The Apostles’ Creed

Study 1: An Introduction(PDF Print Version)

Study 2: “We Believe” (PDF Print Version)

Study 3: The Holy Trinity (PDF Print Version)

Study 4: Jesus Christ The Mediator (PDF Print Version)

Study 5: The Holy Spirit, Giver Of Life (PDF Print Version)

Study 6: The Holy Catholic Church (PDF Print Version)

Study 7: Its Value To Us (PDF Print Version)

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Study 1: An Introduction (1 Cor. 15:1-11)

o The Apostles’ Creed is the best known and oldest of the historic creeds that define the true Christian faith over against heretical teachings and other religions.

I Origin
1. What are creeds? Creeds are short statements of faith used by the early church to distinguish itself from those who hold to heretical teachings and from other religions.
– Catechisms are instructional manuals, couched in questions and answers, used in baptismal classes and families. – Confessions of Faith are longer statements of doctrine used by churches to declare their orthodoxy and distinctive characteristics over against the teaching of other churches. Confessions of Faith were drawn up during and after the Reformation of the 16th century.

2. Why focus on the Apostles’ Creed? There are three well-known historic creeds – the Apostles’ Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Nicene Creed.
– The oldest and most well-known is the Apostles’ Creed. Many of the later creeds were based on this one. The Roman Catholic Church holds the unfounded view that each of the twelve apostles of Christ contributed a statement to this Creed. The Apostles’ Creed existed as early as the middle of the 2nd century (around 140 AD), when the disciples of the apostles were still alive. Its final, slightly expanded, form may be traced up to the 7th century.
– The Athanasian Creed is named after Athanasius (A.D. 293-373), the champion of orthodoxy against Arian attacks on the doctrine of the trinity. This Creed is not recognised by the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Longer than the Apostles’ Creed, it consists of two main parts. The first part sets froth the doctrine of the Trinity, and the second part deals with the two natures of Christ.
– The Nicene Creed was formulated at the Council of Nicaea (AD 325), revised by the Council of Constantinople (AD 381), and reaffirmed by the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451). The inclusion of the “filioque” phrase in 589, describing the Holy Spirit as proceeding from the Father “and the Son”, is rejected by the Eastern Orthodox churches. The controversy over the “filioque” phrase, together with other doctrinal and political issues, were to lead to the official separation of the church into East (the Orthodox Churches) and West (the Roman Catholic Church) in AD 1054.

3. Is it right to use a creed produced by the early church? We have referred to the church Councils of the past. These so-call “ecumenical councils” must not be confused with the modern ecumenical movement.
– The early church councils, consisting of church leaders, were called only when necessary, to discuss doctrinal matters that threatened the peace of the church. The purpose was to expose errors and to establish the truth.
– The modern ecumenical movement, consists of fixed organisations such as the World Council of Churches and other smaller, national, bodies that are formed to show forth unity between churches. Inevitably, the pursuit of visible unity is at the expense of truth. Generally, Reformed churches shun the ecumenical movement and pursue selective fellowship based on the truth.
– The historic creeds were produced by the early ecumenical councils, before the churches became distinctly differentiated into “establishment churches” (or “sacral churches”) and “dissenting churches”. With time, such councils departed from spiritual objectives due to the heavy involvement of the civil authorities. As a result of persecution, the “dissenting churches” were driven underground.
– Due to the prevalence of the cults – both old and new ones – and the pervasive presence of other religions, the historic creeds remain useful to protect the church from wrong teaching and to call others to the Christian faith.

II Structure and content
1. Three parts of unequal length are found in the Apostles’ Creed, each beginning with the phrase “We believe” (or “I believe” when used personally).
– The first part concerns God the Father. The second, and longest, part concerns Jesus Christ the Son of God. The third part concerns the person and work of the Holy Spirit. In view of its later development into the Nicene Creed, in which the doctrine of the Trinity is distinguished from the doctrine of the church, we may say that there are four parts in the creed.

2. The value of the Apostles’ Creed has been recognised by many.
The structure of the Apostles’ Creed was used by John Calvin as the organising principle of his magnum opus, “The Institutes of the Christian Religion”, consisting of four “books”. Book I is concerned with the knowledge of God as Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things created. Book II is concerned with the knowledge of God as manifested in Christ, the Redeemer of sinners. Book III is concerned with the Holy Spirit who regenerates sinners and unite them to Christ. Book IV is concerned with the Church and the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, used by the Holy Spirit to sustain the faith of God’s people.
The Heidelberg Catechism of the Continental Reformed churches is basically an exposition of the Apostles’ Creed. Zacharius Ursinus, the primary author of that Catechism, tells us that, “It signifies a brief and summary form of the Christian faith, which distinguishes the church and her members from the various sects” (Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, p. 117).

3. We do not treat the creeds, catechisms and confessions of faith as infallible. However, they are useful in so far as they accurately teach the doctrine of the Scripture, which is our only authority in all matters of faith and practice.
– We have noted that many of the later creeds were based on the Apostles’ Creed, including the Nicene Creed. Being a fuller development of the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed should be used to understand and interpret the earlier creed. However, the earlier creed is more concise, and easier to be memorised.
– Comparison between the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed:

Apostles’ Creed Nicene Creed
We believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of
heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.

Through Him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven; He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human.

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried.

The third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures.

He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.

He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

He spoke through the prophets.

the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.

We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen.

= As with the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed should be memorised by all Christians. Although the words of the Apostles’ Creed are not Scriptures, they summarise well the core teaching of the Scripture.

