Apostles' Creed
“We 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 Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.”
As we close out our series on the Apostles’ Creed, we look ahead to our future. Is there a true and trustworthy hope for humanity and our world? There is in the life everlasting.
Resources:
Revelation (The New International Greek Testament Commentary), G.K. Beale
Revelation (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), Grant Osborne
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation, Herman Bavinck
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Where’s all the work we do in this world ultimately going? Because we believe in the resurrection of the body, none of it that is done unto the Lord will be in vain.
Resources:
1 Corinthians (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament), David Garland
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation, Herman Bavinck
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All our sins are forgiven the moment we believe–but what happens when we sin after that time? We walk in the light not by hiding our sin, but by confessing it, sinning no more, and receiving ongoing forgiveness.
Resources:
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation, Herman Bavinck
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God: Chapter 13, Timothy Keller
Life Together: Confession and the Lord’s Supper, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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As a society, we’ve become less religious, but guilt strangely persists. Can it really be dealt with? Only if God forgives.
Resources:
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation, Herman Bavinck
“The Strange Persistence of Guilt,” David Brooks
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Now that we’ve confessed our faith in the Holy Spirit, we come to the community in which He dwells: the church.
Resources:
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation, Herman Bavinck
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In the Creed, we’ve confessed faith in what Christ did in history. But as long as He remains outside of us, we aren’t changed by it. Now we come to the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sends to be in us forever.
Resources:
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 2: God and Creation, Herman Bavinck
Reformed Dogmatics: Theology Proper, Geerhardus Vos
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Everybody’s judging somebody, but there is a final day when even we will be judged by the one truly just judge, Jesus Christ.
Resources:
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 4: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation, Herman Bavinck
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
“The Gospel and the Poor,” Timothy Keller
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It’s been said, “You’re entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts.” Christian faith is based on facts, and here we look at its central fact: Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is seated at God’s right hand.
Resources:
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 3: Sin and Salvation in Christ, Herman Bavinck
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Sacred Dissertations on the Apostles’ Creed, Herman Witsius
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What did Christ come to do? He became human in order to die, ultimately to help humans like you and me.
Resources:
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Sacred Dissertations on the Apostles’ Creed, Herman Witsius
In Defense of the Descent, Daniel Hyde
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Who is Jesus? It’s a question any who’s heard His names and claims has to answer. Here we see He is God’s only Son, the Lord of all, and perhaps most significantly…our Lord.
Resources:
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Sacred Dissertations on the Apostles’ Creed, Herman Witsius
Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 2: God and Creation, Herman Bavinck
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In the Apostles’ Creed, we begin with “I believe,” but what is it we believe? Or better yet, in whom do we believe? In this passage we answer that question with “our God,” and we behold Him for our comfort.
Resources:
The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary, Alec Motyer
Affirming the Apostles’ Creed, J.I. Packer
Sacred Dissertations on the Apostles’ Creed, Herman Witsius
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What does it mean to begin the Apostles’ Creed with “I Believe”? It’s very different from the Creed by which we all naturally live: “I’ve done.”
Resources:
The Epistle the Romans (NICNT), Douglas Moo
Romans (BECNT), Thomas Schreiner
“Opinion: Am I a Christian, Pastor Timothy Keller?”
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Last week we looked at the freedom that comes from the truth, but is there a danger to falsehood as well? There is, and here we see if really love people and godliness, we must rebuke false teachers with sound doctrine.
Resources:
Pastoral Epistles (Word Biblical Commentary), William Mounce
What You Should Know About the Prosperity Gospel
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Before jumping into the Apostles’ Creed, we have to ask why we should even spend our time studying theology or doctrine. This passage gives us a few basic reasons: That Jesus’ true disciples will hold fast His Word, know the truth, and that truth will set them free.
Resources:
The Gospel According to John (The Pillar New Testament Commentary), D.A. Carson
“Can We Be Sure of our Interpretation?” – Podcast by D.A. Carson
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