THE APOSTLES CREED

In the 2nd century, the church came up with a creed that summarized the essence of the Gospel. This creed was later expanded in the mid-400s. The creed is known as the Apostles Creed and its present form is copied below. In an age when many people were illiterate or when written copies of Scripture were few and far between, a creed that presented the essence of the Gospel was essential as a reminder of the key elements of our common faith.

Today, we have ready access to the Scripture. We have the right to study it and memorize it and meditate on it. We can sing it and pray it and share it and listen to it on cd or dvd. Most of us, however, neglect God's Word and miss God's best for us because of that neglect. The failure to know and live out the Gospel results in spiritual malaise and leads to spiritual error in our thinking. Thus, even for us, the most privileged and blessed of all Christians in history in terms of access to the Word, we still need the basic creeds of the faith to remind us of the essence of what we believe and what we need to live out in our daily lives.

THE APOSTLES CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will 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 the life everlasting. Amen.

*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places