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.”