Review Questions
1. State what are Creeds, Catechisms, and Confessions of Faith.
2. What are the three well-known historic creeds?
3. Which historic creed is not recognised by the Eastern Orthodox churches?
4. What phrase in the Nicene Creed is rejected by the Eastern Orthodox churches?
5. How is the modern ecumenical movement different from the ecumenical councils of the past?
6. Why are the historic creeds still useful to us?
7. What is each of the four parts of the Apostles’ Creed about?
8. Which writing of John Calvin uses the structure of the Apostles’ Creed as the organising principle?
9. Which Reformed catechism expounds on the Apostles’ Creed?
10. In what ways is the Apostles’ Creed superior to the other historic creeds?

Assignment/Discussion
There are Christians who declare that they hold to “No creed but the Bible”. This sounds so pious and correct, but what dangers are there in holding to such a sentiment?

Memory Passage (1 Cor. 15:1-4)
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

 

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Study 2: “We Believe” (Rom. 14:1-23)

o Only true Christians can recite the Apostles’ Creed sincerely, while not all who recite the Apostles’ Creed are necessarily true Christians.

I A confession of personal faith.
1. True faith should be confessed in public.
– Rom. 10:10 is descriptive of those who are converted. (It is not prescriptive of how a person is saved.) When there is true conversion, there ought to be public confession of faith verbally & by the act of baptism (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:1-4).
: Matt. 10:33 shows that the norm for a believer is to make public confession of his faith, even under threat of persecution (cf. v 28; 1 John 4:15).
– There are exceptional situations of secret discipleship which we do not condemn or condone.
: Nicodemus, a secret believer for a time, is labelled as one who “came to Jesus by night” (John 3:1; 7:50; 19:39). Another secret disciple of Christ, Joseph of Arimathea, appeared in public with Nicodemus only after Christ’s death (John 19:38).
: Those who do not make public confession of their faith will not have strong assurance of salvation (1 John 4:15).

2. We do not claim belief in Christ lightly or be accused of hypocrisy, and have a bad conscience.
– Hypocrisy is easily detected by others (Matt. 6:5, 16; 23:3-7). It brings dishonour and shame to the faith professed. It deserves the woes pronounced by the Lord on such (Matt. 23:13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29).
– Making a confession of personal faith does not mean that one comes to faith by confessing these truths. The fruit of faith must not be confused with the means of faith.
: However, the doctrines of the Apostles’ Creed constitute the safe minimum (not necessarily the bare minimum) by which a person may be brought to faith. If taught to children, God might use these truths to minister faith (Rom. 10:17).

II The nature of true faith.
1. The living person consists of body and soul. Body is material, soul spirit. The real “you” is the soul, which manifests life in the physical world via the body.
– The living person has a personality with three basic faculties: the mind, the heart (or affection), and the will (or volition). The mind receives and processes information, the heart is feels, and the will decides and motivates to action.
: In conversion, all three faculties are transformed by the Holy Spirit by the means of the truth (Rom. 6:17; 2 Tim. 1:7). The accusing conscience is laid to rest as we grow in assurance of salvation (Rom. 2:15; Heb. 10:22-23).
: The conscience may be looked upon as the effect of the interactions between these three faculties. When converted, the accusing conscience is laid to rest as we grow in assurance of salvation (Rom. 2:15; Heb. 10:22-23; 1 John 3:18-21).
– Augustine of Hippo considered the conscience as a separate faculty, and adds memory as the fifth.
: The Puritans generally taught or assumed that there are three basic faculties. When speaking of the conscience, however, they tend to lapse into treating it as a separate faculty.

2. The conscience must be trained to be healthy, i.e. to operate correctly based on the truth of Scripture (Acts 24:16 cf 23:1).
– A wrongly informed conscience can wreck havoc (Acts 26:9) or cause discomfort to ourselves and to others (Rom. 14:23 cf 1 Cor. 8:12).
: A good or pure conscience comes from doing what is right, good, and true before God (1 Tim. 1:19; 2 Tim. 1:3). Our prayers will be answered (1 John 3:22), we will be filled with the Holy Spirit (Rom. 9:1; Eph. 5:18), and used mightily by God (Col. 1:29; 1 Chron. 31:20-21).
: Conversely, those who adamantly reject and act against the truth will have they conscience
seared (1 Tim. 4:2), i.e. hardened, rendered incapable of feeling.

= We must hold to the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, with a clear conscience.

Review Questions
1. State two passages of Scripture that clearly show the necessity of confessing faith publicly.
2. Which two individuals were secret disciples of Christ for a time?
3. How will non-confession of faith affect us?
4. Give two reasons why we do not profess faith in Christ lightly.
5. How is the Apostles’ Creed helpful to salvation?
6. What are the constituent parts of the living person?
7. What are the basic faculties of the human personality?
8. How may we look upon the conscience?
9. How may we have a good, or pure, conscience?
10. What will happen to those who adamantly reject or act against the truth?

Assignment/Discussion
Discuss the effects of a good conscience upon the Christian and his service to God.

Memory Passage (Rom. 14:7-9)
7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

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Study 3: The Holy Trinity (Prov. 8:1-36)

o True Christians believe in the one God who reveals Himself as consisting of three Persons, viz. the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I. A doctrine under constant attack.
1. Christians regard the doctrine of the Trinity as the teaching of Scripture; it is not a teaching derived (or inferred) from Scripture. Although the term “Trinity” is not used in the Apostles’ Creed, the doctrine of the Trinity is clearly taught.
– A characteristic of the historic creeds, catechisms, and confessions of faith is the attempt to express the truths of Scripture using scriptural words and expressions, instead of using extra-biblical words, e.g. Eschatology, ordination (to office), teaching elders, ruling elders, local church, etc. In the 1689 Confession, “Trinity” is used sparingly (in Chs. 2:3; 8:2), but the doctrine is clearly spelled out.

