christianity
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For nearly two thousand years, Christians throughout the world have confessed the Apostles’ Creed. It has been prayed in churches, whispered in hospital rooms, spoken beside graves, recited at baptisms, and proclaimed in times of both joy and suffering. It is one of the oldest and most treasured summaries of the Christian faith. Yet the…
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The Apostles’ Creed concludes by proclaiming the resurrection of the dead, and the world to come. These final words gather together everything that has come before them. The story of the Christian faith does not end with forgiveness, nor even with life after death. It culminates in the complete renewal of creation. The God who…
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Having confessed our belief in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, and the Communion of Saints, the Apostles’ Creed now proclaims one of the greatest gifts God has given to humanity: the forgiveness of sins. These words are more than a promise that God overlooks our failures. They proclaim that nothing has the power…
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Having confessed our belief in the Holy Catholic Church, the Apostles’ Creed immediately continues with the Communion of Saints. These two articles belong together. The Church is not merely the community of Christians living on earth today. It is the whole family of God, united across time and eternity. Death does not divide the Body…
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After confessing our belief in the Holy Spirit, the Apostles’ Creed immediately continues: the Holy Catholic Church. This is no accident. The Church exists because of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who gathers God’s people, unites them to Christ, and continually breathes new life into the Body of Christ throughout every generation. The…
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Having reflected upon the life, death, resurrection, ascension, and promised return of Jesus Christ, the Apostles’ Creed now turns our attention to the Holy Spirit. Although the Creed speaks only three words, they open the door to a mystery that fills every page of Scripture and every moment of the Christian life. The Holy Spirit…
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The Apostles’ Creed next proclaims that Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead. For many people, the word judgment immediately awakens fear. We imagine standing before a distant judge whose purpose is to condemn us, exposing every failure and every weakness. Yet this is not the image the Creed gives us. The One…
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After proclaiming Christ’s Resurrection, the Apostles’ Creed continues: he sits at the right hand of the Father. These words are not meant to describe God’s physical location, as though heaven were a place with a throne large enough for two seats. Like much of the language of Scripture, they are sacred imagery, revealing a spiritual…
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After confessing that Jesus was crucified, died, was buried, and descended into the realm of the dead, the Apostles’ Creed proclaims the heart of the Christian faith: on the third day, he rose again. Without the Resurrection, Christianity would simply be the story of a remarkable teacher whose life ended in tragedy. The Resurrection changes…
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The Apostles’ Creed continues with a phrase that has puzzled many Christians throughout the centuries: he descended into hell**.** At first glance, these words can be unsettling. Did Jesus descend into the place of eternal punishment? Was this another moment of suffering? To understand the Creed, we must first understand what the Church has traditionally…