Creeds to Consider

Shared experiences as a community develop our faith, our values and our culture.
In order to see this, all you need to witness is normally sane people getting caught up in playoff fever. Mobs can turn even the most meek manner accountant into a swashbuckler on steroids as he paints himself the colors of his favourite team, waves a sign made out of cardboard and bellows loud enough to wake the dead.

On a more positive note, when we stand and profess our commonly held beliefs in our worship services as one voice, it paints our tenants of faith into the wet concrete of our souls. These are set over time as a solid testament to our hearts as we are buffeted by the changing winds of relativism.  

Creeds are a blessed gift to be treasured, passed down from generation to generation until they have been loving placed in our hands.

Most of us are familiar with the Apostle's Creed. Some scholars believe that some of this creed existed as early as the second century and it evolved through the early centuries following this. Some believe that it was jointly created by the Apostles. Regardless of the exact date, it is a wonderful gift of theological consistency to the church today.  

One of the current versions of the Apostle's Creed today reads as follows:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to hell.
On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen

The Apostle's Creed is rich with truth and is the most common creed spoken in churches today. However, the creed does not deal with certain Christological issues. It also doesn't clearly underline the divinity of Jesus or the Holy Spirit.

In 325, at the first Ecumenical Council gathering in of Nicaea, a gathering was held to more clearly define a common creed. With some tweaks over the few years that followed the gathering in 325, here is the Nicene Creed today:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,* who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Athanasian Creed was a gift to the church in the year 500. It very clearly speaks about the Trinity and helps to define this critical Christian belief. Although the Athanasian Creed is a rich treasure, it is extremely long and it's doubtful that most churches would ever stand and read it together. To learn more about the Athanasian Creed, click here.

If you don't use creeds in your church, consider adding these rich treasures to your time of worship. With a short introduction on their value, history and meaning, they can become a wonderful enhancement to richer worship times, a teaching tool on doctrinal foundations as well as that common shared experience I wrote about at the start of this blog.

If you have used these creeds for a long time and want to switch things up a little every now and then, here are two other options to consider. (I apologize in advance for not knowing their origin. They have been around for decades and I'd love to know their source to give proper credit.)

 

Contemporary Creed

We believe in God the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and the earth.  He is our God and we are His people, the works of His hands and the treasure of His heart. 

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who was born of a virgin, died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and rose from the dead.  He ascended into heaven where He rules with the Father in all power and authority.  He is our Redeemer, and we are the sheep of His pasture, receivers of His abundant grace.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life and the power of God at work in us and in the church today. 

CONTEMPORARY CREED IN QUESTION FORM

L:         In a world that emphasizes that man has simply evolved randomly from a single cell and is continually developing in knowledge and power, what do you believe?

C:        I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

L:         In a world that emphasizes the freedom to believe in whatever or    whoever you want, as long as “me” remains most important, what do you believe?

C:        I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.  He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

L:         In a world that emphasizes “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you may die”, and that death is the end, what do you believe?

C:        I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy, Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.

Arlen & Elsa Salte in the Holy Land, April 2011 

Give these a try and let me know what you think. 

Your fellow worshipper,

Arlen Salte

PS - If you ever wanted to spend time in exploring worship and our faith foundations in the Holy Land, why don't you consider joining us at Break Forth Israel in March, 2012. For more information, click here: