Download an outline of the Creed.
Go to the beginning of this study of the Creed.
Download handout.

Table Talk:  How do you respond to silliness?  When someone says something absurd or illogical that makes you want to roll your eyes, how do you react?  Embarrassment?  Annoyance?  Impatience?  Do any examples come to mind?

[“Table Talk” is an opening question or topic for discussion at the beginning of our time together.  The intent is to help group members (around tables, with four to six at each table) build connections with each other, as well as to guide thinking in a direction related to the passage.]

Our previous discussion explored the genuine humanness of Jesus, the result of His birth to a human mother, the Virgin Mary.  This week we began with the other non-divine human mentioned in the Creed, Pontius Pilate. Continue reading →

Download an outline of the Creed.
Go to the beginning of this study of the Creed.
Download the handout

Table Talk:  “Uneducated people in pre-scientific times could believe in things like the virgin birth, but now we know better.”  How would you respond to that statement?

[“Table Talk” is an opening question or topic for discussion at the beginning of our time together.  The intent is to help group members (around tables, with four to six at each table) build connections with each other, as well as to guide thinking in a direction related to the passage.]

Our discussion began with the “Table Talk” question above, the modern skeptic’s view of the Virgin birth (and possibly of all miracles).  The Bible itself illustrates the false and even foolish assumption behind the question.  Pregnancy was not exactly a mystery in the first century.  Both Mary (Luke 1:34) and Joseph (Matthew 1:19) were confused (“how can this be?”) or even alarmed (“he planned to send her away secretly”) at the news.  Modern education and science add nothing to what Joseph and Mary knew.  The difference for them (and for Christians) is faith in God’s ability to do the impossible (Luke 1:37). Continue reading →

Download an outline of the Creed.
Go to the beginning of this study of the Creed.
Download the handout.

Table Talk:  If you were arguing against the Christian belief that Jesus is God Incarnate, what would you say?  What opinions have you heard from others?  What do you think are the strongest arguments opposing the idea that anyone could be fully God and fully man?

[“Table Talk” is an opening question or topic for discussion at the beginning of our time together.  The intent is to help group members (around tables, with four to six at each table) build connections with each other, as well as to guide thinking in a direction related to the passage.]

A few weeks ago during our discussion we talked about the Trinitarian structure of the Creed.  One participant commented that in conversations about “God” people were more or less receptive.  However, when the talk turned to “Jesus,” the attitude often changed.  Sometimes the chat turned into a debate or even an argument.  Often the subject was dropped and the conversation moved to a less volatile topic.  While Christians do not find the phrases “His only Son” or “our Lord” controversial, others do.  We started our time trying to think from that other perspective.  Why do people find that part of the Creed (and that core of the Faith) objectionable or even offensive? Continue reading →

Download an outline of the Creed.
Go to the beginning of this study of the Creed.
Download the handout

What comes into your mind when you say those words of the Creed?  That was the beginning of our discussion.  One comment was that God is “Number One.”  Another person pointed out how comprehensive the words are in both the magnitude and the scope of God’s power, that He has might with no weakness of any kind.  One participant noted that nothing is said about the “how” of creation (which we will come back to later). Continue reading →

Download an outline of the Creed.
Go to the beginning of this study of the Creed.

The Apostles’ Creed, like the Nicene Creed after it, is structured around God’s Triune nature:

I believe in God the Father…
I believe in Jesus Christ…
I believe in the Holy Spirit…

A reasonable question to start with would be, “Why make the distinctions?”  How important are the differences?  Why complicate things?  Wouldn’t a simple faith in Jesus be better?  And since the Trinity is a mystery no one really understands, why not just avoid it? Continue reading →

Download an outline of the Creed.
Go to the beginning of this study of the Creed.

Table Talk:  What is your usual response when someone asks you the very general question, “What do you believe?” – does it make a difference if the questioner is a believer, or a not-yet-believer, or if you don’t know?

[“Table Talk” is an opening question or topic for discussion at the beginning of our time together.  The intent is to help group members (around tables, with four to six at each table) build connections with each other, as well as to guide thinking in a direction related to the passage.]

Our first discussion about the Apostles’ Creed began by comparing past experiences with creeds in church.  Some members of our group have a Roman Catholic background, and they remembered reciting the Creed every week and being required to memorize it.  Others had little or no exposure to creeds.  Some with a background in a conservative denomination had learned that creeds were unnecessary at best, maybe even dangerous.  One person mentioned being unable to say the words “holy catholic church.”  So we start with a wonderfully diverse background when it comes to Christian creeds.  Continue reading →

“What do we need with man-made creeds?  We believe the Bible, isn’t that enough?” Continue reading →

These books may be helpful in stimulating your thinking (and your questions) about the Creed.  All are all reasonably brief (some fewer than 100 pages), except for Bird (longer but still very readable) and Torrance (thorough and a bit more challenging). Continue reading →

The beginning of a new Bible study is an exciting prospect.  This study will be different from previous studies of a book of the Bible or of a particular topic.  The goal of this study is to explore the Scripture behind the ancient Christian creeds.  The Apostles’ Creed will provide our general outline, and the Nicene Creed will provide additional direction for our study.  It may be helpful to read a brief introduction to Christian creeds to see why studying them can be spiritually forming.

The content of the study will be Scripture, and the methodology will be inductive examination of the text of the Bible.  The creeds will provide our initial direction, but the constant question will be, “Does the Bible really teach that?”  If it does, “How does that help me grow in my relationship with God?  How does knowing and understanding the Apostles’ Creed enrich my Christian life?  How does the Creed shape the way I share the gospel with others?”

The format of the group will be, as much as possible, an interactive discussion about the Observation, Interpretation, and Application of the passages we study.  Of necessity, there will be some teaching about the history and development of the Creed.  The goal is for lecture to be minimized and the focus to remain on Scripture and how the content of the Creed represents the faith “once delivered to the saints.”