our Faith, but behind it is the divine Scripture as the ultimate seat of authority in matters of doctrine and of morals.