“Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you confessedthe good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” ~ 1 Timothy 6:12

Over the last several decades of my life, I have attended quite a few church services involving quite a few different Christian denominations. Admittedly, most of my visits during my youth were compulsory (and less than thrilling), and yet all of them over the last ten+ years of my life have been completely voluntary and engaged with both verve & vigor. And yet, regardless of my reasons for attending these worship services, and regardless of how enthralled or not I happened to have found them, I was almost always intrigued – whenever I encountered it – by the Apostles’ Creed.

Now most of you know of the Apostles’ Creed or have yourselves heard it firsthand. It is, after all, a regular “guest” at many Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist & Congregationalist church services & baptisms, and is a frequent “attendee” of the weekly Roman Catholic Mass as well (especially in the West, where since 2002, it has been officially sanctioned as a liturgical replacement for its more formal, yet quite similar “profession of faith” cousin, the Nicene Creed).

I will admit, when hearing it during my earlier, mandatory church-visits, I didn’t really pay too close attention. I found it unusual that everyone seemed to know it by heart, and I realized quickly that I was expected to know it by heart as well, so I simply stood up when everyone else stood up, silently moved my mouth to the same rhythm as folks nearby, and then sat back down and waited for the service to be over … While my boredom is easily justified by the ignorance of my youth, the fact remains that I had no idea what the Apostles’ Creed actually said until I was over 35 years old.

And yet over the last decade or so of my life – ever since I started earnestly studying the texts of the Bible back in the early months of 2004 – I have begun to pay closer & closer attention to the Apostles’ Creed whenever I hear it. After all, it is a most intriguing puzzle for any earnest student of the Bible. For one thing, it is somewhat difficult to locate the Biblical sources for its various components, and for another, it is almost impossible to reconcile its theological tenants with “The Way” of selfless LOVE as taught by Jesus Christ in the Gospels.

And so today, I thought it would be fun to break down the Apostles’ Creed into its fifteen short sections, and see what Jesus himself had to say about each of them.

Please note that what follows here is nothing at all “from me” — only the Apostles’ Creed as spoken in church most Sundays, and the words of Jesus Christ taken straight from the Bible itself. I have purposefully removed my own thoughts & opinions from the narrative completely, to make it easier for you to draw your own personal conclusions, if not intuit your own unique inspirations as well.

And so, to those potential Noble Ends, my Friends …
I simply say: enJOY!

Scaughdt

……………………………………..

THE APOSTLES’ CREED …
[& a few thoughts from Jesus]

“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
[“And on that day you will know that I am in my Father … and you in me … and I in you.” ~ Jesus Christ, in John 14:20]

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
[“Why do you call me good? No one is truly good but God alone … Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in Him who sent me … If you truly loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” ~ Jesus Christ, in Mark 10:18, John 12:44 & John 14:28]

… who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
[“The Spirit of the Lord has sent me to proclaim release to all captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to let all the oppressed go free … It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” ~ Jesus Christ, in Luke 4:18 & John 6:63]

… born of the virgin Mary,
[“’Who is my mother and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whomever does the Will of my Father in Heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother … And by this will everyone know that you are truly my disciples: when you show Love for one another.’” ~ Jesus Christ, in Matthew 12:48-50 & John 13:35]

… suffered under Pontius Pilate,
[“The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes.” ~ Jesus Christ, in Luke 9:22 + “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” ~ Pontius Pilate, in Matthew 27:24]

… was crucified, died, and was buried.
[“For the Son of Man must go as it has been written of him; … handed over to sinners, and crucified.” ~ Jesus Christ, in Mark 14:21 & Luke 24:7]

He descended to the dead, and on the third day he rose again.
[“Let the dead bury their own dead … For the Father is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” ~ Jesus Christ, in Luke 9:60 & Luke 20:38]

He then ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
[“All power is given to me in Heaven … For in fact, the Kingdom of Heaven is already within you.” ~ Jesus Christ, in Matthew 28:18 & Luke 17:21]

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
[“You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one … For I do not judge anyone who hears my words and yet does not keep them, for I have come not to judge the world, but to offer it salvation.” ~ Jesus Christ, in John 8:15 & John 12:47]

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
[“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Guide to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of Truth … You will know it, because it abides with you, and because it resides within you … This Guide, the Holy Spirit, will teach you everything, and will remind you of what I have said to you.” ~ Jesus Christ, in John 14:16-26]

… the holy catholic church,
[“And I tell you, you are PETER, and on THIS rock I will build my church.” ~ Jesus Christ, in Matthew 16:18]

… the communion of saints,
[“Is it not written in your law, ‘You are gods’? … Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” ~ Jesus Christ, in John 10:34 & John 11:9-10]

… the forgiveness of sins,
[“For when you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you … Not merely seven times [are you to forgive them], but, I tell you, seventy times seven times.” ~ Jesus Christ, in Matthew 6:14 & Matthew 18:22]

… the resurrection of the body,
[“No one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven without being born of both water and Spirit … The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, yet know not from where it comes or where it goes. So it is with everyone who has been born of Spirit … Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life … Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will do the works I do.” ~ Jesus Christ, in John 3:5-8, John 5:24 & John 14:12]

… and the life everlasting.”
[“I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment … And I know that this commandment is eternal life … And this is my commandment: that you Love one another just as I have Loved you.” ~ Jesus Christ, in John 12:49-50 & John 15:12]

Amen … Let it be so.

Filed under: My Favorite Verses by Scaughdt