2. Round about the year AD 107, the Roman Emperor Trajan sentenced the bishop of Antioch, Ignatius (c. 35 – c. 108) to death by being thrown to the lions in the Colosseum in Rome. Tradition holds that he was a disciple of the apostle John. He wrote seven epistles to the churches which ministered to him while on the way to Rome to be martyred.
– Ignatius shows clearly the early belief in the Trinity. He speaks of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He constantly refer to the deity of Christ by expressions like “Jesus Christ our God” and “the blood of God”. The virgin birth of Christ is spoken of in more than one passage, e.g. “Hidden from the prince of this world were the virginity of Mary and her child-bearing and the death of the Lord.” “Jesus Christ was with the Father before the ages, and in the end was made manifest.” “He is the Word of the Father, proceeding forth from silence.” “He died for us that, believing in His death, we may escape death.” (Whitham, p. 71.)
– A converted philosopher called Aristides wrote in defence of the Christian faith against the pagans and the Jews. Of interest is the fact that it is easy to reconstruct from his statements an outline of a creed which corresponds very closely to the Apostles’ Creed. (Whitham, p. 76.)

3. The earliest attacks against the Trinity came from the Jews. A certain Justin Martyr (AD 100-165) wrote “Dialogue with Trypho” in which Trypho, the Jew, claimed that the doctrine of the Trinity is contrary to the Unity of God which is taught in the OT.
– To this, Justin replies that the theophanies or appearances of God in the OT were really appearances of the Word, the Second Person of the Trinity, before the Incarnation. He also points out the indications of plurality of Persons in the Godhead in the OT, e.g. in Gen. 1:26; Prov. 8, etc. (Whitham, p. 83.)
– Another early attack of the Trinity came from the Gnostics. Gnosticism believed that matter is evil while the spirit is good. God, the spiritual principle of the universe, was considered an absolute unity. The Godhead cannot unite itself with limited and evil matter. Therefore, the church’s doctrine of the Incarnation was rejected. Christian leaders from the West and the East of the Roman Empire adopted different approaches to counter the Gnostic heresies.
– In the West, men like Irenaeus (AD 130-202), Tertullian (AD 160-220), and Hippolytus (AD 170-235) appealed to the unity and solidarity of the Christian tradition. They attacked Gnosticism by exposing the endless variations and inconsistencies of the secret traditions professed by the Gnostics.
– In the East, men like Clement of Alexandria (AD 150-215) and Origen (AD 185-254) overthrew the theories of the Gnostics by showing that the church possessed a rational answer to all their problems. They appealed not only to faith, but to reason as enlightened and guided by faith.

II The teaching of the Apostles’ Creed.
1. Justin Martyr’s arguments for the Trinity hold good up to today.
– The theophanies of the OT were actually appearances of the Son of God, e.g. Gen. 18:1, 13, 22, etc.; Josh. 5:13-15; Judg. 13:17-21; Dan. 3:25.
– There are indications of plurality in the Godhead, e.g. Gen. 1:26; 11:7; Prov. 8:1, 22, 30, 35-36.
– Apart from the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is referred to in the OT, e.g. Gen. 1:2; 6:3; 41:38; Exod. 31:3; Num. 11:17, 25; Judg. 6:34; Psalm 51:11-12; 104:30; 139:7; 143:10; Isa. 11:2; 63:11; Ezek. 2:2.

2. The NT makes explicit references to one, living, and true God (Mark 12:29; 1 Thess. 1:9), who exists in three Persons, e.g. Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; 1 John 5:7 (authenticity of this verse have been questioned).
– Each Person is distinct (Matt. 3:16-17; John 12:27-28; 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:13-15).
: Each Person is fully divine, possessing all the divine attributes and doing divine works, e.g. creation (Gen. 1:1; John 1:3, 10; Psalm 104:30); omnipresence (Matt. 28:20; Psalm 139:7-10); omniscience (John 2:24-25; Isa. 40:13-14; 1 Cor. 2:10-11); omnipotence (Phil. 3:21; Rom. 15:19); eternity (Isa. 44:6; Rev. 22:13; Heb. 9:14).
: We must beware of the errors of Modalism when teaching the doctrine of the Trinity. The three Persons of the Godhead are not different ‘modes’ of existence of the same Person.
– In summary, we may say that there is only one true God, consisting of three distinct Persons, viz. the Father, the Son (or the Word), and the Holy Spirit – each Person being fully God, of the same substance (or essence), equal in power and glory.

3. The doctrine of the Trinity is denied outrightly by the two other “Abrahamic religions”, viz. Judaism and Islam. Another way of rejecting the Trinity is to deny the deity of Christ. This was the approach of Arianism in the 4th century, Socinianism (after Faustus Socinus, 1539-1604) in the 16th & 17th centuries, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses from the late 19th century.

= “This doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and our comfortable dependence on Him (1689 Confession:2:3).”

