This We Believe!
MEDITATIONS ON THE APOSTLES’ CREED
Copyright 2012 by Seedbed Publishing
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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012955173
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62824-012-2
ISBN (epub edition): 978-1-62824-014-6
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Dedicated to all the alumni of Asbury Theological Seminary who day by day faithfully proclaim the gospel all over the world!
Apostles’ Creed
Introduction
Chapter 1 I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 2 I Believe in Jesus Christ His Only Son, Our Lord
Chapter 3 Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary
Chapter 4 He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate; was Crucified, Died and was Buried
Chapter 5 He Descended to the Dead
Chapter 6 The Third Day He Rose from the Dead
Chapter 7 He Ascended into Heaven and Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty
Chapter 8 From There, He Shall Come to Judge the Living and the Dead
Chapter 9 I Believe in the Holy Spirit
Chapter 10 The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints
Chapter 11 The Forgiveness of Sins
Chapter 12 The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting
Hymn Apostles’ Creed Words by Julie Tennent
I 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 Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate;
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty. From there, He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
One of the great privileges of serving as the President of Asbury Theological Seminary is traveling across the country meeting our alumni and friends. I meet hundreds of people every year. During the last two years I have seen how hungry God’s people are to be taught the Word of God and to know the central teachings of the Christian faith. Throughout history the people of God have wanted clear summaries of the faith so that they could be clear on the essential truths of Christianity. Known as catechesis manuals, these were then used to develop spiritual training guides for children and new believers. The word catechesis is the same root from which we get our modern word echo. The idea is that we pass on the faith, and those who receive it would echo it, meaning that they would be able to say it back to us just as they heard it. Thus, the word catechesis simultaneously reinforces twin truths: the sacredness of the Apostolic message and a warning against those who are tempted to reconstruct the faith to conform to modern sentiments or the latest cultural wind.
These early training guides were often based on summary passages such as the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount and the Apostles’ Creed. In fact, throughout the history of the Church, Christians have recognized that there is no better summary of the Christian faith than the Apostles’ Creed. For many centuries the Church has used the Apostles’ Creed as a basic guide to instruct believers in the faith. Likewise, millions of parents and grandparents across the world have used the Apostles’ Creed as the basic guide for instructing their children and grandchildren in the faith.
These devotionals are dedicated to exploring the Apostles’ Creed, which contains the twelve most basic affirmations of the Christian faith. If you read these carefully, you will be renewed in your own faith and be better equipped to share your faith with your friends and neighbors. You will also be able to more effectively teach the faith to others.
One of the wonderful features of the Apostles’ Creed is that it only uses language taken directly from the Scriptures. Therefore, I am including beneath every phrase some suggested readings. This feature enables the book to be used for personal devotion, as well as in small study groups or Sunday school, since I have received letters from many of you that my annual devotional books are being used in those settings. Also, as with my two previous devotional books, Word Made Flesh and Christ the Fulfillment, each chapter concludes with a verse written by Julie Tennent that is brought together as a full hymn at the end of the book. The hymn reminds us that all learning and growth in the Christian faith should ultimately lead us to worship.
A creed is a historic statement of Christian faith. The purpose of a creed is to give a brief, clear summary of the Christian faith. There are two creeds in the history of the Church that have been accepted by virtually all Christians everywhere. These two creeds are known as the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. The Apostle’s Creed is the shorter and older of the two. The Apostles’ Creed was not actually written by the twelve Apostles, but it is based on a very early version known as the Roman Symbol or Roman Creed that dates back to the second century. It is called the Apostles’ Creed because it reflects the faith of the Apostles and is organized into twelve statements for each of the twelve disciples. An old tradition says that each Apostle contributed one of the affirmations of the Apostolic faith. Later, these twelve affirmations were brought together to form what we now know as the Apostles’ Creed.
The twelve statements are:
1. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth,
2. and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
3. who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
4. suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, died and was buried.
5. He descended to the dead.
6. The third day He rose again from the dead.
7. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
8. From there, He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
9. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
10. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
11. the forgiveness of sins,
12. the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.
Even though the Apostles didn’t actually write this creed, it clearly reflects the faith of the Apostles. From ancient times, this creed (and the Roman Creed that preceded it) was used to instruct new believers before their baptism at Easter. On Easter Sunday the Church lined up the people who had gone through a period of spiritual training and would have them publicly confess their faith, just as we do today. The twelve statements were asked as questions. For example, the leader asked, “Do you believe in God the Father Almighty? Do you believe that He is the creator of the heavens and the earth?” The candidates replied, “Yes, this we believe.” Then, the leader went to the next question, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His Only begotten Son, as your Lord?” The candidates again replied, “Yes, this we believe.” This continued through all twelve affirmations, and only then were the candidates baptized as Christians.
For this reason, I have named this devotional, This We Believe! I want us to remember the faith of the Apostles and be renewed in our own faith as Christians. John Wesley was a master in discipling new believers. The reason we were originally called “Methodists” is because Wesley was so well known for having a particular method for training new believers. His method was a unique combination of small group formation, personal accountability, worship and doctrinal learning. We are grateful that John Wesley had the wisdom to include the Apostles’ Creed in his own “method” for spiritual training. This is part of our heritage as Christians and as Methodists. So, let’s get started!
—Timothy C. Tennent
Notice that the entire Creed is structured around the Trinity: I believe in God the Father … and in Jesus Christ…. I believe in the Holy Spirit. Each part of the Creed begins with each person of the Trinity and says one or more phrases about who He is in Himself and then makes a statement or two on what He has done for us. It is clear that the Creed has been very carefully planned and structured for the benefit of the Church.
However, even if we did not notice the overall Trinitarian structure, we should realize that it is a Christian affirmation with the very first phrase. If the Creed had said, “I believe in God, the Almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth” it could be an Islamic creed (every Muslim could affirm that) or a Jewish creed (every Jew could affirm that). The remarkable breakthrough in the very first phrase is the affirmation that God is Father. The Creed opens with, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty.” It does not simply emphasize His power, His being almighty. Rather, He is first affirmed as the Father Almighty. We are learning something from the beginning about the nature of God. God is a father and, therefore, He cannot be fully understood as a solitary figure, but as One who is in relationship. God has intimate communion and relationship within Himself, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is eternally the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This also means that God can be our heavenly father. He wants to reveal Himself to us. He wants to know us. He wants us to experience His great love! Remember how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Abba, Father …” This is the language of intimacy. The sound or word dada or daddy is one of the first things we ever learn to say. How fitting that when we, as the children of God, are first learning to speak as Christians, we begin with our first “Christian” words, affirming God as father. Affirming God as father is the beginning “alphabet” of Christian faith. We already know with this one word that God is a person. God is not some mercurial force at the other end of the galaxy. He is not Aristotle’s “Unmoved Mover” or the vague, generic god of the philosophers. He is a personal God. He is the embodiment of holiness, love, and justice.
The Creed goes on to affirm that He is almighty, meaning He is absolutely omnipotent and holds all power. This means that nothing is too difficult for God. Notice the beauty and symmetry in confessing God as both Father and as Almighty. Fatherhood denotes love, tenderness, nurture and protection. Almightyfatherfathercreatorcreator