Apostle's Creed

Article 1 I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth

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.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Genesis 1:1; 49:25

Isaiah 44:6

John 1:1–3

Acts 14:15

Hebrews 11:3

Article 2 I Believe in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord

The Apostles’ Creed should be viewed as a succinct summary of the entire Christian faith. If you were symbolically to take a boiling pot, throw all the Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, and even Roman Catholic and Orthodox teaching into it and boil it all down to a few basic phrases that would summarize the Christian faith around which every Christian on the planet should stand in agreement, then you would end up with the Apostles’ Creed. Every word has been carefully chosen. Each phrase is pregnant with meaning. Every thought is theologically rich. The Apostles’ Creed serves Christians in much the same way that the Ten Commandments served the people of God in the Old Testament. There are 613 laws in the Old Testament, and the Ten Commandments are the summarizing essence of the whole. Later, Jesus further summarized the Law down to only two: love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:28–34). Both are ancient summaries of something that is much bigger and far more complex. Christians believe and practice many things that are not found in the Apostles’ Creed or in the Ten Commandments. However, these great summary statements call us back to our core identity.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Luke 2:11

John 3:16; 20:28

Hebrews 1:1–3

Article 3 Who Was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary

From all eternity the Son is in the Father and the Father is one with Son. Yet, in the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son (Gal. 4:4), the expression and extension of his radiance, Word, and glory, into the world. This is the great mystery of the incarnation. The Apostles’ Creed declares, “He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” The eternal God stepped off his throne and clothed himself in human flesh and stepped into our history. Because of the Trinity, God the Father continues to govern and rule the universe and, yet, God the Son is born into the world as the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. The very one who had created the world is now born into the world of his creation. This mystery leads us to stand in awe and to worship. Remember the words of Charles Wesley in reflecting on the mystery of this great truth:

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Luke 1:26–27, 35

Isaiah 7:14

Article 4 He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate; Was Crucified, Died, and Was Buried

Six of the twelve affirmations of the Apostles’ Creed focus on Jesus Christ. This is, in itself, a remarkable testimony to the centrality of Jesus Christ in the earliest teaching and preaching of the apostles. They recognized that in Jesus Christ something entirely unique had occurred in the human race. The whole of Jesus’ life, ministry, work, and passion all point to this remarkable truth: in Jesus Christ, God himself miraculously stepped into our world and walked among us. The creed provides the two bookends, as it were, to this amazing mystery: his miraculous birth and his miraculous death. The creed first speaks of his miraculous birth. Then the creed jumps to the miraculous culmination of his life in his crucifixion: “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.” We should not take this swift move from Christ’s birth to his death as any indication whatsoever that his teaching, ethical life, miracles, or anything else in his public ministry were not important to the early church. Rather, we are reminded that the Apostles’ Creed merely frames the great events of God in Jesus Christ, realizing that the church has much more to proclaim, teach, and preach than the Apostles’ Creed. The church’s message is much more than the Apostles’ Creed. The point of the creed is to remind us, however, that the church’s message can never be less than the creed. This is the irreducible heart of the Christian message.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Luke 23:23–35

John 19:18–20

Acts 4:10

1 Corinthians 15:3–4

Hebrews 2:5–18

Article 5 He Descended to the Dead

The phrase “He descended to the dead” or, in some versions, “He descended into hell” has troubled some modern Christians who have not taken time to study the history or meaning of this phrase. Several United Methodist hymnals actually omitted this phrase from the creed, though in the current United Methodist Hymnal the traditional, ecumenical version is given alongside of the modern, amended one (881, 882). However, every word and phrase of the creed was carefully chosen. No phrases can be jettisoned as unnecessary. More importantly, no single denomination or group has the authority to change or amend a creed because the historic, ecumenical creeds (Apostles’ and Nicene) belong to the entire church throughout the world and back through time. Denominations can write and adopt, should they choose, particular statements of faith which affirm beliefs or practices specific to a denomination. But there is an important distinction between a creed and a statement of faith. On the one hand, a creed is an historic statement that is affirmed by Christians all across time and applies to all churches everywhere. On the other hand, a statement of faith might include more specific views regarding baptism, speaking in tongues, church government, rapture, and so forth, which would not necessarily be shared by churches all over the world.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Luke 23:43

Ephesians 4:4; 6:12

1 Peter 3:18–20

Article 6 The Third Day He Rose from the Dead

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the central proclamation of the church. We serve a risen Savior! Over the years groups have tried to refocus the church on something else as the central message of the church. Some have tried to make the ethic of Jesus or his exemplary life the central proclamation of the church. Wisely, the church has rejected this and the heart of our message to the world is still the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 28:1–10

Acts 2:22–36; 4:8–10

1 Corinthians 15:3–8

Article 7 He Ascended into Heaven and Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty

