Key Text
1 Timothy 6:12–14
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Intro - the church has always believed and confessed!
Intro - the church has always believed and confessed!
excerpt from The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas
Vivia Perpetua and Felicitas suffered martyrdom in the reign of Septimius Severus, about the year 202 a.d. the acts of these Carthage African martyrs are translated from the Greek. As a result, it was reported that the prison governor was converted.
Vivia Perpetua and Felicitas suffered martyrdom in the reign of Septimius Severus, about the year 202 a.d. the acts of these Carthage African martyrs are translated from the Greek. As a result, it was reported that the prison governor was converted.
…we were suddenly taken away to be heard, and we arrived at the town-hall. At once the rumour spread through the neighbourhood of the public place, and an immense number of people were gathered together. We mount the platform. The rest were interrogated, and confessed. Then they came to me, and my father immediately appeared with my boy, and withdrew me from the step, and said in a supplicating tone, ‘Have pity on your babe.’ And Hilarianus the procurator, who had just received the power of life and death in the place of the proconsul Minucius Timinianus, who was deceased, said, ‘Spare the grey hairs of your father, spare the infancy of your boy, offer sacrifice for the well-being of the emperors.’ And I replied, ‘I will not do so.’ Hilarianus said, ‘Are you a Christian?’ And I replied, ‘I am a Christian.’ And as my father stood there to cast me down from the faith, he was ordered by Hilarianus to be thrown down, and was beaten with rods. And my father’s misfortune grieved me as if I myself had been beaten, I so grieved for his wretched old age. The procurator then delivers judgment on all of us, and condemns us to the wild beasts, and we went down cheerfully to the dungeon.
excerpt from the Martyrdom of Polycarp [9:2-3]
When then he was brought before him, the proconsul enquired whether he were the man. And on his confessing that he was, he tried to persuade him to a denial saying, 'Have respect to thine age,' and other things in accordance therewith, as it is their wont to say; 'Swear by the genius of Caesar; repent and say, Away with the atheists.' Then Polycarp with solemn countenance looked upon the whole multitude of lawless heathen that were in the stadium, and waved his hand to them; and groaning and looking up to heaven he said, 'Away with the atheists.
But when the magistrate pressed him hard and said, 'Swear the oath, and I will release thee; revile the Christ,' Polycarp said, 'Fourscore and six years have I been His servant, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?'
[Polycarp 10:1]
But on his persisting again and saying, 'Swear by the genius of Caesar,' he answered, 'If thou supposest vainly that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as thou sayest, and feignest that thou art ignorant who I am, hear thou plainly, I am a Christian. But if thou wouldest learn the doctrine of Christianity, assign a day and give me a hearing.'
[Polycarp 12:1-3]
Saying these things and more besides, he was inspired with courage and joy, and his countenance was filled with grace, so that not only did it not drop in dismay at the things which were said to him, but on the contrary the proconsul was astounded and sent his own herald to proclaim three times in the midst of the stadium, 'Polycarp hath confessed himself to be a Christian.'
When this was proclaimed by the herald, the whole multitude both of Gentiles and of Jews who dwelt in Smyrna cried out with ungovernable wrath and with a loud shout, 'This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the puller down of our gods, who teacheth numbers not to sacrifice nor worship.' Saying these things, they shouted aloud and asked the Asiarch Philip to let a lion loose upon Polycarp. But he said that it was not lawful for him, since he had brought the sports to a close.
Then they thought fit to shout out with one accord that Polycarp should be burned alive.
When then he was brought before him, the proconsul enquired whether he were the man. And on his confessing that he was, he tried to persuade him to a denial saying, 'Have respect to thine age,' and other things in accordance therewith, as it is their wont to say; 'Swear by the genius of Caesar; repent and say, Away with the atheists.' Then Polycarp with solemn countenance looked upon the whole multitude of lawless heathen that were in the stadium, and waved his hand to them; and groaning and looking up to heaven he said, 'Away with the atheists.
