The Rule of Faith

The mantra “No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible” among churches of Christ echoes the Restoration Movement’s aim to unify believers through Scripture alone, free from human traditions or denominational divides. This principle raises a question: how did early Christians, after the apostles’ deaths, ensure fidelity to “the faith” without formal creeds? Exploring this reveals the role of the Rule of Faith in early Christianity.

Following Jesus’ death (c. 30–50 CE), early Christians shared His teachings through oral traditions and practices like baptism, the Lord’s Supper, prayers, and communal meals (Acts 2:42–46; 1 Corinthians 11:23–25). These reinforced beliefs in one God, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. However, oral tradition had limits—memories varied, apostles died, and false teachings, like claims Jesus wasn’t truly human (1 John 4:2–3), emerged. Written texts, such as Paul’s letters (c. 40s–60s CE) and Mark’s Gospel (c. 60–70 CE), began to preserve Jesus’ story. Short summaries, like 1 Corinthians 15:3–5, acted as early “rules of faith” to ensure consistency (Hurtado, At the Origins of Christian Worship, 2000).

By 180 CE, Irenaeus of Lyons formalized the Rule of Faith in his writing, Against Heresies, to counter heresies like 1) Gnosticism’s secret knowledge, 2) Docetism’s denial of Jesus’ suffering, 3) Ebionism’s view of Jesus as only a human prophet, and 4) Montanism’s new prophecies. This concise summary—one God as Creator; Jesus as born, crucified, and risen, the Holy Spirit; and future resurrection—unified churches, guided converts, and refuted false teachings. It laid the groundwork for the Nicene Creed (325 CE), which addressed later disputes like Arianism.

Yet, the Rule sparked debate. Critics found it vague, risking oversimplification or dogmatism. We face similar challenges today: emphasizing certain doctrines as necessary for salvation, which runs the risk of creating unwritten creeds, fostering division. The Rule of Faith shows how early Christians balanced unity and fidelity through Scripture and shared practices. Today, we must also strive to emulate this, trusting the Bible to guide our faith while navigating the tension between unity and interpretive diversity.