“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
“but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31)
Introduction to the Apostles’ Creed
What do you believe? Where to you place your hope?
After spending ten days in the Ten Commandments, we now come to the Apostles’ Creed.
And the transition is important.
The Commandments teach us what God requires.
The Creed teaches us what God gives.
That’s why Luther arranged the catechism this way. First, God shows us His holy will and exposes our sin. We see our need for a savior. We’re cut to the heart with guilt and shame and left asking the question, “What can I do?”
Then God shows us Himself and all that He has done for our salvation. He shows us that He is our savior.
In other words, the Creed is not primarily about what you do.
It is about what God has done.
When many people hear the word creed, they think of a list of beliefs or doctrines. And it certainly is that. The Creed summarizes the Christian faith and teaches us who God is.
But the Creed is more than information.
It is a confession of trust.
Imagine sitting in a chair. You can believe the chair exists. You can understand how it was built and explain its purpose.
But faith is actually sitting down in it.
In a similar way, Christian faith is not merely knowing facts about God. It is trusting Him.
The writer to the Hebrews describes faith as confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. That doesn’t mean faith is a blind leap into the dark. Faith rests on God’s promises, His actions in history, and above all, His Son.
John says that the things written in Scripture were recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
Notice where faith comes from.
Faith comes from hearing what God has done. Romans 10:17 says it this way,
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
That is why the Creed begins, not with us, but with God.
“I believe in God the Father Almighty…”
The focus is not on the strength of our faith. The focus is on the God in whom we believe. It’s not the strength of the faith that saves, it’s the object of the faith…God in Christ Jesus.
This about it with our chair analogy. What important isn’t how confidently or tentatively you lower yourself into the chair. It matters whether the chair is sturdy. God’s promises are as sturdy as they come.
And that is good news.
Because there are days when your faith feels strong and days when it feels weak. There are days when confidence comes easily and days when doubts creep in.
Your salvation does not rest on the strength of your faith.
It rests on the faithfulness of God.
Over the next several days, we will walk through the Creed article by article or part by part. We will see the Father who creates, the Son who redeems, and the Holy Spirit who calls and keeps us in the faith.
But today, begin with this simple truth:
Christianity is not first about what you do for God.
It is about what God has done for you.
And faith receives that gift.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for revealing Yourself to me through Your Word. Strengthen my faith in Your promises and help me to trust not in myself, but in Your faithfulness. As I study the Creed, deepen my confidence in all that You have done for my salvation through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
