The Apostles' Creed: credo

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Thursday, June 19, 2025

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We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His 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. He went down to the dead; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; wherefrom He shall come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Apostolic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Introduction
I realize that many so-called Christians today are able to recite creeds containing biblically orthodox truth, even though they do not know the Lord personally. I myself used to be one of those people. For that reason, we evangelicals tend to diminish the value of sound doctrine and emphasize the relational aspects of the Christian walk. And I'll be the first one to say that you can know all the right things about the Lord, but if you don't know the Lord Himself, you've missed the most important part.

However, I don't necessarily think we should throw out the baby with the bath water either. Creed is simply a derivative of the Latin word "credo", meaning “I believe”. The early apostles and Church Fathers thought it was essential for every Christian to believe the basic tenets of the faith and be able to clearly state these eternal truths as well. If it was important to them, then it's important to me as well. As we raise our children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, these are the foundational truths we have already begun to teach our children.

Our beliefs must be based solely on the Word of God, not on traditions or the Church Fathers. However, where the Church Fathers and tradition agree with the Word of God, they confirm our beliefs. In each of the following sections, you will find the Scriptures upon which our beliefs are based. And where the Church Fathers agree with the Scriptures, I have included quotes from them as well.

With the increase of false doctrine sweeping the world today, may the Lord help us to heed the inspired words of the apostle Paul to young Timothy: “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Tim. 4:15,16).

Doctrines Taught in the Creed
The following links will take you to posts that explain each of the corresponding parts of the creed, based on Scripture and what the Church Fathers believed. The Church Fathers include those men who immediately followed the original apostles and often had direct contact with them, as well as others who lived during the early centuries after them.

We Believe in God, the Father Almighty

Creator of Heaven and Earth

Creator of Heaven and Earth: Angels

Creator of Heaven and Earth: Man

And in Jesus Christ, His 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

He Went Down to the Dead, the Third Day He Rose Again from the Dead

He Ascended into Heaven; Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty Wherefrom He Shall Come to Judge the Living and the Dead.

We Believe in the Holy Spirit

The Holy Apostolic Church

The Communion of Saints

The Forgiveness of Sins

The Resurrection of the Body

And Life Everlasting. Amen.

Attention DTS Students: DTS Students must click on each of the links above and read each of the posts at those links.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted. The Church Fathers writings are in the public domain and may be freely used and distributed.

Author's Note: You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Monday, August 24, 2015

God the Father Almighty

We Believe in God, the Father Almighty.

Scriptures
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4).

"There are three that give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one" (1 Jn. 5: 7).

“One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph.4: 6).

“Now this is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (Jn.17: 3).

Aristides of Athens, Apology to the Emperor Hadrian Caesar 1 & 4 (C. 140 AD):
"When I saw that the world and all that is in it is moved by a force, I understood that He who moves and maintains it is God; for whatever moves something is stronger than that which is moved, and whatever maintains something is stronger than that which is maintained. I call the One who constructed all things and maintains them God: He that is without beginning and eternal, immortal and lacking nothing, and who is above all passions and failings such as anger and forgetfulness and ignorance and the rest...Let us proceed, then, O King, to the elements themselves, so that we may demonstrate concerning them that they are not gods, but corruptible and changeable things, produced out of the non-existent by Him that is truly God, who is incorruptible and unchangeable and invisible."

Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 2, 13, 3 (C. 180 AD):
"Far removed is the Father of all from those things which operate among men, the affections and the passions. He is simple, not composed of parts, without structure, altogether like and equal to Himself alone. He is all mind, all spirit, all thought, all intelligence, all reason, all ear, all eye, all light, all fountain of every good; and this is the manner in which the religious and the pious are accustomed to speak of God."

Tertullian, Against Marcion 1, 18, 2 (Inter 207-212 AD):
"It is our definition that God must be known first from nature, and afterwards He is authenticated from instruction: by nature, from His works; by instruction, from His revelations."

Minucius Felix, The Octavius 18, 4 (Inter 218-235 AD):
"If upon entering some home you saw that everything there was well-tended, neat and decorative, you would believe that some master was in charge of it, and that he was himself much superior to those good things. So too in the home of this world, when you see providence, order, and law in the heavens and on earth, believe that there is a Lord and author of the universe, more beautiful than the stars themselves and…the whole world."

Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 4, 5 (C. 350 AD):
"This Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is not circumscribed in any place, nor is He less than the heavens...He knows beforehand the things that shall be, and is mightier than all. He knows all, and does as He will. He is not subject to the consequences of events, neither to astrological geniture, nor to chance, nor to fate. He is in all things perfect, and possesses equally every absolute of virtue, neither diminishing nor decreasing, but remains ever the same and unchanging."