But when the magistrate pressed him hard and said, 'Swear the oath, and I will release thee; revile the Christ,' Polycarp said, 'Fourscore and six years have I been His servant, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?'
[Polycarp 10:1]
But on his persisting again and saying, 'Swear by the genius of Caesar,' he answered, 'If thou supposest vainly that I will swear by the genius of Caesar, as thou sayest, and feignest that thou art ignorant who I am, hear thou plainly, I am a Christian. But if thou wouldest learn the doctrine of Christianity, assign a day and give me a hearing.'
[Polycarp 12:1-3]
Saying these things and more besides, he was inspired with courage and joy, and his countenance was filled with grace, so that not only did it not drop in dismay at the things which were said to him, but on the contrary the proconsul was astounded and sent his own herald to proclaim three times in the midst of the stadium, 'Polycarp hath confessed himself to be a Christian.'
When this was proclaimed by the herald, the whole multitude both of Gentiles and of Jews who dwelt in Smyrna cried out with ungovernable wrath and with a loud shout, 'This is the teacher of Asia, the father of the Christians, the puller down of our gods, who teacheth numbers not to sacrifice nor worship.' Saying these things, they shouted aloud and asked the Asiarch Philip to let a lion loose upon Polycarp. But he said that it was not lawful for him, since he had brought the sports to a close.
Then they thought fit to shout out with one accord that Polycarp should be burned alive.
WHAT IS A CREED?
- A confession of faith
- A summary of doctrine
- A distillation of truth
- A statement of belief
NT REFERENCES to ‘CREEDS’
- “pattern of the sound words” (2 Tim 1:3)
- “words of the faith” (1 Tim 4:6)
- “the deposit entrusted to you” (1 Tim 6:20)
- “the trustworthy word as taught” (Titus 1:9)
- “the faith … once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3)
- “the saying is trustworthy” (1 Tim 1:15; 2 Tim 2:11)
- Romans 1:3; 4:24; 8:34
- 1 Corinthians 8:6; 12:3
- Ephesians 4:4-6
- Philippians 2:6-11
- Colossians 1:15-20
- 2 Timothy 2:5, 8
- Titus 3:3-8
- 1 Peter 3:18
Examples of NT Creeds:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas,
then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers …
Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
1 TIMOTHY 3:16
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was
manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
WHY CREEDS?
1. DEFINES THE FAITH
- a brief summary of the Christian faith
- the church is not to be a collection of mere subjective ‘believers’
- the church is not to be a collection of mere subjective ‘believers’
- a historical ‘bond’ (a common heritage)
2. PROVIDES A STANDARD FOR THE FAITH
2. PROVIDES A STANDARD FOR THE FAITH
- barrier against error
- refutes heresy
- a basis for fellowship
History of Apostles’ Creed
ORIGIN
- The “Traditional” Story (?)
- Used in the baptismal Q&A
- APOSTOLIC as in Acts 2:41-42
NAMES
- Rule of Faith
- Old Roman Symbol
- Received Form
- Universality, simplicity, antiquity.
- Packer: “109 words which for 19 centuries have united all Christians in a common affirmation of faith”
- A Trinitarian framework (just like Matthew 28:18-20)
Matthew 28:18–20
… Jesus … said to them,
“… Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them
in the name
of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded you.”
An early Christological confession of faith: Matthew 16:13–18
JESUS: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
DISCIPLES: “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
JESUS: “But who do you say that I am?”
PETER: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
PETER: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
JESUS: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”
THE IMPORTANCE of BELIEF
John 8:24
unless you believe
that I am he
you will die in your sins.
BELIEF OBEYS
Romans 1:5
“we have received grace … to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations”
“we have received grace … to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations”
Romans 6:17
“you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
“you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
THE IMPORTANCE of CONFESSING
1 John 4:2–3
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.
Romans 10:9–10
“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ”
The Apostles’ Creed
We believe in God, the Father Almighty;
Creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary;
He 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;
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy catholic Church;
the communion of the saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed
We believe in God, the Father Almighty;
Creator of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary;
He 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;
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy catholic Church;
the communion of the saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
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