What You Believe Matters 1 – A Creed Will Take You Somewhere

Creeds are all around us.  Statements about what we believe and hope to see come true in our lives.  They have shaped the way we live our lives in ways that we may not always realize day to day.  Every country in the world has creeds that shape their national heritage and belief.  In America the Declaration of Independence has always been our guiding creed as a nation on how we operate and live as Americans.  When we went to school we learned the Pledge of Allegiance and used to say it every day and it shaped the way we viewed our country and what it meant to be an American.  These creeds changed our views of life and our community that believed these creeds as well.

The Apostles’ Creed first appears in a letter probably written by Ambrose to a pope in 390 AD.  He refers to them as something the Roman Church has kept preserved and undefiled.  These were written after the time that the Bible was put together in 325 AD.  Not everyone had a Bible of their own.  Memorizing this creed helped people define their beliefs in a short and concise form.  When you cannot read the Bible then memorizing this creed helped you always remember the core of your beliefs and shaped the way you viewed your faith in God.

We have to understand that a creed will take us somewhere.  Even those short creeds they attach to anything they want to sell you.  Every fast food restaurant has a creed even if it is only a few short words.  Everyone knows that a concise statement has great weight when it is based on solid beliefs.  The early Christians recited the Apostles creed and it is still quoted today in churches and homes throughout the world.  Since this creed has survived 100s of years I thought it might be good to take a walk with the creed for a few weeks.

The creed goes like this:

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

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and 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.

In Hebrews 11:6 the Bible says: “Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.”          Hebrews 11:6 (NCV) This creed is given to us to strengthen our faith in God and his plan for our lives.  Our faith is the thing that God looks for and loves to see in our lives.  Without faith we cannot find God and it is through our faith and his gift of grace that we grow in our belief.  This creed is important because it reminds us of God’s work in our lives.  That he created us for a purpose and a plan to help others find their way to His love.  It is faith, not so much in the creed, but in what it teaches us and the true meaning of God’s part in our lives that will change us into the people he created us to become.

In the next posts we will look at what it means to have God as our creator, Jesus as our Savior, and the Holy Spirit’s work in guiding us toward God’s desire and dreams for us.  I hope you stick with me and begin to realize that an ancient creed can give us the roadmap to where we are headed.  After all, you usually end up where your beliefs take you.