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 Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father
Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of
saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.
From childhood I can recall standing with my mother and brothers in the sanctuary of our church and along with other family and friends rhythmically declaring what I believed as if I were giving an Easter recitation. It was seared into my memory and spoken from my naïve lips with little consideration to what it was I was affirming. These many years later, I stand in the same sanctuary each Sunday and make the same affirmation with about the same volume level but with a great deal more conviction that it is what I believe.
In this culture of spiritual syncretism (merging of many vastly different beliefs), people aren’t clear on what, if anything, they believe. When members of the A.M.E. Zion Church stand each Sunday and affirm their faith through the use, of the Apostles’ Creed, we are declaring clearly our core beliefs.
The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest rule or standard of faith known to the Christian Church. Although not the direct work of the Apostles, it does have its roots in apostolic times, is consistent with apostolic teaching, and was used in the earliest baptism rituals to catechize (instruct) new converts.
Some have raised questions about the phrase; “He descended into hell…” The clause was one of the latest additions to the Creed and was borrowed from another creed of the fourth century. Because of its absence in the earliest creedal language and the various misinterpretations, we do not use this statement. So, next Sunday when we stand to affirm our faith using the Apostles’ Creed, let’s stand up, with our heads up and eyes open (it’s not a prayer) and boldly tell the world what we believe:
I Believe in God
I believe in God, who is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This divine community of love is at the same time transcendent and yet, imminent; both unsearchable and accessible; both mysterious and profoundly evident. I believe that God is perfect love, wisdom, and holiness. This God, in whom I believe is a covenant making, covenant keeping God. God-self is reflected in covenant community, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
I believe in God who is worthy of our worship and who has created us to glorify Him. This God whom I worship is the liberator of those who are oppressed and the just God who judges the oppressor.
I Believe in Jesus Christ
I believe in Jesus Christ and that He is the second Person of the Trinity. He is God incarnate. I believe that God was decisively present in the person and work of Jesus Christ to reconcile his creation and to liberate humanity from its bondage to sin, death, and all other evil powers that threaten to ruin God’s good creation. I personally confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, which means that I accept the atoning work accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection. He lived the life of complete dependency upon the Father that calls me to trust God totally. His death demonstrated the reality and power of evil, violence, and sin, but his resurrection proved the ultimate power of God to conquer them all.
I Believe in the Holy Spirit
I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe that the Holy Spirit is God and is the third Person in the Holy Trinity. As it has been said; God is not only over us (the Father) and for us (the Son) but God is also in us (the Holy Spirit). It is as one is filled with the Spirit that they are empowered to live for Christ and become partakers of the Kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit is the agent of our new birth in Christ, the power who transforms us from the old to the new, from a life enslaved to sin to the new reality of intimate fellowship with God.
I Believe in the Church
When we declare that we believe in the holy catholic church, we are NOT saying the Roman Catholic Church. This has nothing to do with the pope, but with the Church as the Body of Christ in all places for all times. The church is not a product of human striving and aspiration. The Holy Spirit establishes, sustains, and reforms the community of disciples who live by their picture of Jesus and the love of God.
The church is the ecclesia, the called out community of believers who share in our purposes of worship, praise, work, and witness to the glory of God and the transformation of the world, beginning with individuals, families, and our local communities. We join with Christians of all ages, past, present, and future, including their voices in our chorus of praise and witness for Christ.
I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sin
I believe in the forgiveness of sin. This is a core principle for all Christians. For me, I understand that justification comes from faith in Christ alone, not of works, lest any man shall boast. Justification is a term from the judicial sphere and means “acquitting” or “making right.” Therefore, when we speak of being justified by grace, we are saying that our broken relationship with God has been restored by faith in Jesus Christ as the free gift of God through grace.
Sanctification is the process whereby a believer, one who has been justified, is set apart in his or her attitudes, actions, and character to bring glory to God. As we grow in spiritual maturity we are being conformed to the image of Christ by the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. John Wesley would remind us that the distinguishing mark of moving towards Christian perfection or sanctification is the mark of love. Increasing in our love towards God and other humans is a process that is central to Christian sanctification.
I Believe in Life after Death
I believe in the resurrection of the dead. I believe that the Lord is coming back to judge the living and the dead. So states the Apostles’ Creed, so claims the scripture. To speak of Eschatology is to speak about the end things, but it speaks of so much more. It speaks of beginnings and purpose, goals and destiny.
We believe through the divine revelation revealed in Christ Jesus that the entire creation is moving towards fulfillment of its purpose. This will not happen simply through technological, scientific, economic, and political advancements as some would propose. This also will not be a totally, other worldly, non-material existence as some others would propose. The Kingdom of God was inaugurated through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and will reach its full culmination when God creates a new heaven and a new earth.
This view of eschatology has both a “not yet” and a “right now” perspective. While I acknowledge that creation is still groaning, as Paul would say,
"We are partakers of the new creation in the here and now, through the Holy Spirit. Creation, God’s good when viewed as creation, must witness to the new creation."
I don’t know exactly the specs of the new creation, but I strongly suspect it will be made out of the material and with the design of this one.
In a similar manner, the resurrection of the saints will in some ways consist of a body. Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 15, a spiritual body. It seems that the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the first-fruits of many sets the pattern. We will have a body that is recognizably us and yet not subject to sickness, decay, and death. Scholars refer to this as continuity and discontinuity. It is earth and heaven, body and spirit, dust and divine coming into complete harmony.
I believe that the triune God is so much love that God created us to be in relationship with Him and with one another. I believe that sin, our self-centeredness, distorted and damaged our relationship, but that through God’s grace and faith in Jesus Christ, I am redeemed, justified, and am being sanctified. I believe that through the worship, witness, and work of the church, I am a part of God’s renewing through the Holy Spirit of His creation and a reflection of God’s glory. I believe that the Lord dwells in us through the Holy Spirit to empower us to work, worship and witness. I believe that the Lord Jesus is indeed coming back again to establish His ultimate reign and that we as believers will live eternally with Him. I believe what I have affirmed almost every Sunday morning for almost half a century.
AMEN!