Review Questions
1. What do Christians believe about God?
2. Why is the term “Trinity” not used in the Apostles’ Creed?
3. Who was the bishop put to death by being thrown to the lions by Emperor Trajan?
4. Which converted philosopher defended Christianity in such a way that the outline of the Apostles’ Creed may be discerned?
5. What is the title of the book written by Justin Martyr in defence of the doctrine of the Trinity?
6. Name three champions of orthodox Christianity against Gnosticism in the West.
7. Name two champions of orthodox Christianity against Gnosticism in the East.
8. Outline Justin Martyr’s arguments from the Old Testament in support of the Trinity.
9. Summarise the doctrine of the Trinity.
10. Which two major “Abrahamic religions” deny the doctrine of the Trinity?

Assignment/Discussion
Why is “Modalism” a wrong way of proving the Trinity? What is the difference between attempting to prove the Trinity and proving the Trinity from Scripture?

Memory Passage (Matt. 3:16-17)
16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

 

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Study 4: Jesus Christ The Mediator (John 1:1-18)

o The person and work of Christ constitute the essence of the gospel and, therefore, of the Christian faith.

I. A doctrine constantly under attack.
1. From Luke 24:44-48 we learn that the essential message of OT scriptures is the coming of the God-appointed Saviour who would lay down His life to save His people (cf. Luke 4:17-21).
– The apostle Paul summarises the gospel as “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). He condemns those who pervert the gospel (Gal. 1:6-9), which may also be summarised as “justification by faith” (Gal. 2:16; Rom. 3:28), and also as “salvation by grace, through faith, in Christ alone” (cf. Eph. 2:8-9). Apart from denial of the Trinity, wrong teachings on the person and work of Christ arose early, many of which were condemned by the early church councils as heresies.

2. Wrong teachings on the person of Christ include Gnosticism, Monophysitism, Nestorianism, and Unitarianism.
– Gnosticism (from “gnosis”, secret knowledge) teaches that matter is evil while spirit is good. God is wholly transcendent, i.e. above and removed from creation. Jesus Christ is a heavenly messenger, and not God incarnate. Salvation is by having the right “knowledge”. The Freemasons have been referred to as Gnostics. An early form of Gnosticism was Adoptionism which teaches that Jesus was a human being who became divine by adoption, either at his baptism of resurrection.
– Monophysitism (from “monos”, one and “physis”, nature) claims that Christ has only one nature. There were two versions of Monophysitism. One was Eutychianism (after Eutyches of Constantinople, c. 380- c. 456) claimed that Christ had a nature that was a mixture of the divine and human. Another version was Apollinarianism (after Apollinaris of Laodicea c. 350) which held that Christ had a human body and a human soul, but his mind was taken over by the eternal Logos.
– Nestorianism (after Nestorius of Constantinople, c.386-451) claimed that Christ existed as two persons, the human Jesus and the divine Son of God.
– Unitarianism rejects the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. An early form of this was Arianism (after Arius of Alexandria, AD 250–336) which claimed that Christ is the Son of God who was created by God the Father at a point in time. Arius claimed that the Son is ‘homoiousios’ (of similar substance) as the Father. Athanasius (A.D. 293-373) contended against Arianism, showing that the Son is ‘homoousios’ (of the same substance) as the Father, i.e. of the same being. Socinianism of the 16th & 17th centuries, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses which arose from the late 19th century, similarly deny the deity of Christ.

3. Wrong teachings concerning the work of Christ came in the form of Pelagianism in the 4th
century, Arminianism in the 17th century, and Liberalism in the 19th century.
– Pelagius was a British monk who lived and taught in Rome around AD 380. He denied original sin and taught free will. Pelagius was opposed by Augustine of Hippo, Algeria (AD 354-430), who taught “total depravity” and “salvation by grace, through faith”.
– Pelagianism was replaced with Semi-Pelagianism which sought a middle ground between Pelagianism and Augustinianism. It emerged again after the Reformation in modified form in Arminianism which was rejected by the Reformed churches at the Synod of Dort in AD 1618-1619.
– Theological Liberalism began in the early 19th century and is rooted in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Schleiermacher in Germany. It spread to Britain and America in the early 20th century, embracing the “higher criticism” of modern biblical scholarship. It spawned other movements such as the Social Gospel, Feminism, and Liberation Theology. It denies the divinity of Christ and the authority of Scripture.

II. The teaching of the Apostles’ Creed.
1. His person: Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who took upon Himself perfect human nature by being born of the virgin Mary. He is, therefore, one person with two natures: the divine nature from eternity, and the sinless human nature from the incarnation.
– His divinity is indicated by His titles “Christ” (“the Anointed”) and the Son of God (Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:35).
: He is God’s only Son (John 1:18; 3:16; etc.), while those who are saved by faith in Him are adopted children (John 20:17; Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:26). The term “begotten” does not mean creation but describes the relationship between the Father and the Son. (“Begotten from the Father before all ages”, Nicene Creed).
: He is also known as the Word, who existed eternally with the Father and the Spirit. Through Him all things were made (Gen. 1:1-2; John 1:1-3).
– The humanity of Christ is indicated by His titles “Jesus” (“Saviour”) and “the Son of David” (e.g. Matt. 22:41-45; Luke 1:31-33). His title “Son of Man” is messianic, from Psalm 8:4; Dan. 7:13, and the book of Ezekiel. It reflects His human nature (Mark 2:27-28; John 5:27; 6:27, 51, 62) as well as His divine nature (John 1:51; 3:13-14; 6:27, 51, 62).
: His humanity was derived from Mary, but without her sin (Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4). Mary was never sinless, as claimed by the Roman Catholics, and expressed her need of salvation (Luke 1:47). Jesus Christ was conceived by Holy Spirit and sheltered from the sin of Mary (Luke 1:35; Heb. 4:15).
: He grew and developed as a true human being (Luke 2:52). He was capable of human feelings (John 11:35; Luke 22:41-44; Mark 11:12; John 19:28).

