The Apostles' Creed (part one)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty" (Genesis 17:1).

Some years back, a movie actress was asked about her beliefs. She answered, "I almost believe a little bit of everything." That was her problem; not long after, she committed suicide. To ‘almost believe a little bit of everything’ leads to total confusion in heart and mind. To believe in things that are false is a tragic mistake, because a person’s life and happiness are based on what he or she believes.

As a Christian, what do you believe? The core teachings of our faith are beautifully summarized in words we memorized for confirmation and recite almost every Sunday in worship—the Apostles’ Creed. Starting this weekend I am launching a series of devotions on this Creed; it is my hope that God would deepen your convictions and thus fill your life with the security and joy that come from living life based on the truth.

The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest of the creeds, and it is divided into three parts. The first speaks of God the Father, the second is concerned with God the Son, and the third addresses God the Holy Spirit. But each of the three sections begins with the same words: I believe.

One of the most important words in any language is the word believe. The Bible says, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). We also read, Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:16). Every person’s happiness and hope for eternal joy rests on understanding the meaning of this word.

A little story might illustrate what it means to believe. A two-story house caught on fire. Rescuers arriving on the scene saw a little girl at an upstairs window. Firemen spread a net beneath the window and urged the girl to jump. But no matter how desperately they pleaded, the girl only shook her head. While this was going on, the father heard about the fire and raced home from work as fast as he could. When he reached the house, he stood beneath the window and told his daughter to jump. Immediately she leaped from the window and landed safely in his arms. You see, the firemen were strangers, but she knew and trusted her father.

To believe in God is to throw yourself into the arms of the Lord because you know and trust Him. It means trusting in His power, His wisdom, and His love. It means entrusting Him with all that you are and with all that you have, confident that He will take care of you, body and soul.

Notice that we do not say "we believe." The words of the creed are "I believe" because Scripture says: the righteous [person] will live by his faith (Romans 1:17). As wonderful as it is to be surrounded by people who believe in God, their faith does not get us into heaven. God looks into each person’s heart to see if He is welcome there. Regardless of whether your mom or dad or husband or wife is a believer, your relationship with God is yours alone. And yet what joy there is to be among a crowd of people who can speak together as if with one voice, I believe!

There is, of course, only one God, and He demands absolute fidelity: You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). Yet ever since sin entered the world, men and women have made themselves other gods to worship. In the wilderness, at the very foot of God’s holy mountain, the Israelites constructed and prayed to a golden statue made to look like a calf. When Paul visited Athens he found a shrine dedicated to a different god on almost every street corner; he even found one dedicated to the ‘unknown god,’ erected because the people wanted to make sure they didn’t accidentally miss any. In today’s India, cities and country roads are crowded with temples and shrines dedicated to so many different gods that some have said India has more gods than people to worship them. Here in our United States, the gods that demand our time, money and love are more subtle—they consist of such things as fancy homes, vehicles with all the options, unrestricted sexual gratification, career advancement, devotion to a sport, and a host of other things that have ceased being pleasant ‘extras’ and are now regarded as "necessities."

In the midst of all these false gods demanding our attention, God has revealed the truth—that no matter how precious they may seem, they are only man-made distractions that have no lasting value. So instead, you give your allegiance to the only true God—the God who was and who is and who will be forever.

In the Creed we call God our Father not just because He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also because He is our Father. It wasn’t easy for Him to become our Father. Sin had separated us from God. Our fearful and suspicious natures would not allow us to trust Him. We are naturally inclined to follow the devil rather than obey God, and the Father of Lies was delighted to be our father. The result was helpless slavery to sinful urges, inevitable death, and eternal punishment. This was our choice, not God’s. God always wanted to be Father to everyone He created. And so, when Adam and Eve committed sin for the first time, God immediately promised to send a Savior. Paul assures us, when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law (Romans 5:6). God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

What amazing love! Not only did God promise a Savior, He fulfilled that promise through His own beloved Son. He sent the joy of His heart down to earth to go through the pain of childbirth, to humbly subject Himself to the Laws of God intended to govern human lives, and to pay the price demanded for our redemption. That price was unbelievably high—it required the Son of God to accept responsibility for our sins and then be rejected by His Father and put to death for them. Jesus was cursed by God to spare us the curse that comes from breaking God’s holy laws. Jesus experienced rejection by God so that we might enjoy His acceptance. Jesus was sent out of His Father’s house so that we might be welcomed in as God’s adopted sons and daughters. That’s why we call Him Father.

