One of my favorite bumper stickers of all time reads like this: “Everyone must believe in something, I believe I’ll have another beer.” It’s a favorite because it’s comical, sad and timely all at once. It captures perfectly the cynicism and apathy of our times. It also makes me really thankful. It reminds me of the emptiness of my atheism and paints a picture of my heart before I came to faith in Christ. But those days are behind me now. I’m so thankful someone cared enough to share the Gospel with me. I had lots of tough questions. I was totally surprised to learn that there were good answers. So now I believe in Jesus and it has changed my whole life. In the process I have come to understand that what we believe really matters.
 
The Christian faith is a rich tapestry of truths about God, mankind and salvation, with Jesus always at the very center of it all. It is deep and meaningful, filled with beauty and some mystery too. It can’t be summed up in a “one liner” and put on a bumper sticker. But it can be summarized and expressed in a statement of faith. The Apostles' Creed was one of the earliest summaries of Christian faith—a statement of faith for the Christian community.
 
Some people are scared of the word “doctrine.” They miss the fact that doctrine is simply a statement of beliefs, and everybody believes in something, even if it’s just knocking back another beer. So don’t be shy. Dive into the richness of the Christian faith. Explore the wonder of who God is and what He has done for us through Christ. Go deeper in the truth of the Gospel. It makes all the difference in the world!
 
- Pastor Guy