2. His work: Jesus Christ is the Mediator who performs the twofold work of representing God to man, and man to God. It is necessary, therefore, that He is both human and divine.
– “He suffered under Pontius Pilate” shows that: (i) it was a historical and factual event; (ii) Christ died under judgement, and not from sickness or accident; (iii) He died as an offering for the sin of His people (cf. John 18:38; 19:4; 1 Pet. 2:22).
– “He descended to hell” meaning He suffered the torments of hell: (i) the wrath of God fell on Him who acted as substitute for His people; (ii) the sins of His people are fully atoned for; (iii) the guilt of His people is cancelled (Isa. 53:5, 10-11; 2 Cor. 5:21)
“He rose again from the dead”: (i) His righteousness is imputed to His people for acceptance before God (Rom 4:25; 2 Cor. 5:21); (ii) The power of death is destroyed (1 Cor. 15:54-57); (iii) He gives power for living a sanctified life (Rom. 8:12-14).

3. His ongoing work: Ascension to heaven, future judgement.
– As God and Man in one person, in His glorified body, Jesus Christ has “ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty”. To be seated at the right hand of God is to be given the position of highest authority over all creation (Mark 16:19; Eph. 1:20-23).
: He continues His work as Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5), interceding for His people (Heb. 4:16)
and empowering them in His service (2 Cor. 5:20).
– Christ will return “to judge the living and the dead” (cf. Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1). The dead will be raised (1 Thess. 4:16). There will be the separation of the elect from the reprobate (Matt. 25:33).
: The reprobate will face “the second death”, when body and soul are cast into eternal suffering in hell. The elect will dwell with the Lord in eternal blessedness (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:22 – 22:5).

= “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58).”

Review Questions
1. State the three ways Paul summarises the gospel.
2. State four wrong teachings on the person of Christ.
3. Name an early form of Gnosticism and a modern form of it.
4. What does Monophysitism teach concerning Christ?
5. What does Nestorianism teach concerning Christ?
6. What does Unitarianism teach concerning Christ?
7. Who opposed the teaching Pelagius?
8. What two teachings emerged to replace Pelagianism after it was condemned?
9. Where did Theological Liberalism begin and what are its characteristics?
10. Why are the two natures of Christ necessary to His work of salvation?

Assignment/Discussion
The objection is often raised by unbelievers that if Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then God must have married and have a wife. Things become more confused because the Roman Catholic Church refer to Mary as the Mother of God. Should we refer to Mary as the Mother of God? How would you explain the use of the title “Son of God” in the Bible to unbelievers?

Memory Passage (John 1:1-5)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

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Study 5: The Holy Spirit, The Giver Of Life (John 14:8-21)

o The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual life through faith in Christ, sustains our faith by the word of God, and empowers us to serve God.

I. Ancient and modern errors on the Holy Spirit.
1. Montanism (also called the New Prophecy) was a movement started by Montanus in Phrygia, Asia Minor, in the late 2nd century. Not much is known of the movement except what the defenders of the orthodox faith said about it. Together with two women prophetesses, Montanus claimed that the sign gifts from the time of the apostles had lingered on, bringing new revelations and ecstatic experiences.
– Tertullian (AD 160-220) of Carthage, who defended the doctrine of the Trinity against Gnosticism, was to become a Montanist in his later years. He was of a fiery temperament and became disillusioned with what he perceived to be complacency in the church. In the subsequent decades after Tertullian’s death the Montanists became extremely radical, if not outrightly heretical.
– Under the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, circa AD 161-180, there was sporadic executions of Christians which coincided with the spread of Montanism. Montanism was finally condemned at a synod in Hierapolis (in Turkey) around AD 177, and also by the bishop of Rome.

2. Sabellianism denied the Trinity and claimed that God consists of one person, who appears in different modes – as the Son after the resurrection, then as the Holy Spirit. The one God successively revealed Himself as the Father in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Holy Spirit in regeneration and sanctification. Sabellius probably originated from Libya but was teaching in Rome around AD 215.
– Sabellianism was opposed by Tertullian in North Africa and by Hippolytus in Rome. Tertullian gave Sabellius’ doctrine the name Patripassianism, meaning ‘the father suffered’, since the Son is only a manifestation of the Father. Sabellius used the term ‘homoousios’ to mean that the father and the Son were ‘one essential person’. The term was used by Athanasius of Alexandria later to mean the Father and the Son are ‘of the same substance’, over against Arius who claimed that the Father and the Son are ‘homoiousios’ (‘of similar substance’).

3. While dealing with the Trinitarian controversies, the Nicene Creed was drawn up which stated that “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.” – The Eastern church objected to the “filioque” phrase (Latin, meaning ‘and the Son’), claiming that John 15:26 teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father.
– This difference became one of the causes of the Great Schism between East and West in AD 1054. The “filioque” phrase becomes the accepted teaching of Western and Protestant Christianity due mainly to the writings of Augustine of Hippo.

4. Old errors tend to reappear, often under different names.
– The origin of Pentecostalism has been traced to Edward Irving (1792-1834) who founded the Catholic Apostolic Church in Britain. It was claimed that the charismatic gifts had been revived, including the the extraordinary offices of apostles, prophets and evangelists. Prophecies, healing, tongues and ecstatic experiences were prominent.
– As the Pentecostal movement developed and spread in America, its similarity to the Montanist movement has been noted. The largest of the Pentecostal denomination is the Assemblies of God. A small number of the movement diverted to hold to “Oneness theology” in which the Trinity is denied and replaced with modalism. In this, they are similar to Sabellianianism.
– The charismatic movement started in America in the 1960s and share much in common with the Pentecostal movement. Today, it is hard to differentiate between the two movements since the beliefs and practices are similar.

