Introduction
Introduction
Many Christians are aware of the need to deepen their understanding of the gospel. Those who have come to faith recently often want someone to help them understand more about Christianity. But older Christians often feel the same need, aware of their lack of knowledge and understanding of key areas of their faith. The existence of countless Christian study groups, meeting in homes and churches throughout the world, points to this need. In the church calendar, the season of Lent (the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter) is often set aside for such groups to meet, often drawing Christians from different backgrounds to study and learn together. The problem with such groups, however, is that they often have difficulty in deciding what to study. They have problems setting their agendas.
There are, in fact, few better subjects for such groups to study than the Apostles’ Creed. It provides a concise summary of many of the main points of the Christian faith. And it is already familiar to many Christians, who are accustomed to using it during the course of Sunday worship.
This book is intended as a study guide to the Apostles’ Creed and could be readily adapted for use during the six weeks of Lent, though it is also suitable for use at any other time. I hope that this work will help you think through some areas of your faith and deepen your understanding of what you believe. Faith is indeed something that is “caught, not taught”—but there is more to faith than trusting in God. A faith that remains at this level will be immature and superficial, vulnerable to doubt and of little use in evangelism. It is difficult to explain Christianity to an outsider if you haven’t thought about it much yourself. Christians do indeed trust in God—but we believe certain quite definite things about him and about the impact this belief must have upon us as believers. The Apostles’ Creed is an ideal starting point for this vital process of consolidating your grasp of your faith.
The Meaning of the Word Creed
Many words in the English language owe their origins to Latin. This is especially true of words relating to Christianity. For more than a thousand years Latin was the language of educated Christians. It isn’t surprising that quite a few English words come from Latin. A good example is the name Maundy Thursday, the day immediately before Good Friday, when Christians traditionally focus their thoughts on the Last Supper. In the Middle Ages, church services were invariably held in Latin, and the text chosen to begin the celebration of the Last Supper was John 13:34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” In Latin, this text begins Mandatum novum do vobis ... The English word Maundy derives from the first Latin word spoken at that service—mandatum, “a commandment.”
Exactly the same thing can be seen to have happened with the English word creed. For more than a thousand years Christians in western Europe knew the Apostles’ Creed only in Latin. Its opening words are Credo in Deum, “I believe in God.” You may be familiar with these Latin words, or some very similar to them, from the choral works of composers such as Bach, Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven. The English word creed derives from that word credo. As the word suggests, it is a statement of faith. It is an attempt to summarize the main points of what Christians believe. It is not exhaustive, nor is it meant to be.
The Origins of the Creeds
The origins of the Apostles’ Creed may be found within the New Testament itself. There are frequent calls to be “baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (see Acts 2:38; 8:12; 10:48) or “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:16; 19:5). In its simplest form, the earliest Christian creed seems to have been simply “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Philippians 2:11). Anyone who made this declaration was regarded as a Christian.
The Christian is one who “receives Christ Jesus as Lord” (Colossians 2:6). This is a powerful statement, as it involves two related claims. In the first place, it declares the believer’s loyalty and commitment to Jesus Christ. As we shall see, for someone to confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord” is to declare that Jesus is the Lord of his or her life. To recognize that Jesus is Lord is to seek to do his will. The refusal of the first Christians to worship the Roman emperor reflects this belief: you can only serve one master, and for the Christian that is, and must be, none other than Jesus himself. In the second place, “Jesus is Lord” declares certain things about Jesus, especially his relation to God.
As time went on, however, it became necessary to explain what Christians believed in more detail. The full implications of declaring that “Jesus is Lord” needed to be teased out. What did Christians believe about God? about Jesus? about the Holy Spirit? By the fourth century the Apostles’ Creed as we now know it had assumed a more or less fixed form; what variations did exist were slight, and these were finally eliminated in the seventh century. The Apostles’ Creed is a splendid summary of the apostolic teaching concerning the gospel, even though it was not actually written by the apostles.
When someone became a Christian in the early church, great significance was attached to his or her baptism. During the period of Lent, those who had recently come to faith were given instruction in Christian beliefs. Finally, when they had mastered the basics of faith, they would recite the creed together, as a corporate witness to the faith in which they believed—and which they now understood. Faith had been reinforced with understanding. They would then be baptized with great ceremony and joy on Easter Day itself, as the church celebrated the resurrection of its Lord and Savior. In this way the significance of the baptism of the believer could be fully appreciated: he or she had passed from death to life (Romans 6:3-10). Baptism was a public demonstration of the believer’s death to the world and birth to new life in Jesus Christ.
A central part of the baptism celebration was the public declaration of faith by each candidate. Anyone who wished to be baptized had to declare publicly his or her faith in Jesus Christ. At many times in the history of the Christian church this was exceptionally dangerous: to admit to being a Christian could mean imprisonment, victimization, suffering or even death. (The English word martyr, incidentally, derives from the Greek word meaning “witness.” To be a martyr was seen as the finest witness possible to Jesus Christ and his gospel.) The believer did not, however, merely recite a creed; before being baptized, each individual was asked if he or she personally believed in the gospel.
Here is part of a sermon preached in the fourth century to those who had just been baptized, in which this practice is described. (Note the important references to Romans 6:3-4; those who have died to their past have risen to new life in Christ.)