Back to Home page, or go to Next Phrase of Apostles' Creed.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: Also see Who is God? and The Bodily Form of God the Father. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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Creator of Heaven and Earth

Creator of Heaven and Earth

Scriptures
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. 1:1).

"All things came into being through Him, and without Him not one thing came into being." (Jn.1:3).

"Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created." (Ps. 148:5).

“For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.” (Col.1:16).

The Shepherd of Hermas, Mand. 1, 1 (C. 140 -155 AD):
"Believe first of all that God is one, that He created all things and set them in order, and brought out of non-existence into existence everything that is, and that He contains all things while He Himself is uncontained."

Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies 4, 20, 1 (C. 180 AD):
"God had no need of others to make what He had already determined of Himself to make, as if He had not His own hands. For with Him always are the Word and the Wisdom, the Son and the Spirit, through whom and in whom He had made all things freely and spontaneously; and to whom He spoke, saying: ‘Let us make man in our image and likeness’."

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus 2, 4 (C. 181 AD):
"And what great thing were it, if God made the world out of existing Matter? Even a human artist, when he obtains material from someone, makes of it whatever he pleases. But the power of God is made evident in this, that he makes out of what does not exist whatever He pleases; and the giving of life and movement belongs to none other, but to God alone."

Origen, Fundamental Doctrines 2, 9, 6 (Inter 220-230 AD):
"...God, the Creator of all things, is good and just and almighty. He, when in the beginning He created those things which He wished to create, that is, rational beings, had no other cause for creating them except on account of Himself, that is, His own goodness."

Back to Home page, or go to Next Phrase of Apostles' Creed.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: Also see Who is God? and The Bodily Form of God the Father. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord

...And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord.

Scriptures
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (Jn.3:16).

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:5).

"God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11).

"Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee" (Heb. 1:5).

"He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation" (Col. 1:15).

Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians 36, 1 (C. 96-98 AD):
"This is the way, beloved, in which we found our salvation, Jesus Christ, the High Priest of our offerings, the defender and helper of our weakness. Through Him we fix our gaze on the heights of heaven; through Him we see the reflection of the faultless and lofty countenance of God; through him the eyes of our heart were opened; through him our foolish and darkened understanding shoots up to the light; through him the Master willed that we should taste of deathless knowledge; who, being the brightness of His majesty, is as much greater than the angels as the more glorious name which He has inherited."

Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians Address (C. 110 AD):
"Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church at Ephesus in Asia...united and chosen through true suffering by the will of the Father in Jesus Christ our God...There is one Physician, who is both flesh and spirit, born and not born, who is God in man, true life in death, born both of Mary and from God, first able to suffer and then unable to suffer, Jesus Christ our Lord...For our God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by Mary in accord with God’s plan: of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the Holy Spirit..."

Justin Martyr, First Apology 13 (Inter 148-155 AD):
"Our teacher of these things, born for this end, is Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, the procurator in Judea in the time of Tiberius Caesar. We will prove that we worship Him reasonably; for we have learned that He is the Son of the True God Himself, that He holds a second place, and the spirit of Prophecy a third. For this they accuse us of madness, saying that we attribute to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all things; but they are ignorant of the mystery which lies therein."

Tertullian, Apology 21, 6 (197 AD):
"So also, that which proceeds from God is God and Son of God, and both are one. Likewise, as He is Spirit from Spirit, and God from God, He is made a second by count and in numerical sequence, but not in actual condition; for He comes forth from the source but does not separate therefrom."

Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word of God Against the Arians 21 (C. 365 AD):
"And when (Christ) says, ‘Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me; yet, not My will be done, but Yours;’ and ‘the spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak,’ He gives evidence therein of two wills, the one human, which is of the flesh, and the one divine, which is of God. That which is human, because of the weakness of the flesh, shrinks from suffering. That, however, which is divine, is ready."

Back to Home page, or go to Next Phrase of Apostles' Creed.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: Also see Is Jesus God?, Supremacy of Christ, The Eternal Firstborn of All Creation, and The Bodily Form of the Lord Jesus Christ. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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We Believe in the Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit.

Scriptures
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever..." (Jn.14: 16).

“There is one body and one Spirit…” (Eph.4: 4)

"Likewise the Spirit helps in our weakness…the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:26-27).

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30).

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Ac.1:8).

“Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mt.28: 19,20).