II. The teaching of the Apostles’ Creed.
1. The Nicene Creed expounds on the Apostles’ Creed by affirming three main truths. First, “we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.”
– The Holy Spirit is “the Lord”, a title referring to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This shows that He is inseparable from, and represents the Son of God, on earth. See John 14:16-18, 26; 15:26; 16:7. The doctrine of “the co-inherence of the divine persons” (John 17:22-23) makes it possible for the Trinity to be in believers and with believers (Matt. 28:18-20), by the Spirit.
– The Holy Spirit is the giver of life. He is the principle of creation, while the Son of God may be considered the agent of creation (cf. Gen. 1:1-2; John 1:1-3; Psalm 104:30; Prov. 8:30).
– The work of regeneration and sanctification is accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit, who applies the redemptive work of Christ, and the written word of Christ, to the elect (Rom. 10:17 cf. Matt. 4:4; 1 Pet. 1:22-23 cf. 2 Pet. 3:18).
– The importance of reliance on the Holy Spirit in our service to God cannot be over-emphasised. We are to be filled with the Spirit to serve God effectively (Eph. 5:18; Col. 1:29).

2. The Nicene Creed says, “He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.”
– The relationship between the three persons of the Godhead is to be noted. Just as the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father and the Son.
– The Holy Spirit is a divine person, not a force, a power, or an influence. We refer to the Spirit as “Him”, not as “it”. Modalism must be avoided in explaining the Godhead, e.g. ice turning into water, water into steam.
– It is not wrong to pray to the Holy Spirit, in exceptional circumstances, since He is divine. However, the relationship between the three persons is such that we should normally address our prayer to the Father, in the name of the Son, and in the power of the Spirit (John 16:23-24).

3. The Nicene Creed further says, “He spoke through the prophets.”
– Spirit and word cannot be separated, just as Christ and Spirit cannot be separated, and Christ and the word cannot be separated. The written word is given by the Son of God, by the inspiration of the Spirit (John 16:12-15). The word is used by the Spirit to convince, convict, and convert (Rom 6:17; 10:17; 1 Pet. 1:22-23). The Spirit drives the believer back to the word for spiritual growth (Matt. 4:4; 2 Pet. 3:18).
– The Liberals dwell on the word without the Spirit. The charismatics dwell on the Spirit and undermine the word. The Liberals tends to rationalism, the charismatics to mysticism. The Pentecostals claim to hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, but that is not that is not the same as holding to the sole authority of Scripture which includes its sufficiency.
– We must not separate the Spirit and the word. It is suggested that the Apostles’ Creed be amended to “We believe in the Holy Spirit, who inspired the writing of the Holy Scripture.”

= As we serve the Lord, let us remember His words in Zech. 4:6, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.”

Review Questions
1. State the teaching of Montanus about spiritual gifts.
2. Which well-known church father joined Montanism?
3. What did Sabellianism teach about the Trinity?
4. What phrase in the Nicene Creed was objected to by the Eastern Church and what does it mean?
5. How is Pentecostalism similar to Montanism and how is it similar to Sabellianism?
6. What does the Nicene Creed teach about the person of the Holy Spirit?
7. What does the Nicene Creed teach about the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son?
8. What does the Nicene Creed teach concerning the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the word of God?
9. How does the Holy Spirit use the word to save sinners?
10. How does a believe grow spiritually?

Assignment/Discussion
Charismatics often accuse other Christians of not believing in the Holy Spirit. What do they mean, and how would you answer them?

Memory Passage (John 14:15-18)
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

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Study 6: The Holy Catholic Church (Eph. 3:1-21)

o The universal church manifests itself in the world as local churches made up of those who have experienced the forgiveness of sins and live in expectation of the resurrection and everlasting life.

I. Perennial errors concerning the church.
1. In the first three centuries after the apostles, up to about the time of Constantine (274-337), the church faced problems of wrong teachings, mainly concerning the Trinity and the Person of Christ.
– The excommunicated heretics and their followers would be regarded as cut off from the true church. There were groups, however, who distanced themselves from the mainline churches because of the perceived spiritual decay in them, with the result that two streams of Christianity developed, viz. “dissenting Christianity” and “establishment Christianity”. The latter , also known as the Catholic Church, must not be confused with the Roman Catholic Church, which was only one of the many churches that were independent of one another.
– The Catholic Church was characterised by sacralism, i.e. holding to a “territorial church concept” and infant baptism. It was opposed to the various dissenting churches, many of which were teaching errors and heresies of one kind or another. The dissenting churches held to the “gathered church principle” and practised believer’s baptism. They included the Montanists, the Novatians (Cathari), and the Donatists.

2. Round about AD 450, Pope Leo (390-461) began to assert the supremacy of the church of Rome over all others, calling itself the Roman Catholic Church. The other Orthodox churches opposed the claim of Roman pre-eminence, and came to be known as the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
– The Great Schism between East and West of the Roamn Empire occurred AD 1054, when the Eastern Orthodox Churches excommunicated the Roman Catholic Church while the Roman Catholic Church responded by excommunicating the Eastern churches.
– The dissenting churches that arose included the Albigenses, the Paulicians, the Bogomils, and the Waldensians. By that time, the establishment churches of the East and the West had declined spiritually to what became known as the Dark (Medieval) Ages.
– The Catholic Church, prior to the claim of supremacy by Rome, had been the custodian of the truth expressed in the Apostles’ Creed. It has now declined spiritually and morally and departed from the teaching of the Apostles’ Creed, although still professing to uphold it.

