Why do we recite confessions of faith in our worship?

People have asked this.....long time members and first time visitors. It's a good question. In fact, anything we do in worship that does not make sense can be translated into a good question. After all, everything we do in worship should be done with sincerity of heart and soundness in faith.  As I answer this question, the answer will also shed light into why the confession of faith is an important part of the doctrinal work of the church leaders. 

So, why do we make confessions? Before I answer this, let me say that this confession is not the Roman Catholic tradition of confessing to a priest. Now I have to say this simply because the word "confession" seems to bring this to mind. Every time I talk about our confessions in worship, people immediately think of this. The confession is really a congregational reading of statements of doctrine written long ago (and by the way, we are a Protestant church not Catholic)
And so, to the question "why....", let me provide two broad perspectives, the past and the present.

The Past
Long time ago, it became necessary to write down statements of faith. Though Scripture was (and is) the inspired Word of God, it became necessary to apply the Word and arrange it in a way that answered the difficult and complex faith questions that arose atthe time.  This was done even in the New Testament period when the church was young. The church leaders from various local congregations met to apply the Word to the particular challenges they had.  Acts 15 is a prominent example where the doctrine that required circumcision as a step towards salvation was condemned.  This doctrinal conclusion by the church was an application of the teaching of Scripture.  And the conclusions drawn were binding (though not the Word of God) to the local churches. For the record, this was a confessional statement that helped the church to stay true to the Word. Without it, the local bodies would be susceptible to doctrinal errors. 

Now, this practice of testing the doctrines to see if they were faithful representations of Scripture is endorsed by 1 John 4:1-3.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
So, the New Testament church was to be active in the work of organizing Scripture to address doctrinal issues.  This was the seed that was planted for future confessional statements which would help separate truth from heresy.
Throughout history, the church was continually pressed to interpret the Word and apply it to particular doctrinal issues that weighed heavy on them. In the Early Church period, there were many doctrinal controversies that needed an official word from the church.  Even difficult theologies, though not necessarily controversial, demanded attention such as the trinity.  And so, this period brought forth confessional statements such as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed.
           

At the time of the Reformation, there was also great need for doctrinal clarity. It was a time when religious practices / traditions were being practiced that were not founded on the Scriptures. Many leaders saw the need to "protest" these practices (cf. Protestants) and put down in writing what they saw as a more faithful articulation of Scripture. And so, this period brought forth confessional statements such as the Westminster Standards which consisted of the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. 

The Present

Today, in the Presbyterian tradition (our church) the most important of these confessions of faith is the Westminster Standards which include The Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger Catechism, and the Shorter Catechism. Without taking the time to present the history and development of these confessions, I just want to simply state that these documents contain the system of faith that we believe.

And so, in our worship...

you will find us reciting these confessions as a way of clarifying and confirming the faith we hold to. Again, these confessions are NOT the Word of God and so do NOT hold the same level of authority. But we believe that such confessions have great value in keeping us focused on the true Word of God.

Much more can be said...

Hope this helps.....

 

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