God is our Father. He cares for us. Will a loving father give his daughter a stone when she asks for bread, or his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Of course not. If we who are flawed humans know how to give good things to our children, how much more, says Jesus, will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (Matthew 7:9-11) God is our Father. We can go to Him with the confidence of children approaching their loving father. We can talk to Him about anything, pouring out our hearts with the knowledge that He will listen and He will help.

God is our Father. We are His heirs—joint heirs with His own Son Jesus Christ. We have a share in a wonderful inheritance—not an inheritance of property or goods which eventually lose their value, but an inheritance of forgiveness, inner peace, confidence, and eternal bliss in paradise. These are the blessings that come to all who say, I believe in God the Father.

When God appeared to Abram, He identified Himself with these words: I am God Almighty. Psalm 121 says, My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. When Mary asked Gabriel how she, an unmarried virgin, could give birth to the promised Savior, the angel told her nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Our God is all-powerful; He can do whatever He pleases.

Creation is proof of His almighty power. A pastor once gave his confirmation class an assignment: the following week, they were to bring something which they had made out of nothing. The students quickly realized how impossible this was. One asked, "Who can make something out of nothing?" Only God can. He made the entire universe out of nothing. He created energy and time, matter and life. In six days, God created an intricate, perfectly functioning universe designed to give glory to His name—proof indeed that God is almighty.

This is our God—the Father, almighty! What this means to us in our lives was demonstrated repeatedly by Jesus as He met the needs of those who trusted Him.

God controls the weather. Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee by boat. After Jesus fell asleep, the weather became nasty—wind-swept waves soon threatened to sink the ship. Finally, soaked to the skin and badly frightened, the disciples awoke Him: Master, Master, we're going to drown! Jesus spoke just a few words—Quiet! Be still!—and the storm was ended (Mark 4:37-39). God our Father is the Almighty God. If you want a change in the weather, ask Him; if it’s for your good and the good of others, He’ll change it.

God controls our supply of food. Following a long day of teaching far from any town, Jesus told His disciples to feed the thousands who had come to listen. His followers were astonished at His command; one said, Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? But Jesus blessed the meager supply of food, and when the disciples finished distributing it, not only did everyone get enough to eat, there were leftovers as well! (John 6:5:13) God our Father is the Almighty God. If you have had food, clothing and a place to stay this past week, praise the Lord for it was He who supplied it.

God controls our enemies. When Christ was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, Judas led a force of men to arrest Him. When this group moved to also arrest the disciples, Jesus said let these men go (John 18:8). As a result of this command, only Jesus was arrested and put to death. God our Father is the almighty God—criminals, drunken drivers, infectious diseases, not even the devil himself can hurt or molest us when the Father tells them "no."

God is in control of life and death. When Lazarus became gravely sick, his sisters sent for Jesus. But by the time that the Lord arrived, Lazarus was already four days in the tomb. Nevertheless, Jesus demanded that the place of death be reopened, and as the sealing stone was removed He shouted, Lazarus, come out! Obedient to the Savior’s call, Lazarus stepped out of his tomb alive and well. This is why Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die (John 11:11-44). God our Father is the Almighty, the Lord of life.

In most church records, there is a column under ‘funerals’ which asks for the cause of death. Typically one finds entries like heart attack, cancer, traffic accident and so on. But one pastor stopped making such entries—in his book of records, he simply wrote: "God called him." Heart attacks and cancer are only outward symptoms; we who are believers only live here until such time as God calls us—not to die, but to live with Him forever in His kingdom.

No wonder that our hearts are filled with warmth and joy every time we join with the family of God in confessing: "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." Because we believe in Him, we are blessed beyond measure. Let our response be that of the man who wrote Psalm 100: Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.