The Apostle’s CreedI believe in God, the Father almighty.
Creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spiritand born of the virgin Mary.He suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to hell.The third day he rose again from the dead.He ascended to heavenand is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.From there, he will come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic (universal) church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.
Question #1: What does it mean to believe in something?“Credo”
– I Believe – A personal declaration. It’s a way for someone to declare… “I’m all in; I’m planting my flag in the ground on this; I’m giving my life to this.”
Important Notes About The Apostle’s Creed:· It is Brief – 107 words· It is Old – 2nd Century (believed the substance of it dated back to the early church I Rome)
· It is a TrinitarianGospel Declaration – Makes clear that the early church held to the doctrine of the Trinity (One God / 3 distinct persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -> Eternal Community of God as central to the Gospel)
Question #2: Why were/are Creeds necessary?
1. Creeds are Biblical (based on the Biblical doctrine). The Shema (Deut. 6:4-5).
This was declared by Jesus and Paul. It is believed that the Apostle Paul pulls from an early creed of the church about Jesus’ death and resurrection in 1 Cor. 15:3-5. Because the scrolls that held the holy Scriptures were usually held in specific places to be read by the religious leaders of the day, creeds were taught in order to summarize many of the main points and beliefs (doctrines) held within the historic faith.2. Already within the first few centuries of the early church, different heresies and false teachings about God, and what He had accomplished through Jesus (and how He accomplished it), began to circulate, and so the early church would formulate these creedal statements, based on the held doctrines taught from the Scriptures (that were also already circulating).
So that the church and those who professed to belong to it might be aligned in what they believed. (Marcionism / Arianism)3. The Apostle’s Creed would often be used at a person’s baptism where they would recite the creed so as to truly acknowledge that they understood what they were being baptised in to. It was a public declaration.4. The creeds (especially the Apostle’s Creed) were used for the purpose of evangelism and proclaiming the Gospel.
Modern Models for Sharing the Gospel: “Roman’s Road to Salvation”
· Rom. 3:23 (The Need)
· Rom. 6:23 (The Consequence and the Gift)
· Rom. 5:8 (God’s Love)· Rom. 10:9-10 (The Way)
· Rom. 10:13 (The Promise)
· Rom. 5:1 (The Result)“The ABC’s of the Gospel”
· A – All have sinned and come short of God’s purpose
· B – Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved
· C – Confess Jesus Christ as the Lord and you will go to heaven one day
*The early church did not separate the gospel from the Triune nature of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They understood that what we call redemptive history was the unified work of the Trinity, carried out with perfect harmony and shared purpose. The Father planned, the Son accomplished, and the Spirit applied redemption, all acting together in one divine mission to save that which is lost.
· Romans 10:9-10 - If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame.
J.I Packer –“I am believing into God. That is to say, over and above believing certain truths about God, I am living in a relation of commitment to God in trust and union. When I say, I believe in God, I am professing my conviction that God has invited me to this commitment and declaring that I have accepted his invitation.”
· John 12:44-46 - The one who believes in me believes not in me, but in him who sent me. 45 And the one who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me would not remain in darkness.
The Apostle’s Creed Reveals Our Allegiance.
The Apostle’s Creed Affirms Our Doctrine.
The Apostle’s Creed Aligns Our Mission.