The Importance of The Apostles’ Creed

From the earliest days of the church, there have been disagreements over the teaching of Christ and of the apostles. And errors in the church are dangerous when critical beliefs are at stake. This is why Jesus and the authors of the New Testament were so concerned to correct errors on fundamental points of theology. And the remarkable thing is that as they offered their corrections, they agreed entirely with each other. Despite the many false teachings that existed in the church at this time, the New Testament exhibits unfailing doctrinal unity with itself.

From the earliest days, the regular recitation, confession and memorization of the creeds and confessions in the church served a very, very important role, especially in societies like the first century world and beyond in early Christianity where the literacy rates were very, very low. And so very few people could read and even among those who could read, very few would ever own a Bible. And so the regular confessions of these creeds publicly in the worship service served again a very important role in providing parameters or what we might call the “rule of faith” or a ruled reading for what is a proper understanding of how the Scriptures are to be put together. [Dr. Jonathan Pennington]

In light of this unity, when the New Testament affirms the articles of faith listed in the Apostles’ Creed, it is fair to say that it does so universally. It consistently argues for the divinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, while at the same time insisting that there is only one God. The Gospels present the creedal facts of Christ’s conception, birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension. And the books of the New Testament entirely support the creed’s statements about the church and salvation.

And there you have the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There you have the incarnation and the atoning death and the triumphant resurrection and forthcoming return of the Lord Jesus. There you have the forgiveness of sins. There you have the reality of the church as the fellowship of those who are born again in Christ. And I think that there could be nothing really healthier in any church than periodically to work over the Apostles’ Creed and highlight those doctrines. [Dr. J. I. Packer]

The Apostles’ Creed can help Christians everywhere to differentiate between essential beliefs and beliefs that are of secondary importance. As we stress this creed in our personal lives and in the corporate life of the church, we will find that theology doesn’t necessarily divide us from each other. Instead, we will find ourselves uniting with other faithful servants of Christ, and thereby fulfilling Jesus’ own vision for his church.