Tertullian, Against Praxeas 25, 1 (Post 213 AD):
"The Father and the Son are distinguished by what is proper to each. He promises to send the Paraclete also, for whom He will ask the Father, after He has ascended to the Father; and He calls the Paraclete ‘another.’ How it is that He is ‘another’ we have already explained. Further, He says, ‘He will receive of what is mine,’ just as He Himself had received from the Father. Thus the connection of the Father in the Son, and of the Son in the Paraclete, produces three who, though coherent, are distinct one from another. These three are one, and yet not one: for ‘I and the Father are one’ was said in regard to their unity of substance, but not in regard to a singularity of number."

Hilary of Poitiers, The Trinity 2, 29 (Inter 356 - 359 AD):
"Concerning the Holy Spirit, however, I ought not remain silent, nor yet is it necessary to speak. Still, on account of those who do not know Him, it is not possible for me to be silent. However, it is not necessary to speak of Him who must be acknowledged, who is from the Father and the Son, His sources. Indeed, it is my opinion that there ought be no discussion about whether He exists...I think, however, that the reason why some remain in ignorance or doubt about this, is that they see this third name, that by which the Holy Spirit is named, applied frequently also to the Father and to the Son. But there need be no objection to this, for both Father and Son are spirit and holy."

Athanasius, Four Letters to Serapion of Thmuis 1, 24 (C. 359-360 AD):
"We are all said to be partakers of God through the Holy Spirit. ‘Do you not know,’ it says, ‘that you are a temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone ruins the temple of God, him will God ruin; for it is holy, this temple of God, which is just what you are.’ If the Holy Spirit were a creature, there could be no communion of God with us through Him. On the contrary, we would be joined to a creature, and we would be foreign to the divine nature, as having nothing in common with it...But if by participation in the Spirit we are made partakers in the divine nature, it is insanity for anyone to say that the Spirit has a created nature and not the nature of God."

Back to Home page, or go to Next Phrase of Apostles' Creed.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: Also see The Person of the Holy Spirit, The Holy Trinity, The Holy Spirit Speaks, and The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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The Holy Apostolic Church

...the Holy Apostolic Church...

Scriptures
"…You may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Mt.16: 18-19).

“…Christ is the head of the Church.” (Eph.5: 23).

“He is the head of the Body, the Church.” (Col.1: 13).

"There is one Body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." (Eph 4:4-6)

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." (Eph 2:19-22).

"But now there are many members, but one Body...Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it." (1Co 12:20,27)

The So-Called Second Letter of Clement of Rome to the Corinthians 14, 2 (C. 150 AD):
"I presume that you are not ignorant of the fact that the living Church is the body of Christ. The Scripture says, ‘God made man male and female.’ The male is Christ, and the female is the Church. Moreover, the Books and the Apostles declare that the Church belongs not to the present, but has existed from the beginning. She was spiritual, just as was our Jesus; but He was manifested in the last days so that He might save us. And the Church, being spiritual, was manifested in the flesh of Christ."

Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies 7, 17, 107, 3 (Post 202 AD):
"From what has been said, then, it seems clear to me that the true Church, that which is really ancient, is one; and in it are enrolled those who, in accord with a design, are just...We say, therefore, that in substance, in concept, in origin and in eminence, the ancient and catholic* Church is alone, gathering as it does into the unity of the one faith which results from the familiar covenants, — or rather, from the one covenant in different times, by the will of the one God and through the one Lord, — those already chosen, those predestined by God, Who knew before the foundation of the world that they would be just."

*Catholic means "universal", not the Roman church, which has many unbiblical practices.

Back to Home page, or go to Next Phrase of Apostles' Creed.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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The Communion of the Saints

...the Communion of the Saints...

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it" (1 Co. 12: 26-27).

"So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another" (Rom. 12:5).

"...the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (Eph 3:6)

“My prayer is not or them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” (Jn.17: 20,21).

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 Jn.1: 3)

“God is Light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 Jn.1: 5-7).

"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Act 2:42)

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb 10:24-25, NIV)

"Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, 'This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!' When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, 'Get up, and do not be afraid.' And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone." (Mat 17:1-8)

“I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he *said to me, ‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.’” (Rev 22:8-9)

Jesus said, "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken." (Mar 12:27).

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead." (Deu 18:10-11)

Back to Home page, or go to Next Phrase of Apostles' Creed.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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The Forgiveness of Sins

...the forgiveness of sins...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:3, 7).

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven. Then some of the scribes said to themselves, This man is blaspheming. But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Stand up and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins — he then said to the paralytic — Stand up, take your bed and go to your home. And he stood up and went to his home" (Mt.9: 2-7).

"As the Father has sent me, so I send you...Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained" (Jn. 20:21-23).

"Repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations" (Lk. 24:47).

“Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Mt.12: 31)

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Heb.8: 12).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn.1: 9).

Back to Home page, or go to Next Phrase of Apostles' Creed.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Note: Also see God Forgives and Forgets. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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