3. The Lollards arose in Britain, and the Hussites in Europe, at the dawn of the Reformation, proclaiming truths that were consistent with the Apostles’ Creed.
– When the Reformation burst upon the scene, the dissenting churches were represented by the Anabaptists, of which there were several branches, some of which held to extreme views.
– On examination, it will be found that the Reformed churches and the mainline Anabaptist churches upheld teachings that were consistent with the Apostles’ Creed. Calvin expounded the Christian faith in his “Institutes of the Christian Religion” based on the Apostles’ Creed. Reformed Baptists today would have no difficulty affirming the Apostles’ Creed, although it is not so well-known or well-used among them as among other Reformed churches.
– Protestantism has diverged into a broad spectrum of churches, many of which struggle over the definition of the church and the degree of fellowship that is possible between churches. At one end of the spectrum are the more ecumenical-minded churches, at the other end are the more isolationist churches. The teaching of the church in the Apostles’ Creed would provide some help in this perplexing issue.

II. The teaching of the Apostles’ Creed.
1. The Apostles’ Creed links the doctrine of the church with the Holy Spirit, under the third “We believe” statement.
– We have seen that the Holy Spirit, who inspires the writing of the word of God, is the giver of spiritual life. By the hearing of the word of God, the Spirit regenerates the sinner to new life in Christ (Rom. 10:17; 1 Pet. 1:23). Since the regenerate alone constitute the church, it is understandable that the doctrine of the church is placed together with the Holy Spirit.
– However, it will be quite appropriate to treat the doctrine of the church under a separate “We believe”, as is done in the Nicene Creed.

2. The universal church is referred to in the expression “holy catholic church”. The word “holy” shows that only those who are regenerate belong to the catholic, i.e. universal, church.
– Believing in “the communion of saints” means believing in the local church. The word “communion” means “fellowship” or “a shared life”. The word “saints” is used in the Bible to refer to believers.
: The universal church manifests itself in the world as visible local churches, i.e. gatherings of believers bound together by covenant to worship and serve God. Believers are expected to become members of a local church. Fellowship between believers is expressed primarily through the local church (John 17:22-23; 1 Cor. 12:12-31). (Fellowship between churches will be discussed in the next study.)
: A true church will possess the basic marks of, (i) the gospel being proclaimed; (ii) the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper being carried out correctly; and (iii) church discipline being rightly administered. – The expression “the forgiveness of sins” points us to: (i) the atoning work of Christ; (ii) conversion; (iii) sanctification; and (iv) assurance of salvation. : Atonement for sins and reconciliation with God is achieved by Christ’s death and resurrection (Heb. 9:15). : Repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ, together, constitute conversion (Acts 2:38).
: The Holy Spirit, who dwells in the believer upon conversion (Gal. 3:2), will give holy desires and the ability to live in obedience to God’s will (Rom. 8:9-11). The process of growing holier is sanctification.
: Assurance of salvation to varying degrees is experienced upon conversion (Rom. 8:16).
– Believers have every reason to be assured of their acceptance before God (John 6:37; 10:28-29; Rom. 8:38-39). Those with problems of assurance should focus on feeding on God’s word, living in obedience to the word, and engaging in regular prayer instead of seeking assurance for its own sake.

3. The Creed speaks of “the resurrection of the body” and “the life everlasting”.
– Here, perseverance in the faith is involved. True believers will persevere in the faith to the end of their lives, despite the trials and suffering that come to them (Matt. 10:22, 32-33; Rom. 8:16-17). They derive comfort and strength in the Christian hope, i.e. the certainty of resurrection of the body (Matt. 24:29-31; 1 Thess. 4:14-18) and eternal life in heaven (Tit. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:3-4).
– Between the resurrection of the dead and the blessedness of eternal life is the judgement of the last day and the re-creation of the universe (2 Pet. 3:10-13).
: Judgement will mean condemnation to the unrighteous who are not clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Matt. 25:31-34, 41). These will include unbelievers and nominal Christians (Matt. 7:21-23). The eternal suffering, of body and soul, of the unrighteous in hell is also called “the second death” (Rev. 20:13-15).
: Heaven is already qualitatively perfect. However, it is not yet in the final state God intends it to be. The remaking of the universe will result in heaven being on earth, and earth being in heaven, where righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:10-13; Rev. 21:1-4). All the elect will be gathered there, to be with the Lord forever.

= The church is made up of those who are submitted to Jesus Christ, who says of them, “the
kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21).”

Review Questions
1. State the two characteristics of those who make up the local church.
2. In the first three centuries after the apostles, what wrong teachings were faced by the church?
3. Name the two streams of Christianity that developed.
4. What characterised each stream of Christianity?
5. What groups arose in Britain and Europe at the dawn of the Reformation?
6. What dissenting groups were in Europe when the Reformation occurred?
7. What are the three marks of a true church?
8. What four things are pointed to by the expression “the forgiveness of sins”?
9. What is “the Christian hope”?
10. What two events lie between the resurrection of the dead and the blessedness of life in
heaven?

Assignment/Discussion
Suffering for the faith is part-and-parcel of the Christian life. Discuss this.

