Here is the first session of my Apostles Creed Study. May it bless you.
The Apostles Creed Study
Ronald Ramsey
Session 1
Introduction to The Apostles Creed
Study
Text
in Latin
Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae,
et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,
qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,
passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,
descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,
ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Patris omnipotentis,
inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum,
sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem,
remissionem peccatorum,
carnis resurrectionem,
vitam aeternam.
Amen.[20]
Catholic
English version
Church
of England Book of Common Worship (2000)
I believe in God, the Father
almighty,
creator of heaven
and earth.
I believe 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 to the
dead.
On the third day he
rose again;
he ascended into
heaven,
he is seated at the
right hand of the Father,
and he will come to
judge the living and the dead.
I 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. Amen.
The Apostle’s Creed has long been a
bulwark against heresies and sometimes just bad theology. (Theology means the study of or understanding
of God.) In the 2,000 or so years
Christianity has faced thousands upon thousands of incorrect beliefs that
threatened to destroy the Church and destroy the Gospel it has been called to
preach, teach and live.
The Apostles Creed is first heard of
around 390 in a letter attributed to Ambrose. "Let
them give credit to the Creed of the Apostles, which the Roman Church has
always kept and preserved undefiled".
While we are not told what the Creed says it refers to a Creed
accepted by all of Christianity.
The
vast majority of Christian denominations accept and uphold the Apostle’s Creed
both as part of their liturgy and as a guide to their beliefs. While the divinity of Jesus and the Holy
Spirit are not directly stated they are implied in the form of the Creed
divided by Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is believed to have come from
Matthew 28:19. “"Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Mt 28:19 NKJV)
While we do not
know how the Creed was formed it obviously is drawn from the Gospels, the rest
of the New Testament and the Old Testament.
The Apostle’s Creed is sometimes called the Symbol of the Apostle’s
because many believe the 12 parts of the Creed are attributed to the 12
Apostle’s.
Study Sessions
How do we break up the Apostle’s
Creed for Study? We could break it up
line by line or try a combination of the two.
Or we could break it up by the Trinity as seen in the Creed itself.
We will break the Apostle’s Creed
into 12 parts for our study. But even as
we take each part we must remember the unity of the Creed itself. Please read the Creed as you prepare for the
sessions to come.
If you struggle with a part or with
the Creed as a whole please take time to pray and ask God to guide you to what
He wants you to learn.
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