APOSTLES' CREED - 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.

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The Faith Once Delivered To
The Believers

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.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/11/29/what-is-the-apostles-creed/

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