Creeds • Confessions • Catechisms
Our convictions
Recovering the riches of the Reformation
The creeds and confessions of the church are not relics of the past — they are the distilled wisdom of the body of Christ across the centuries, clarifying what Christians have always believed. At Sola, we are committed to being a confessional resource, drawing on the rich heritage of Reformed, Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, and other confessional traditions. Whatever your tradition, we believe the great confessions of the church belong to all of us.
Historic confessions
Switch views to read the documents by tradition or in the order they were written.
c. AD 180
The Apostles' Creed
The shortest and most universal of the Christian creeds, recited at baptisms in the early church and in nearly every tradition since.
AD 325 / 381
The Nicene Creed
The confession of the First Council of Nicaea, expanded at Constantinople, defining the full deity of Christ and the Spirit.
AD 451
The Chalcedonian Definition
The Council of Chalcedon's definition of Christ: one Lord, truly God and truly man, in two natures without confusion or division.
c. AD 500
The Athanasian Creed
A precise statement on the Trinity and the two natures of Christ, long attributed to Athanasius and faithful to his teaching.
1530
The Augsburg Confession
Presented to Charles V at the Diet of Augsburg, the founding confession of the Lutheran Reformation.
1531
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession
Melanchthon's defense of the Augsburg Confession, with an extended treatment of justification by faith.
1537
The Smalcald Articles
Luther's summary of the articles he would not yield, written for a proposed church council.
1529
The Small Catechism
Luther's handbook for teaching the faith at home: the Commandments, the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Sacraments.
1529
The Large Catechism
Luther's fuller exposition of the same chief parts, for pastors and heads of households.
1561
The Belgic Confession
The confessional standard of the Reformed churches of the Low Countries, summarizing the faith in thirty-seven articles.
1563
The Heidelberg Catechism
Warm, personal, and pastoral, the most-loved catechism of the Reformed tradition, arranged across 52 Lord's Days.
1618–19
The Canons of Dort
The Synod of Dort's answer to the Remonstrants, and the source of the five points often summarized as TULIP.
1646
The Westminster Confession of Faith
The doctrinal standard of Presbyterian churches throughout the English-speaking world.
1647
The Westminster Shorter Catechism
A concise catechism for children and new believers, famous for its opening answer.
1648
The Westminster Larger Catechism
The Assembly's fuller catechism, written for ministers and more mature readers.
1571
The Thirty-Nine Articles
The doctrinal articles of the Church of England, establishing its Reformed and catholic character.
1689
The 1689 London Baptist Confession
A Baptist confession modeled on Westminster, shaped for a Particular Baptist understanding of the church and the covenants.
