What Is The Apostles’ Creed?
by Jack
Wellman
What
is the Apostles’ Creed? Why is it important for us to know?
What is a Creed?
The word “creed” is from the Old English word “crēda” and
means “to believe, trust,” or “to entrust.”
A creed is
typically a confession, symbol, or statement of faith. It may also be a
statement of the shared beliefs of a religious community in the form of a
church. It often contains a summarizing
core of values, beliefs, and statements.
It could
be an authoritative, formulated statement or a simple set of guidelines or
rules, depending upon who it is for.
One
example is the Amish who live by a strict creed that rejects many of the values
and practices of modern society.
There is
also another creed and it’s called the Apostles’ Creed.
Why the Apostles’
Creed?
The Apostle’s Creed was originally written to refute the
Gnostics of the day. Biblical teachings can be placed against these core values
and beliefs to see if someone or some group is teaching heresy and is deviating
from the faith once delivered to the believers.
The apostle Jude wrote “I found it necessary to write appealing to you to
contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
(Jude 1: 3)
So if
something differs from the Apostle’s Creed, then it is not biblical.
That’s why
in 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul told Timothy he must “Fight
the good fight of the faith” because so many were preaching another
gospel and not the one Jesus delivered and taught the disciples or apostles.
Paul told the Galatians that “even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you
a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed”
(Galatians 1:8)
He also wrote to the Corinthians that they “happily put up with whatever anyone
tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a
different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of
gospel than the one you believed.” (2 Corinthians 11:4)
We can see
just how important the Apostles’ Creed is. We will look at the Apostle’s Creed
used by most Reformed churches which dates from very early times in the Church,
a half century or so from the last writings of the New Testament.
Here is a
break down by paragraph of the Apostle’s Creed to see just how necessary it was
and still is.
Believe in One God
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the
Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
This
proclaims that Jesus is both the Son of God and Lord and as such, God the
Father and God the Son are the maker of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-2).
Christ: Crucified,
Buried, and Raised
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of
the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and
buried.
This goes
back to the very beginning when the Virgin Mary conceived by the Spirit of God,
Jesus Christ (Luke 1:34-38).
He was
lived a sinless life and suffered and died in real time and space under Pontius
Pilate but was also raised from the dead (Romans 10:9-13).
Ascended to Heaven
He descended into hell. The third day He
arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right
hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick
and the dead.
The fact
that Jesus was raised from the dead and then was seated at the right hand of
the Father signifies two things:
- that His work is completed as He has sat down;
- also He sits at the Father’s right hand, meaning He is
given the place of authority to “judge
the quick (the living) and the dead.”
Essential Beliefs
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the
resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.
The word “catholic”
simply means “universal.”
So it is
not speaking of the Catholic Church but rather it speaks about the universal,
worldwide church with believers all over the world.
What is universal about the Church
is that
- they
have communion or the Lord’s supper with the saints;
- they preach about the
forgiveness of sins;
- they
teach about the resurrection of the body after Christ returns; and
- they
teach about the gift of eternal life (John 3:16) which cannot be earned by works (Ephesians
2:8-9).
Conclusion
The
Apostles’ Creed is important because the beliefs are important and their only
importance is because of the biblical doctrines, beliefs, and truths that they
contain.
They were
created to keep the church out of error and to avoid the heretical teachings of
others, and to ensure that the faith that was once delivered is the same faith
that is taught and believed today.
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