A Few Short Notes on the Apostles Creed

APOSTLES’ CREED

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

I believe 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 descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into 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 Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

B1 Apostle’s Creed

C1 First article: I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

D1 I believe

E1 Believe= “What you are saying is true, the truth.” It is similar to faith. Faith is believing God.

E2 Christian belief is what is most reasonable. It is not blind faith.

E3 Explain the difference between blind faith and reasonable faith.

D2 In God

E1 Essentially, all Christians have a good definition of God. Calvinists, Arminians, Roman Catholics, or Orthodox groups have the same definition.

E2 Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, etc. have a different definition.

E3 From the Literal Bible Blog site Statement of Faith: We believe in one God, co-equal, co-eternal, and of the same essence, who is infinitely perfect and eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - and that He created everything out of nothing for His own pleasure and purpose in 6 literal, 24 hours days.

D3 The Father

E1 The “names” or designations of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are names chosen and revealed by God. These are the roles God chose for Himself. It does not mean the Father is a superior God to the Son or Holy Spirit.

E2 He is Father because He is creator and the Father of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary.

E3 He is Father as the Scriptures reveal Him, not necessarily as human fathers act.

E4 Some characteristics of God the Father that human fathers must have:

F1 Love and compassion: Psalms 103:13 NRSV As a father has compassion for his children, so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.

F2 Providence and care: Matthew 6:26 NRSV Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

F3 Teaches and corrects: Proverbs 3:11-12 WEB My son, don’t despise Yahweh’s discipline, neither be weary of his reproof:  12  for whom Yahweh loves, he reproves; even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights.

F4 And these characteristics: Psalms 86:15 NKJV But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

D4 Almighty

E1 Here we think of the omni’s of God.

F1 Omnipotent

G1 Testified in God’s presence: Job 42:2 NRSV  "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

G2 Jesus proclaims: Mark 10:26-27 WEL 26 And they were extremely amazed saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?" 27 Jesus looking at them said, "With people [this is] impossible but not with God, for with God all things are possible."

G3 God is able to make us able: Philippians 4:13 NKJV  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

F2 Omnipresent

G1 Psalms 139:7-8 NRSV  Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?  8  If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

G2 Jeremiah 23:23-24 NRSV  Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off?  24  Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD.

G3 Proverbs 15:3 NRSV  The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

F3 Omniscient

G1 His understanding is infinite: Psalms 147:5 WEB  Great is our Lord, and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite.

G2 His understanding is beyond our comprehension: Isaiah 40:28 NRSV  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

G3 He knows everything in the past and the future: Isaiah 46:9-10 NRSV  remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me,  10  declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention.

F4 Omnisapient (Perfect and complete wisdom)

G1 Beyond our understanding: Romans 11:33-34 NRSV  O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  34  "For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?

G2 Wisdom to make a perfect creation (before Adam’s sin): Proverbs 3:19-20 NRSV  The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;  20  by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.

G3 Jesus has all wisdom: Colossians 2:2-3 NRSV  I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ himself,  3  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

F5 Omnibenevolent

G1 Examples from the life of Messiah Jesus: Acts 10:38 NRSV  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

G2 None good like God: Luke 18:19 NRSV  Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

G3 Good comes from God: James 1:17 WEB  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.

E2 Sovereignty

F1 God can do anything He wants at any time.

F2 No one can stop Him in any way.

F3 God occasionally has conditions depending on one’s choice. These conditions are part of His will.

G1 God’s conditions are based on love.

G2 They are true conditions, if He states the condition.

H1 Good choice: Psalms 119:30 WEB  I have chosen the way of truth. I have set your ordinances before me. (Some translations use faithfulness for the Hebrew word. It is translated as truth in other passages. Personally, I think the idea of faithfulness is inherent in the word chosen).

H2 Bad choice: Proverbs 1:29 NRSV  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD.

G3 1 Kings 18:21 NRSV  Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." The people did not answer him a word.

G4 After God sovereignly opens our eyes and heart, we must make a choice: Matthew 7:13-14 NRSV  "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.  14  For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

F4 God sovereignly decrees a measure of liberation free will, for love is a choice.

F5 God cannot do what is against His nature or illogical things.

G1 God cannot lie: Hebrews 6:18 WEB  that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.

G2 God cannot make something that is too big to carry.

D5 Maker of heaven and earth

E1 The universe did not come from nothing; it was created from nothing.

F1 Genesis 1:1-2 WEB  In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  2  The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

F2 Hebrews 1:10 WEB  And, “You, Lord, in the beginning, laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the works of your hands.

