The Apostles' Creed

Background

The Symbolum Apostolorum was developed between the second and ninth centuries. It is the most popular creed used in worship by Western Christians. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator.

The creed was apparently used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Hence it is also known as The Roman Symbol. As in Hippolytus' version it was given in question and answer format with the baptismal candidates answering in the affirmative that they believed each statement.

The 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.

The Nicene Creed

Background

In A.D. 312, Constantine won control of the Roman Empire, attributing his victory to the intervention of Jesus Christ. He consequently elevated Christianity to favored status in the empire, making. "One God, one Lord, one faith, one church, one empire, one emperor" his motto. He soon discovered, however, that the "one faith and one church" was fractured by theological disputes, especially conflicting understandings of the nature of Christ, long a point of controversy. To counter a widening rift within the church, Constantine convened a council in Nicaea in A.D. 325. A creed reflecting the position of Alexander and Athanasius was written and signed by a majority of the bishops. Given continuing disagreements, in A.D. 381, a second council met in Constantinople. It adopted a revised and expanded form of the A.D. 325 creed, now known as the Nicene Creed.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

A New Creed

Background

Almost every Christian church has a statement or statements of its fundamental beliefs. These are often called articles of religion or articles of doctrine. (The word "doctrine" simply means "teaching."). While the   historic statements of the Apostles' and Nicean Creeds have a unique defining role in the faith of the church. At the same time their authority is not unlimited. From the beginning, those who envisioned the United Church believed that Christians could distinguish between "the substance of the faith" and all particular (e.g., denominationally or culturally specific) expressions of it. For our forebears, this meant that there would be an ongoing clarification of this substance through periodic restatement, given changing context and challenges. Successive generations in the church have shared this outlook on the ongoing task of restatement. Thus in 1940 the 9th General Council adopted "A Statement of Faith,"which served as the basis for the union of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational denominations in 1923; similarly, in 1968 the 23rd General Council of the United Church in Canada adopted the following statement, known as A New Creed.

A New Creed

We are not alone, we live in God's world.

We believe in God:

who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.

We trust in God.

We are called to be the Church:

to celebrate God's presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone.

Thanks be to God.