Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence 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 life everlasting.

Amen.

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Why post about the Apostles Creed? Because this morning I was enjoying John Calvin’s exposition in Institutes of Christian Religion. Most contemporary scholars do not believe this creed goes back all the way to the apostles, with a date sometime in the 4th century AD. Nonetheless, this creed has been important to the life and worship of the Church for centuries. It is a succinct summary of our faith, derived from the Scriptures. We used to recite creeds in the church of my childhood. I never really appreciated them until Seminary. These creeds summarize our central teachings (sound doctrine). These core beliefs describe the essence of our faith. They define the boundary lines, uniting us, and separating us from those who are not Christians. We should memorize them, and say them together. This reminds us of our forever-bonds not only with our brothers and sisters within the four walls of our local church, but also with all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. It also reminds us of all those saints who have gone before us (indeed, a great cloud of witnesses) who have protected and taught this great faith.