Last Sunday we kicked off our Term 4 sermon series, looking at the Apostle’s Creed. Like many aspects of Christian liturgy, Christians can sometimes look upon reciting the Creed when we gather as an outdated religious practice that no longer has a place in the modern church. Yet such a view fails to understand or appreciate the meaning behind the Creed.
To begin with, the Apostle’s Creed received its title from the fact that it is a summary of what the Apostle’s taught, as recorded in the pages of the NT. In reciting the Creed, we are declaring that like the early church, we too are devoted to the Apostle’s teachings (Acts 2:42).
Like the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed, The Apostle’s Creed was originally written to combat heresies by outlining correct doctrine. When reciting the creeds, we are declaring we too reject such heresies.
Reciting the Creeds together is a sign of solidarity; hence why we stand. This flies in the face of postmodern society. Modern people may be shocked when they walk into a church today and see a group of people all declaring that they believe the same thing. Furthermore, the creeds grant us an affinity not just with Christians around the globe, but Christians down through the ages. Christians were publicly declaring the exact same things in 4th century Europe, 8th century Africa, and 12th century Asia.
Finally, the creeds are a wonderful summary of the Christian gospel. If someone asks you to explain the gospel to them, and you find yourself stuck for words, just remember the creed, starting with how God is ‘maker of heaven and earth’.
So next time you’re asked to stand and say the Creed, don’t look upon it as a meaningless religious practice; stand in solidarity with your Christian brothers and sisters throughout history, and declare ‘we believe …’
