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The Apostles Creed is examined by Bill Davies
Credo – I believe….
At Scots Kirk we recite the Apostles’ Creed on the occasion of our quarterly communion service. Some denominations recite it every week. Tradition has it that the Apostles jointly composed this creed. However, the first written evidence available to us is in a letter written by one of the early Church ‘Doctors’, Saint Ambrose (circa 390). The early Middle Ages saw the Creed being recited at Baptism throughout the Western Church.
The unwanted mystery
Continuing our series on The Apostles’ Creed, I suggest that what people covet in God is not so much mystery but certainty. God is what we seek to be sure about. So, how do we know God exists? Over the years theologians have advanced many arguments, which include:
Creation
Maker of heaven and earth….
The very first words of the Bible are: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1.1) This theme is restated many times in both the Old and New Testaments. Down through the ages, theologians, philosophers and scientists have debated the relationship between God and his creation, and broadly speaking, there are four ways in which the relationship of God to the universe has been conceived.
The Incarnation
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son our Lord...
Who is Jesus? Is he the Christ? Is he the Son of God? Is he God? What is he for you? How do you respond to the above line from the Apostles’ Creed?
The Virgin Birth
… who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary …..
Are you one of those who find this the first stumbling block with the Creed? How was Jesus conceived by the Holy Spirit? What does this mean? Does it matter?
Pontius Pilate
…. Suffered under Pontius Pilate….
The mystery about Pilate is why he, Jesus and Mary were the only three names mentioned in the Creed. No apostles or prophets are mentioned. Why special mention of Pilate?
The Atonement
…. was crucified, died, and was buried ….
Did Jesus have to die in the way he did? Was his death inevitable at that point in history? What does the manner in which he died mean for us today?
The mystery of death
A later addition… In the hymnary of the Church of Scotland we use at Scots Kirk, the Apostles’ Creed (546) contains the phrase, he descended into hell. In the Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland which we use for our communion service the Creed says, he descended to the dead. The concept did not appear in the Apostles’ Creed until AD 570 and is not mentioned at all in the Nicene Creed.
The Resurrection
On the third day he rose again …
What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for you? Is it necessary for your faith?
Thorwald Lorenzen in his book, Resurrection and Discipleship, says when we speak about the resurrection of Jesus Christ we are not dealing with a question of faith, but with the question of faith. It is the origin and ground of a faith, which he says, has broadly developed into four categories.
The Ascension
…He ascended into heaven; he is seated at the right hand of the Father …
On Ascension Sunday our Sunday School children release helium filled balloons and watch them head up into the clouds and out of sight. Is this your understanding of Acts 1.9? … he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Judgement
… And he will come to judge the living and the dead ……
Has He come? Is He still to come? Has He judged? Is He yet to judge?
The Trinity
…. I believe in the Holy Spirit …..
Why start with the Trinity when we are talking about The Holy Spirit? It is not mentioned in the Apostles’ Creed. Well, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church defines the Holy Spirit as The Third Person of the Trinity, distinct from, but consubstantial, coequal, and coeternal with, the Father and the Son, and in the fullest sense God. So, we will start there.
The Church
… I believe in the holy catholic Church ...
What actually is Church? Why is it ‘holy’ and ‘catholic’? Can you be a Christian without going to Church?
The Saints
….. I believe in ….. the communion of saints ….
We are travelling in the footsteps of those who’ve gone before,
But we’ll all be reunited on a new and sunlit shore.
Forgiveness
….. I believe in …… the forgiveness of sins...
The Creed dose not talk about evil, nor does it talk about guilt. It mentions forgiveness, but not repentance. So, do we do what we like, say ‘sorry’ and all is OK?
Life Everlasting
I believe in …. The resurrection of the body and life everlasting ….
Will graves be opened and corpses revived?
I think not.