Creeds

The word "creed" comes from the Latin word credo, meaning "I believe." Creeds are public statements of faith, standardized ways in which new people can confess their faith in Jesus Christ. They anchor Christian faith to a tradition, making it difficult for people or churches to be led astray by strange doctrines. They are preaching and teaching tools, giving an outline for further discipleship. They are memorized through frequent repetition, which in early times helped many believers who could not read. They provide a doctrinal basis for different churches to accept one another, and to reject those who did not accept the basic truths.

  • II Timothy 4:3
    For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
  • I Timothy 4:16
    Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
  • Colossians 2:8
    See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Both the Nicene and Apostles' Creeds are summeries of Scriptural faith and are recited to keep in sound doctrine.

The written origin of the Apostles' Creed is unknown but may date back to the second century. The earliest written appearance of what we have today is from "Excerpt from Individual Canonical Books" of St. Priminius written around the year 710 and orginating in what is now France and Spain. This creed was called "Apostles" not because the apostles themselves wrote it, but because the Creed was believed to be an accurate summary of what the apostles taught.

Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of Heaven and Earth,
And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into Hell;
The third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven,
And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church;
The communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting.

AMEN

Apostles' Creed with scripture proofs

I believe in God

  • Isaiah 44:6
    "This is what the LORD says — Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.
  • Isaiah 45:5
    I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,

the Father Almighty,
Maker of Heaven and Earth,

  • Genesis 1:1
    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  • John 1:1-3
    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
  • Acts 14:15
    Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.

And in Jesus Christ

  • Luke 2:11
    Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
  • John 20:28
    Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

His only Son

  • John 3:16
    For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
  • Proverbs 30:4
    Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!

our Lord;

  • John 20:28
    Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

  • Luke 1:35
    The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Born of the Virgin Mary,

  • Luke 1:26-27
    In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

Suffered under Pontius Pilate,

  • Luke 23:23-25
    But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

Was crucified,

  • John 19:20
    Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
  • Acts 4:10
    then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.

dead,

  • 1 Corinthians 15:3
    For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

and buried;

  • 1 Corinthians 15:4
    that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

He descended into Hell;

  • 1 Peter 3:18
    For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
  • Luke 23:43
    Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

The third day
He rose again from the dead;

  • 1 Corinthians 15:4
    that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

He ascended into Heaven,

  • Mark 16:19
    After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
  • Luke 24:51
    While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.
  • Acts 1:11
    "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

And sitteth on the right hand of God

  • Mark 16:19
    After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
  • Hebrews 1:3
    The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

the Father Almighty;
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

  • 2 Timothy 4:1
    In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead
  • John 5:22
    Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

  • John 15:26
    When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.
  • John 16:7-8
    But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment
  • John 16:13-14
    But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
  • Acts 13:2
    While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

the holy catholic Church;

  • Galatians 3:26-29
    You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The communion of saints;

  • Revelation 19:14
    The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
  • Hebrews 10:25
    Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

the forgiveness of sins;

  • Luke 7:48
    Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

The resurrection of the body;

  • I Thessalonians 4:16
    For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
  • John 6:39
    And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

And the life everlasting.

  • John 10:28
    I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
  • John 17:2-3
    Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.