F3 Psalms 33:6-9 GNB  The LORD created the heavens by his command, the sun, moon, and stars by his spoken word.  7  He gathered all the seas into one place; he shut up the ocean depths in storerooms.  8  Worship the LORD, all the earth! Honor him, all peoples of the world!  9  When he spoke, the world was created; at his command everything appeared.

E2 Design has shown everything to be very complex.

F1 Psalms 19:1 NRSV  To the leader. A Psalm of David. The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

F2 Romans 1:19-20 NRSV  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  20  Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.

F3 When something is made, it assumes a designer as well as a craftsman: Hebrews 3:4 NRSV  (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

E3 A master genius is the only source of the universe.

F1 Isaiah 44:24 NRSV  Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth.

F2 Psalms 8:3 GNB  When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places

F3 Psalms 19:1 NRSV  To the leader. A Psalm of David. The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

E4 God created all things in 6, 24 hour days.

F1 Exodus 20:11 NRSV  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

F2 Exodus 31:17 NKJV ‘It [is] a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for [in] six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.

F3 The literal gives the best sense: Genesis 1:5 LITV  And God called the light, Day. And He called the darkness, Night. And there was evening, and there was morning the first day.

C2 Second article: I believe 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 descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into 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.

D1 I believe The same as above. It is an affirmation of our Christianity.

D2 Jesus Christ

E1 This is the man Jesus. He is fully man—body, soul, and spirit.

F1 John 1:14 NRSV  And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

F2 1 John 4:2 NRSV  By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

F3 Philippians 2:7 NRSV  but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form.

F4 Matthew 27:50 NKJV  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

F5 John 12:27 NRSV  Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.

E2 This is the God Jesus. He is fully God.

F1 John 20:28 NRSV  Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

F2 John 5:18 GNB92 This saying made the Jewish authorities all the more determined to kill him; not only had he broken the Sabbath law, but he had said that God was his own Father and in this way had made himself equal with God.

F3 Colossians 2:9 NRSV  For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.

E3 He is one person with 2 natures.

E4 He is not a mixture.

D3 His only Son

E1 God has only one begotten Son.

F1 Prophesied: Psalms 2:7 NRSV  I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have begotten you.

F2 Born: Matthew 1:23 NRSV  "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us."

F3 Revealed: Matthew 3:17 NRSV  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

F4 Is exalted: Hebrews 1:5 NRSV  For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"?

F4 Is Son and THE High Priest: Hebrews 5:5 NRSV  So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you

E2 Believers are sons and daughters by adoption.

F1 John 1:12 NRSV  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.

F2 Ephesians 1:5 GNB  God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose.

D4 Our Lord

E1 Jesus is Lord of the church.

F1 Ephesians 1:22 NRSV  And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church.

F2 Colossians 1:18 NRSV  He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

E2 He is Lord of creation.

F1 Zechariah 6:5 NRSV  The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of heaven going out, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.

F2 Deuteronomy 10:17 NRSV  For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe.

F3 Revelation 17:14 NRSV  they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.

E3 He is Lord of judgment.

F1 John 5:22 NRSV  The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son.

F2 John 5:26-27 NRSV  For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself;  27  and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

F3 Acts 10:42 NRSV  He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.

D5 Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

E1 Jesus had a supernatural birth.

F1 Isaiah 7:14 WEB  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

F2 Luke 2

E2 No human fathered Jesus.

F1 Luke 1:35 NKJV  And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

F2 Matthew 1:20 WPNT But while he pondered these things, wow, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary as your wife, because that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

D6 Born of the virgin Mary

E1 Mary was not just a young woman. The Greek word Dr. Luke used is virgin.

F1 Luke 1:27 NRSV  to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

F2 παρθένος, -ου, ἡ Gloss: virgin (male and female), one who has never engaged in sexual relations (Source).

E2 Mary was medically a virgin.

D7 Suffered under Pontius Pilate

E1 Jesus was scourged: John 19:1 NKJV  So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him.

E2 Jesus was mocked: Luke 22:63 NRSV  Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him.

E3 Jesus was ordered to be killed by Pontius Pilate: Mark 15:15 NRSV  So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

D8 Was crucified

E1 He was nailed to a cross.

E2 He was crucified Roman style.

D9 Died

E1 He was fully dead. It was confirmed by soldiers: John 19:32-34 NRSV  Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.  33  But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.  34  Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.

E2 He died voluntarily, not as a result of crucifixion. John 19:30 NRSV When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

D10 Was buried

E1 He was not cast out and eaten by dogs.

E2 He did not revive on the way to the tomb.

E3 Matthew 14:12 NRSV  His disciples came and took the body and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.

E4 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NKJV  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  4  and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

D11 He descended into hell

E1 He went to Hades. Acts 2:31 WPNT he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah, that His soul was not abandoned in Hades, nor did His flesh see decay.

