THE CREED, from the Latin Credo, I believe, means that which we as Christians believe. The Creed given in our Catechism is the Apostles' Creed. It is so called, not because it was written by the apostles, but because it contains, in a brief summary, the doctrines which the apostles taught. It grew out of the words of the baptismal formula: "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." [Matt 28:19] It has come down to us from the early centuries of the Church's history, and is her confession of faith. It should be our confession also; we should say from the heart, "I believe in God, etc." There are
Two KINDS OF CREEDS or Confessions of Faith:—
I. Oecumenical or Universal Creeds, which are accepted by the whole Christian Church throughout the world. They are
1. The Apostles' Creed.
2. The Nicene Creed.
3. The Athanasian Creed.
II. Particular Creeds or Confessions, which are accepted by the various Churches and Denominations as their distinctive confessions.
Our Lutheran Confessions are:—
1. The Augsburg Confession.
2. The Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession.
3. The Schmalcald Articles.
4. The Small Catechism.
5. The Large Catechism.
6. The Formula of Concord.
These nine confessions together form the Book of Concord.
THE APOSTLES' CREED CONTAINS, in Three Articles, a statement of what the Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, has done and still does for us.
Article I. treats of God the Father and His work of Creation.
Article II. treats of God the Son and His work of Redemption.
Article III. treats of God the Holy Ghost and His work of Sanctification.
THE TRINITY. There is only one God, [Deut. 6:4] but there are three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Hence, we say that God is the Holy Trinity, or the Three in One. We cannot understand or explain how God can be three Persons and yet only one God. But we must not expect with our finite mind to comprehend the infinite God. We must accept the truth concerning God as He himself has revealed it to us in His Word. He plainly tells us that He is One; for He says, "I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before Me." [Exod. 20:2-3] Yet He also plainly tells us that there are three Persons. They are expressly mentioned in Christ's command to His disciples, "Go ye, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." [Matt. 28:19] And they were all revealed at the baptism of Jesus, when the Father spoke from heaven and said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," and the Holy Ghost descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. [Matt. 3:16-17] Each Person of the Holy Trinity has a share in the work of our salvation. The Father sent His Son to save us; [John 3:16] the Son became man and died for us; [Rom. 5:8] and the Holy Spirit applies redemption to our souls [I Cor. 12:3] through the Word of God and the Sacraments.
QUESTIONS.—1. Define the word Creed. 2. Why is the Apostles' Creed so called? 3. How did it originate? 4. What two kinds of creeds are there? 5. Name the oecumenical creeds. 6. Name the particular creeds or confessions of the Lutheran Church? 7. What does the Apostles' Creed contain? 8. Of what do the three articles of the Apostles' Creed treat? 9. What is meant by the Holy Trinity? 10. How do we know that God is only one God? 11. How do we know there are three Persons? 12. How do the three Persons of the Trinity share in the work of our salvation?
All books are sourced from Project Gutenberg