The Apostles’ Creed
Creed
• The word “creed” comes from the Latin
“credo” which means “I believe.”
Apostles’ Creed Today
• 1. I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
Apostles’ Creed Today
– 2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our
Lord.
– 3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy
Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
– 4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, died, and was buried.
Apostles’ Creed Today
– 5. He descended to the dead. On the third
day he rose again.
– 6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at
the right hand of the Father.
– 7. He will come again to judge the living and
the dead.
Apostils’ Creed today
– 8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
– 9. the holy catholic Church, the communion
of saints,
– 10. the forgiveness of sins,
– 11. the resurrection of the body,
– 12. and life everlasting.
– Amen.
“Why do we need creeds when we
have the Bible?”
Romans 6:17 Paul says,
• “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep
an eye on those who cause dissensions
and offenses, in opposition to the teaching
that you have learned; avoid them”
False Teachers
• The word “teaching” can also be translated
“doctrine.”
• Early Christians had doctrine or teaching
prior to having a complete New Testament
‘ Even Paul’s letters were interpreted in
different ways by some church elders and
members.
Old Testament
• Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes
• Read identical scripture but interpreted it
in different ways
Response to Great Commission
• Matthew 28:16-20(NIV)
• 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to
the mountain where Jesus had told them to
go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him;
but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them
and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Baptism
• What are we saying when we are
baptized?
Original Intent
• 1) evangelize;
• 2) teach new converts;
• 3) protect the church from distorted
teaching
How did the Creed arise?
• According to “the great commission” found
in Matthew 28:18-20, an important
• part of being a Christian in the early
church was teaching others and baptizing
• them in the name of the Triune God. A
concise summary of the Christian faith
• would help in both these tasks
Early Creed
• Baptismal Formula
• Of Hippolytus of Rome AD 215
Early Creed
• Apostles’ Creed
• AD 140 – Ad 390
Baptism Confession
• As new converts were being baptized,
Hippolytus would ask them, “Do you
believe in God?”
• and they would answer “I believe in God,
the Father Almighty…”
• “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?”
• and they would answer “I believe in Jesus
Christ, theSon of God...,”
Origins
• Although the actual copies of the Apostles’
Creed that we have date from the 300s, it
is clear from this example that some
version of this statement of faith was being
used early in the church.
Origins
• Tertullian (AD 200) says that the
memorized creed or “Rule of Faith” acted
as a symbol or password that allowed
Christians to recognize each other in a
dangerous world.
What does it teach?
• The Creed’s short length made it easy to memorize.
• Its sparse wording sets out clear boundaries for the
Christian faith while creating space for different
interpretations within those boundaries.
• Every phrase can be supported by
• multiple references to Scripture.
• However, the creed only includes those aspects of faith
that the early Christians viewed as the bare essentials
• the aspects that set Christianity apart from other belief
systems at the time.
Nicene Creed
• Adopted in 325 at Nicaea by the first
ecumenical council, which also
standardized the New Testament.
Version of Nicene Creed
• The Niceno–Constantinopolitan Creed
of 381
Nicene Creed
• I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
Nicene Creed
• And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
Nicene Creed
• who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost
of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius
Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
Nicene Creed
• and the third day he rose again
according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
Nicene Creed
• And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and
Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father
[and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son
together is worshipped and glorified;
who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one
holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of
sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN.
What can we conclude?
First that the Apostles’ Creed was never
meant to be some boring religious ritual!
• The first believers said it with tears in their
eyes as they entered the Christian
community or were baptized.
The Power of the Creed
• —at the moment they said it out loud
before others they were giving witness to
Jesus.
• they were saying “Yes” to the maker of
heaven and earth
• and “No” to all the other powers that tried
to lay claim on their lives.
When Doctrines Divide Us
• Second, considering how much Christians argue
and disagree with each other,
• it is nothing short of stunning that Protestant,
Catholic, and Orthodox churches around the
world all embrace the teachings found in the
Apostles’ Creed.
• In the midst of a multicultural, shifting world,
here is a solid core that defines Christians
(regardless of our labels and our differences)
Do we need it?
• Finally, the creed remains an excellent
teaching tool. Each phrase opens up
profound theological vistas that impact
how we think and act as Christians.