- The Apostles Creed
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This is an excerpt provided by the Village Church.
“We live in a culture that is constantly telling people that they can believe whatever they want and live however they want. The only invalid belief in our culture is to believe that someone else is wrong. This sort of thinking is not only found outside the church but also within. In our day and age of so many different beliefs and worldviews, even in the church, it can be difficult to get to the bottom of what is true and essential to the Christian faith.
The Apostles’ Creed is rooted in the apostles’ teachings and contains essential Christian doctrines and beliefs that summarize the gospel and make up the foundation of our faith. The scriptural truths contained in the creed help us operate from good theology, with the knowledge that our faith is rooted in truth and a rich history that spans past, present, and future. The lines of the creed aren’t mere words. They are the essence of what we confess and believe as the body of Christ. In an anything goes culture, the Apostles’ Creed gives us the foundation we need to know the truth of the gospel so that it might set us free!
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
and born of the virgin Mary.
He 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 to heaven
and 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 Christian church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
In the early church, uttering the word credo (“I believe”) meant identifying in the closest possible way with Christ. Often a new believer recited the Apostles’ Creed during his baptism and was then welcomed into the membership of the church. When someone said the creed, he was identifying himself as a citizen of a different kingdom—the kingdom of God. This world in its present state is not our home—we belong to a greater king and a greater kingdom and this reality changes everything for us. The creed is more than just a list of important information—it’s filled with truth that gives us ultimate hope and shapes our ultimate purpose in life.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.” – Hebrews 11:1-2
The beauty and tension of these verses come from the fact that based on what has happened in the past, Christians have assurance and conviction in placing their hope and belief in something they’ve never seen. This is faith. This is belief.“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
Pisteuō, the Greek word translated as “believes” in John 3:16, has a richer meaning than the simple understanding of facts. To believe in something means to commit and to give your trust. When you truly believe something, you act on it. Belief isn’t just a matter of head knowledge. It’s a matter of the heart’s devotion.
It’s easy for John 3:16 to become so familiar that the gravity of the situation is lost. Don’t let words like love, life, and saved distract you from perish and condemned. You need to wrestle with each of those realities until you come to grips with what’s at stake here. Belief that is nothing more than an adherence to rules or knowledge of religious facts is not true belief. True belief is a life-changing commitment and trust—it is a matter of eternal life or death.”
Belief is more than just knowing. Belief takes action. I BELIEVE.
In Christ,
Pastor Phil