TODAY IN THE WORD
Statements of faith have always been central to the church. The Apostles' Creed was likely used to instruct new believers in the essentials of the faith. In a.d. 381, the church Council of Constantinople drafted one of the most widely cited creeds, the Nicene Creed. In 1571, the Church of England published the Thirty-Nine Articles. In 1646, the Westminster Confession of Faith was written, which has become the basis for many later Reformed statements of faith.

Why have church leaders put such value on adopting systematic summaries of core Christians doctrines? First, Christianity rests on a nonnegotiable set of affirmations about Jesus Christ—that He was born as a human being, although He is fully God; that He was crucified; that He was raised from the dead; that He now sits at the right hand of God in heaven. Second, the significance of these facts often needs to be stated in ways that can be heard afresh by new generations. Our personal faith in Jesus Christ includes our unique experiences of how He has changed our own lives, but it ultimately rests on core elements that are the same for every believer throughout history and around the world.

These core confessions are behind Paul's language of “instruction” in today's passage. Having prayed that the Thessalonians would grow in love and holiness, Paul then reminded these young believers of the instruction that he had given them when he was with them and the “basics” of Christian living that flow from this instruction. Although Paul had seen evidence of their spiritual growth, he exhorted them to press on even further in this regard.

Although Paul doesn't recap what he had taught the Thessalonians, the rest of this letter apparently revisits his instruction. First, Paul addresses godly living, including sexual purity, love for fellow believers, and proper ambitions (our next four studies). Then, he teaches about Christ's return, church discipline, and further instruction about holy living.

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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
According to F. F. Bruce, early Christian instruction included three components: a) the gospel (the life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus); b) the teachings of Christ; and, c) ethical instruction in godly living. Throughout history, each component has been attacked or denied. It's always important for Christians to be grounded in the “basics.” To get started, Campus Crusade for Christ offers a great resource called “10 Basic Steps toward Christian Maturity,” available at www.ccci.org/growth/10-basic-steps/.

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