September 22, 2025
2 Timothy 1:13–14
“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
Jude 3
“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”
The Apostles’ Creed is one of the oldest and most enduring summaries of the Christian faith. While the exact wording we use today took shape over time, its roots reach back to the early centuries of the church. As early as the second century, churches were using short baptismal confessions, simple statements of belief that new Christians would declare before entering the waters of baptism. By the fourth century, a standard form of these statements had spread widely, especially in Rome, and became known as the Apostles’ Creed. The name doesn’t mean that the apostles themselves wrote it word for word, but that it faithfully reflects the teaching they passed on — “the faith once for all delivered” (Jude 3).
Why was this so important? The early church was surrounded by competing voices, false teachers, rival religions, and cultural pressures. These brief creeds gave believers a way to “guard the good deposit” of faith (2 Tim. 1:14), ensuring that the gospel was passed on clearly and faithfully. In a time when many Christians could not read, and when the New Testament itself was still being copied and circulated, the Creed was a memorable, unifying summary of the faith “once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (Jude 3).
Some might wonder today, “Why still say it? Isn’t it just a relic of the past?”
The Creed isn’t just an ancient artifact, it’s really a compass. It guides us when culture feels unclear, a foundation to steady us in times of doubt. It’s a way of saying, this is the story I’m a part of, this is the faith that grounds me.
You see, when we recite the Creed, we are not creating our own personal version of Christianity. Instead, we are uniting our voices with a community of Jesus followers, apostles, martyrs in Roman arenas, monks safeguarding Scripture in the Middle Ages, reformers risking everything for the gospel, and countless ordinary Christians world wide and across the centuries. Together, we declare, “This is what we believe.”
The Creed give us the unshakable center: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; creation, salvation, and resurrection. It helps us remember who God is and who we are in Him.
There is a story, that during World War II, bombs rained down on London, England night after night. People huddled in shelters, as you can imagine they were frightened and unsure of the future. As the account goes, in some of those dark underground place, Christian believers would recite the Apostles’ Creed together.
Imagine it! Those words echoing in the tunnels: “I believe in God the Father Almighty… in Jesus Christ, His only Son… in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”
When everything around them seemed to be crumbling, the Apostles' Creed reminded them of a kingdom that could never be shaken.
That is what the Creed has always been, not just words of the past, but a lifeline in stormy times.
The world we live in feels as confusing as the Roman Empire in the second century, with competing voices attempting to redefine truth. Doubt continues to unsettle us, and culture invites us to create a "private" version of Christianity tailored to our preferences.
The Apostles’ Creed reminds us that faith is not something we make up for ourselves, it is a gift, handed down from generation to generation, rooted in Scripture and centered on Christ.
It doesn’t answer every question we might face — about politics, technology, or personal choices — but it offers us an unwavering foundation: it gives us the immovable center:
The Apostles’ Creed reminds us that faith is not something we make up for ourselves, it is a gift, handed down from generation to generation, rooted in Scripture and centered on Christ.
It doesn’t answer every question we might face — about politics, technology, or personal choices — but it offers us an unwavering foundation: it gives us the immovable center:
God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth.
Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again.
The Holy Spirit, the church, forgiveness, resurrection, and life everlasting.
Let's Pray
God,
Thank You for the faith passed down "by a great cloud of witnesses." (Heb 11) Thank You for the Apostles’ Creed, a gift that grounds us when doubt and change press hard. As I go through this series, let these words be more than just truths I recite, make them the convictions of my heart. Shape my life by the story of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and guide me to walk faithfully in that story every day. Amen.
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