E2 He did not suffer from satan.

E3 He did preach that He was Messiah and His victory over sin.

F1 1 Peter 3:18-20 NKJV  For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,  19  by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,  20  who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

F2 There is considerable disagreement on the interpretation.

G1 First

H1 Spirit in verse 18 refers to Jesus’s spirit.

H2 Jesus’s spirit preached to the spirits in prison.

H3 These were those who died in Noah’s flood.

H4 They were informed of Messiah and His victory over sin.

H5 This interpretation doesn’t lend any support to a second chance for salvation, which must be done by, not sight. Judgment is after death (Hebrews 9:27 NKJV  And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment).

G2 Second

H1 Spirit in verse 18 refers to the Holy Spirit.

H2 Noah preached the Gospel to people before the flood. God’s Spirit blessed his preaching. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Lord Jesus.

H3 Jesus didn’t preach in the three days between His death and resurrection.

H4 This seems more reasonable based on the plain, normal sense of the passage and the context of the rest of Scripture.

F3 Make alive by the Spirit refers to Jesus’s resurrection.

D12 The third day he rose again from the dead

E1 Probably crucified on Thursday.

E2 Some believe His crucifixion was Wednesday, OR Thursday, OR Friday.

E3 Nevertheless, it was 3 days and nights.

F1 Predicted: Mark 10:34 WPNT and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And on the third day He will rise again.”

F2 Secured by His enemies: Matthew 27:64 WPNT Therefore command that the grave be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him and say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead’, and the last deception will be worse than the first.”

F3 Witnessed. It even happened while guarded by the Romans soldiers. Luke 24:21-24 WPNT And we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel! Further, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.  Moreover certain women of our group astonished us—arriving early at the tomb,  and not finding his body, they came saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.  And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but him they didn’t see.”

D13 He ascended into heaven: Acts 1:9-11 NRSV When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  10  While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.  11  They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

D14 And is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty

E1 Waits in this place of honor: Acts 5:31 WPNT Him God has exalted to His right hand as Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

E2 Intercedes for His people: Romans 8:34 WPNT Who is he who condemns? Christ is He who died, but even more, was indeed raised, who indeed is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes on our behalf.

D15 From there he will come to judge

E1 2 Timothy 4:1 WPNT Now then, in the presence of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge both living and dead with a view to His appearing and His Kingdom, I give you this charge.

E2 Romans 2:16 WPNT in the day when God, according to my Gospel, will judge people’s secrets by Jesus Christ.

E3 John 5:22 WPNT In fact the Father does not judge anyone but has committed all the judging to the Son.

D16 The living and the dead

E1 The living are those who are alive at His return as in Zechariah 14.

E2 The dead are conscious.

E3 John 5:22 NRSV  The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son.

E4 Acts 10:39-43 NRSV  We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;  40  but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,  41  not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.  42  He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.  43  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

C3 Third article: 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.

D1 I believe

D2 In the Holy Spirit

E1 He is a person, not just a force. John 16:13 WPNT However, when He, the Spirit of the Truth, has come, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also communicate to you the things that are coming.

E2 Acts 5:3-4 WPNT So Peter said: “Ananias, on what basis has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the price of the land?  While it remained [unsold] was it not yours, and once sold was it not in your power? How is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You did not lie to men but to God.”

D3 The holy Christian Church

E1 The church is not an organization.

F1 Romans 12:5 NRSV  so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.

F2 Colossians 1:18 NRSV  He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

E2 The church is a family of believers.

F1 1 Peter 2:17 NRSV  Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

F2 Galatians 6:10 NRSV  So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

D4 The communion of saints

E1 We are a fellowship with each other and with God Himself: 1 John 1:3 WPNT that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, so that you also may have fellowship with us; indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

E2 We were created for fellowship. Genesis 3:8 GNB92 That evening they heard the LORD God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees.

E3 1 Corinthians 10:17 WPNT Since the loaf is one, we, the many, are one body, because we all partake of that single loaf.

D5 The forgiveness of sins

E1 1 John 1:9 GNB92 But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.

E2 Ephesians 1:7 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

D6 The resurrection of the body

E1 This refers to our resurrection.

E2 It is promised.

F1 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 NKJV Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching [is] empty and your faith [is] also empty.  Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up–if in fact the dead do not rise.  For if [the] dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, your faith [is] futile; you are still in your sins!  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. And more through the whole chapter.

F2 1 Thessalonians 4:16 HCSB For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

D7 and the life everlasting.

E1 Matthew 25:46 HCSB “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

E2 1 John 5:11 HCSB And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

D8 Amen