Memory Passage (2 Tim. 2:19)
19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

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Study 7: Its Value To Us (Jude 3-4, 20-25)

o The Apostles’ Creed, together with the Five Points of Calvinism and the Five Principles of the Reformation, will help individual Christians in their faith, and churches in interchurch fellowship, in a globalised world.

I. Challenges posed by a globalised world.
1.Improved technology brings improved transportation and communication, resulting in increased travel, migration, and interaction between people and nations. Ideas spread fast, some of which affect people temporarily as a flash in the pan, others more permanently. Wrong teaching on the Bible may appear to be new when, in fact, they are different manifestations of old errors. “There is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9).”

2. From our study of the Apostles’ Creed we may conclude that it was drawn up under the pressures of paganism, which appeared in the forms of Gnosticism and schism arising from persecution. Gnosticism speculated that the God of the Old Testament was different from that of the New, and denied the incarnation, claiming the divine could not have taken on human nature since matter is inherently evil. The schism of Novatianism (3rd century) arose, which refused readmission to church of those who were repentant after denying the faith while under persecution. (Similarly, Donatism in the 4th & 5th centuries.)
– Today, the doctrine of the Trinity is denied by Islam and misunderstood by those from Hindu background. Islam believes in an absolute god, “Allah”, while Hindus believe in many deities.
– The person of Christ is also misunderstood or denied. The Muslims reject the deity of Christ, claiming that if Jesus is the Son of God that would entail God having a wife. The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of Christ, claiming that He is the highest of God’s creation.

3. The Five Principles of the Reformation was directed at countering the wholesale doctrinal, practical and spiritual corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, known as sacralism. This was paralleled in the Orthodox Churches in the Eastern Roman Empire.
– “Sola scriptura” became the formal principle of the Reformation, upon which the other principles rested. “Soli Deo gloria” may be called the crowning principle of the Reformation, for that is the ultimate purpose of restoring the teaching of Scripture. The other principles, viz. “sola fide”, sola gratia” and “solus Christus”, together declare the doctrine of salvation, or the gospel.
– Underlying these principles is another undeclared one, viz. “semper reformanda”, meaning “always being reformed”. This may be called the spirit of the Reformation, which the Particular Baptists were most anxious to demonstrate in their church life.
– Today, there are those who adopt Reformed theology without seeing the practical implications. They would hold to non-cessation of the sign gifts, adopt contemporary worship, and engage in questionable contextualisation in missions.

4. Arminianism arose in the early 17th century to challenge the Reformed doctrine of salvation. The Synod of Dort met and declared as erroneous the Five Articles of Remonstrance drawn up by followers of James Arminius.
– The Synod of Dort put forth the biblical doctrine of salvation under five points of doctrine, which was later rearranged under the acrostic TULIP, and called the Five Points of Calvinism.
– Today, there are those who stop short at the Five Points while claiming themselves to be “Reformed”, practise the altar call, adopt a worldly ethos (“Young, Brash, and Reformed”), and are non-cessationist (or “continuationist”).

II. The Use of the Apostles’ Creed.
1. Not all who profess believe in the Apostles’ Creed (e.g. the RC & the Orthodox Churches) understand the doctrines of the creed in the way we do. For example, the RC claims itself to be the “mother church” within which alone salvation is found, and perverts the ordinances and the gospel.
– In a globalised world, with pagan religions surrounding us, the Apostles’ Creed will help Christians to both confess their faith as well as defend themselves against the onslaught of contrary teachings.
– The Apostles’ Creed, together with the Reformation Principles and the Five Points of Calvinism, will help churches in practising selective fellowship based on the truth of Scripture, and separation from churches guilty of sin, doctrinal errors, and worldliness. The more truths are held in common, the closer the possibility of fellowship, and vice versa.

2. We may represent selective fellowship between churches as follows:

3. To be Christian, a church needs to hold to the doctrines of the Apostles’ Creed. To be Evangelical, a church needs to hold to the sole authority of Scripture, the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, and the necessity of evangelism. To be truly Reformed, a church would need to hold to Reformed theology, uphold the primacy preaching and teaching God’s word, be confessional, adhere to the Regulative Principle of worship, and have the spirit of Reformation (i.e. hold to “semper reformanda”). There are churches today claiming to be Reformed when they are not really so. Upholding the Apostles’ Creed is a first step towards defining the Christian faith in a pluralistic world. We must then proceed to define ourselves as Reformed in the broad Evangelical world.

= It makes no sense fighting for the Christian faith in the pagan world and then allowing it to be perverted in the Christian circle. It is, therefore, necessary to practise separation and selective fellowship between churches.

Review Questions
1. What circumstances connected with paganism caused the Apostles’ Creed to be drawn up?
2. Which religion and which cult deny the deity of Christ?
3. What is the system of error held by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches called?
4. What sort of principles of the Reformation may we regard “sola scripture” and “soli Deo gloria”?
5. What do “sola fide”, “sola gratia” and “solus Christus” together teach?
6. What undeclared principle may be called the spirit of the Reformation?
7. What acrostic helps us to remember the Five Points of Calvinism?
8. How does the Apostles’ Creed help the Christian in his faith?
9. What are the documents that, together, may help churches in inter-church fellowship?
10. Give the three characteristics of an Evangelical.

Assignment/Discussion
Discuss the value of memorising the Apostles’ Creed, and how this may be encouraged among God’s people.

Memory Passage (The Apostles’ Creed)
We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, [who inspired the writing of the word of God].

[We believe in] the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

(The Apostles’ Creed, slightly amended.)

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