This Sunday, we dive into our new series on the Apostles’ Creed. Over the coming term we’ll work our way, bit by bit, through each part of this ancient confession of faith.
I confess I’ve been looking forward to this series since I heard earlier this year that it was happening. The Apostles’ Creed is such a beautiful and important reminder for us as God’s people.
The Creed reminds us we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. In our independent church planted in 2014, it’s easy to drift into thinking that we’re ‘our own thing’ or that we need to work out the truth all on our own.
But the Creed reminds us that we are part of the holy catholic Church (don’t worry, we’ll get into what that means!) and that we have received the faith from those who came before us. What an encouragement it is that, as we profess the Creed, we declare the same words as millions of our brothers and sisters have throughout the past two thousand years!
The Creed reminds us of the core of our faith. At a time when there seem to be so many issues on which faithful Christians disagree – whether about baptism, church governance, or the ins and outs of salvation – the Creed brings us back to the heart of the Christian faith.
That’s not to say the Creed captures everything that matters. It definitely doesn’t! But it does remind us of foundational and glorious truths, including some we can easily overlook. At the same time, the Creed helps guard us from drifting into serious error.
The Creed reminds us what we live for. When we say “I believe”, we aren’t just assenting to a list of propositions. We are placing our confidence in these truths. We are planting our flag and declaring whose team we are on.
The Creed reminds us that we live for the Father Almighty who created all things, and for his Son Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended Lord. It reminds us we belong to a forgiven community, united with brothers and sisters in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. And it reminds us we live in joyful anticipation, awaiting Jesus’ return and his righteous judgment of the world.
“Stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word or mouth or letter” (2 Thess 2:15).
That’s what the apostle Paul urged the Thessalonian brothers and sisters to do. The Apostles’ Creed wasn’t written by the apostles themselves, but we can be confident it faithfully summarises their teaching – not because the Creed has authority in itself but because it faithfully reflects what God has revealed in the Scriptures.
My prayer is that this series would help us all stand firm, hold fast to God’s word, and grow in confidence and joy as followers of Jesus.
Grace and peace,
Tim
eNews - 24th July 2026