Picture the final game of a World Series. Each team has won three games, and this is the final game. It is bottom of the ninth inning. The home team is at the plate, and the score is seven to four against the home team. Although three runs behind, the home team’s bases are loaded. At this point, there is no need for any seats in the stadium because everyone is on his or her feet cheering and screaming. The opposing team brings in its best closer. It is the bottom of the ninth, two outs, bases loaded, full count—three balls, two strikes. The visiting team is one pitch from winning the World Series. The crowd is standing up cheering. The name of the batter is Jesus. The pitch comes, then the swing, the crack of the bat, and within one second everyone realizes it is a home run—not just an ordinary home run, but the game-winning grand slam. Can you picture what happens as he rounds the bases and finally comes into home plate? The whole team runs and greets him as he crosses home plate. Everyone jumps up and down, rejoicing. A mound of bodies pile on top of one another because that grand slam home run won it all: victory is secured, the game is won, the rejoicing can begin.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 22:44; 26:64

Mark 14:62

Luke 24:50–53

Acts 1:11; 2:33

Hebrews 1:3; 10:12–13

Article 8 From There, He Shall Come to Judge the Living and the Dead

Introduction Bob Mumford, a popular Bible teacher, once shared how he had experienced a very disturbing dream. In the dream he saw his Bible lying on the top of his desk in his study. He sat down and he opened his Bible, only to find that in the dream his Bible has somehow changed. It was a very unusual Bible. Even though all the same books of the Bible were there, some of the pages of the Bible were huge pages, far bigger than you would expect. Yet, as he turned the pages of his Bible in the dream he came across other pages in his Bible that were very tiny. As he flipped through the pages of his Bible, the whole Bible was this way, some pages supersized and other pages so miniscule he could hardly see the page to turn. Then in the dream, he sensed the Lord speaking to him, saying, “Bob preach my whole Word, not just your favorite parts!” Then, Bob awoke from the dream. I wonder what our Bibles would look like if they were miraculously changed to reflect which verses we read and quote and which verses we overlook?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

John 5:22

2 Timothy 4:1

1 Corinthians 3:11–15

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

2 Thessalonians 1:5–10

Article 9 I Believe in the Holy Spirit

The next phrase of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” decisively places the Trinity at the heart of Christian proclamation. The creed began, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty,” and then asserted, “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.” Now, the creed affirms, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” This is the crowning glory of the Christian proclamation. The Trinity is not some kind of speculative doctrine that only theologians discuss. The Trinity lies at the heart of our faith and worship. Without the Trinity all of the core doctrines of Christianity become incoherent.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

John 15:26; 16:7–14

Acts 2:1–4; 13:2

Article 10 The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints

The Apostles’ Creed makes the church an article of faith: we believe in the holy catholic Church. This statement means that we believe in the church in the same way we believe in the death of Christ or his resurrection. This belief is important because it lifts the church from being a mere human organization that has certain functions, such as preaching, discipling, or feeding the hungry. Instead, the church is what God is building in the world. The church is God’s divine work built on the foundation of Christ. Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). The church does not exist because it is the most efficient organization that we have come up with, and if we can think of a more efficient way to do the tasks that the church does, then we can abandon the church and start a different kind of organization. No! The church is what God is doing in the world. The church is a divine work, the bride of Christ, the gathered community of the redeemed.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 16:18

Acts 13:1–3; 14:21–23

1 Corinthians 12:27–31

Galatians 3:26–29

Hebrews 10:25

Article 11 The Forgiveness of Sins

Up to this point, the Apostles’ Creed has declared who God is and what he has done. For example, we affirm that God the Father Almighty created the heavens and the earth and that Jesus Christ suffered under Pontius Pilate and so forth. This might be called news, even divinely disclosed news. However, at this point in the creed we see that this is good news for us. We now learn the implications of all of God’s actions for us: forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. This chapter focuses on the phrase: “forgiveness of sins.”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 26:28

Luke 7:48; 24:47

Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18

Colossians 1:14

Hebrews 9:22

Article 12 The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting

I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting! What a triumphant way for the Apostles’ Creed to end. After all, the Apostles’ Creed is no mere dry, dusty statement of doctrines. It is the church’s historic summary of our proclamation to the world about the good news of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! The creed reminds the church of our destiny. Our bodies, which lie in the grave, will be resurrected at the end of time; they will be gloriously transformed, and we will dwell with the triune God forever.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

John 6:39; 10:28; 11:25; 17:2–3

Acts 24:10–15

1 Corinthians 15:12–58

1 Thessalonians 4:16

Tennent, Timothy C.. Foundations of the Christian Faith: A Resource for Catechesis and Disciple-Making (p. 102). Seedbed Inc. Kindle Edition.