I Believe

Introduction

What do you believe?

Could you explain to me what you believe about God?

How would I know if you truly believed what you said?

When reading a book, if I want to know the author’s argument I can do two things:

I can read the whole book.

I can read the introduction and conclusion of each chapter. . . some books even provide a summary at the end of each chapter.

The summary does not contain every detail in the book, but tells me what I need to know to understand the author’s argument.

If I want to find out how my favorite team won the game I can either. . .

Watch the entire game.

Watch the highlights.

The highlights don’t show everything that happened in the game, but it “highlights” the most important plays and times the team scored to help me know how the team faired.

In a similar way, if we want to confess what we believe about God as Christians, we have two options.

We can read and recite the entire Bible.

We can provide a summary of the core teachings of Christianity that one must believe to be a Christian.

This is how we should view the apostle’s creed.

The Apostle’s creed was created in 300 AD by the early Church Fathers.

It was written for two reasons. . .

summarize the core teachings of the Christian faith and. . .

correct errors and common heresies that were being taught in the 4th century.

Put simply, the Apostle’s Creed is a concise confession of what we believe about God.

Tonight, we are going to focus on that first phrase “I believe” and discuss what it means to believe in something.

But before we do, I want to dispel some misunderstandings about the creed and give some reasons why we should spend a whole semester studying it.

The Bible is Our Authority

Despite some claims from others, the Creed does not replace the Bible. That is not the intention of its authors.

Our sole authority as Christians is God’s holy word that is completely true and without error.

However, Creeds can help us provide a summary of the core teachings of the Bible when explaining what we believe to others or defending our faith.

“All Christians believe more than is contained in the Apostle’s Creed, but non can believe less.” -Al Mohler

The phrase “no creed but the Bible” is a false dilemma. It seems to present the Creed and the Bible as two separate statements. In reality, the Creed simply summarizes and affirms the core teachings of the Bible that all Christians must believe.

Therefore, we should view the Creed like a “mini-Bible” that quickly summarizes the core truths of the Christian faith.

Example: think about some verses that communicate the core truths of the gospel.

Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 5:6-8.

These verses do not communicate every facet of the gospel but they do communicate the core truths that we are sinners in need of a savior and the only way we can be saved is through placing our faith in Christ’s atoning death on our behalf.

Five Reasons Why the Apostle’s Creed is Useful and Necessary In the Life of the Church.

1. Defines the Truth and Corrects Error.

Knowing and believing the truth will set us free (John 8:32).

Provides a standard on which to measure other competing beliefs.

2. Provides Rules and Standards for God’s People.

Provides guardrails to keep us on the right track.

3. Teaches the Church How to Worship and Confess the Faith.

Understanding who God is helps us worship him rightly.

4. Connects Us to the Faith of our Fathers.

“Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”

The Creed contains the faithful witness of all the previous saints that have gone before us.

By reciting the Creed, it reminds us of their faithfulness and spurs us on in our faithfulness.

5. Summarizes the Faith and Defines true Christianity.

“In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.”

The Necessity of Belief

The word “Creed” comes from the Latin word Credo which means “ I believe.”

Therefore, the Apostle’s Creed and other Creeds are what Christians have historically believed and these truth statements come directly from the Scriptures.

Right belief leads to right action.

“God’s truths are the ecosystem in which the garden of personal transformation grows.” -Paul Tripp

There is a difference between knowledge and belief.

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

The Biblical definition of “belief” is not mere intellectual assent.

We can believe in UFO’s without ever looking for them.

We can believe in democracy without ever voting.

But the New Testament authors used the word “believe” to mean literally “believing into God.” It is not just believing truths about God, but rather living in relation of a commitment to God.

Faith means putting one’s trust in someone or something because we believe they are trustworthy.

We demonstrate faith in the airplane to hold us up by buying a ticket and getting into the plane.

We show faith in our doctor by submitting to their instructions and the medications the prescribe to us for our illnesses.

In the same way, we show faith in God by trusting in his promises, submitting our lives to his will, and depending upon the work of Christ alone to save us from our sins.

Salvation is not found within ourselves but only found outside of ourselves in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Our shame and guilt are removed and we are declared righteous by God. . by faith alone.

But, Biblical faith is always a living faith.

Mark 5:25–34 ESV

25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Also see examples from Abraham in Genesis 12:1-4, and Hebrews 11.

What if we have doubts?

John 20:24–31 ESV

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Explain the problem areas.

Exhibit the reasonableness of Christian belief and the reasons for embracing it.

Explore what prompts the doubts.

This faith is personal “I” but also within the community of saints.

What Do You Believe?

How you live is what you truly believe.

Your thoughts always determine and precede your actions.

Truth not lived is truth not believed.

Is their a division between what you say you believe and the way that you live?

Have you become comfortable with this division?

Do you believe these truths about God or do you merely have knowledge of them and acknowledge they are true?

Gospel

God, the Father Almighty, created a universe in perfect harmony and made humans in his image as upright and the pinnacle of his creation.

But Adam and Eve, merely knew God. They did not believe in him.

But the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, fully trusted and believed in God’s words. . . overcame temptation in the wilderness. . .

And paid the penalty for our sin, guilt, and shame on the cross by becoming our curse and shame.

Repentance from sin and faith in Jesus gives us salvation and empowers us to live what we believe.

If you struggle in your unbelief, repent, and ask for the gift of faith.

If you struggle in your unbelief, repent, and look to the Savior who was perfectly faithful.