You were asked, “Do you believe in God the Father almighty?” You replied, “I believe,” and were immersed, that is, were buried. Again, you were asked, “Do you believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and his cross?” You replied, “I believe,” and were immersed. Thus you were buried with Christ, for he who is buried with Christ rises again with him. A third time you were asked, “Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?” You replied, “I believe,” and were immersed for a third time. Your three-fold confession thus wiped out the many sins of your previous existence.
Historically, then, the creed was the profession of faith made by converts at their baptism, and it formed the basis of their instruction. As more and more individuals now come to discover Christianity as adults, the creed can once more serve this historic purpose.
The Apostles’ Creed, however, was not the only creed to come into existence in the period of the early church. Two major controversies in the early church made it necessary to be more precise about certain matters of doctrine. The first controversy, the Arian controversy of the fourth century, centered on the relationship of Jesus and God. In order to avoid inadequate understandings of the relation of the Father and Son, the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) endorsed a creed now generally known as the Nicene Creed. Roughly twice as long as the Apostles’ Creed, it begins with the words “We believe in one God.” In its efforts to insist on the divinity of Jesus Christ, this creed speaks of Jesus as “being of one substance with the Father.”
A second major controversy centered on the doctrine of the Trinity. In order to avoid inadequate understandings of the relation of the Father, Son and Spirit, the Athanasian Creed was drawn up. This creed, which opens with the words “Whoever wishes to be saved,” is by far the longest of the three creeds and is nowadays rarely used in any form of public worship.
Here we will focus our attention on the Apostles’ Creed, which is the oldest and simplest creed of the church. All Christian traditions recognize its authority and its importance as a standard of doctrine. To study the Apostles’ Creed is to investigate a central element of our common Christian heritage. It is an affirmation of the basic beliefs that unite Christians throughout the world and across the centuries.
The Purpose of the Creeds
As we have seen, the creeds had their origins as a profession or confession of faith made by converts at their baptism. Since then they have served other purposes—for example, as a test of orthodoxy for Christian leaders or as an act of praise in Christian worship. In our own day and age the creeds serve three main purposes.
In the first place, the creeds provide a brief summary of the Christian faith. A creed is not, and was never meant to be, a substitute for personal faith: it attempts to give substance to a personal faith that already exists. You do not become a Christian by reciting a creed; rather, the creed provides a useful summary of the main points of your faith. Certain Christian teachings are not dealt with in the creed. For example, there is no section that states, “I believe in Scripture.” This isn’t necessary, since the creed is basically a distillation or summary of the main points of scriptural teaching concerning the gospel. The importance of the Bible is assumed throughout; indeed, most of the creed can be shown to consist of direct quotations from Scripture.
Some of the components of the creed may seem a little strange or unfamiliar if you have come to faith only recently. Don’t be alarmed by this: it is just a gentle reminder that there is more to Christianity than you think at this stage. As you grow, you’ll begin to appreciate the wisdom of including material, for example, on the church, which often seems out of place to young Christians.
This brings us to the second purpose served by the creeds: to allow us to recognize and avoid inadequate or incomplete versions of Christianity. Some people, for example, might insist that Christianity is mainly (or perhaps even entirely) about the Holy Spirit. Others might reject this angrily, replying that Christianity is primarily about God the Father. The Apostles’ Creed reminds us that there is much more to the gospel than either of these. By providing a balanced and biblical approach to the Christian faith, tried and tested by believers down the centuries, the creed allows us to recognize deficient versions of the gospel. For example, the two views cited above make no reference to Jesus himself, which is a serious omission. They are not wrong; they are just inadequate.
Many people have found their faith immeasurably strengthened and matured by being forced to think through areas of faith that they would not have explored without the Apostles’ Creed. See the creed as an invitation to explore and discover areas of the gospel that otherwise you might miss or overlook. For example, many evangelical Christians tend to be individualists, with no real sense of belonging to a community. The creed’s affirmation of belief in the church reminds us of the corporate dimension of faith and helps correct any unhealthy individualism.
Many people who have come to faith recently want to be baptized, in order to make a public declaration of their faith. A central part of that celebration of your new birth may be the congregation’s declaration of their corporate faith, using the words of the Apostles’ Creed. Let that be a stimulus to you! See the creed as setting the agenda for your personal exploration of the Christian faith. See it as mapping out areas for you to explore, on your own or with others. Some of its statements may remind you of those ancient maps where vast areas of the world were marked terrae incognitae, “unknown territory.” Take this as a challenge! It may take you some time to fathom the depths of your faith—but there is no rush. I hope this book will help you begin to explore your faith, to get to know its landscape.
In the third place, the creeds emphasize that to believe is to belong. To become a Christian is to enter a community of faith whose existence stretches right back to the upper room in which Jesus met with his disciples (John 21). By putting your faith in Jesus Christ you have become a member of his body, the church, which uses this creed to express its faith. By studying it, you are reminding yourself of the many men and women who have used it before you. It gives you a sense of history and perspective. It emphasizes that you are not the only person to put your trust in Jesus Christ. Think of how many others recited those words at their baptism down the centuries. Think of how many others have found in the Apostles’ Creed a statement of their personal faith. You share that faith, and you can share the same words that they have used to express it.
For Further Reading
Chadwick, Henry. The Early Church. New York: Viking Penguin, 1993. An eminently readable account of the spread of Christianity, with much useful background material to the history of the creeds.
Kelly, J. N. D. Early Christian Doctrines. 5th rev. ed. London: A. C. Black, 1977. An invaluable historical introduction to the development of the creeds in the early church.