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I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

This will lead us to discover three truths about God: 

  1. God is revealed in the Trinity

  2. God is Personal

  3. God is Creator

For this first session, we will begin looking at the Apostles' Creed. We will start with the first line: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

 

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Part 1
Introduction to the Apostles’ Creed

For centuries, the Apostles Creed has served as a litmus test for orthodox Christianity. It has helped believers confess the essential truths of the Christian faith with clarity and brevity - and it has stood as a guardrail against countless heresies and false teachings. 

This course will use the Apostles' Creed as an overview to basic Christian teaching. 

The Apostles' Creed 

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth. 
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended into hell.
The third day he arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty,
Whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Video: Introducing the Apostles’ Creed

Key Points from Part One

I Believe

  • We can say that we believe these words because the words of the Creed find their source in the words of God.

  • 2 Tim. 3:16-17 - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

I Believe in God

  • The foundation of our theology rests on the belief in a personal, transcendent, sovereign, omnipotent God.

God is Revealed in the Trinity

  • When we speak about God, we are speaking about the Triune God, that is, the God who exists as the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

 

Review Questions

  • The Bible is the final, ultimate, and authoritative Word of God that governs the lives of all Chrsitians. But creeds like this one help us define what God’s Word says and ensure our faithfulness to it.

  • Three

  • God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.

  • They are not three different Gods, not three separate beings, not three forms of God, and not three masks that one God wears. They are three distinct, equal, divine Persons who exist in the eternal union of one God.

  • No. Although the Creed begins with God the Father, He is not more God than Jesus or the Holy Spirit. All three are God, and all three are their own Person.

 

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Part 2
God is Personal

Key Points from Part Two

God is Personal (Psalm 8:3-4)

  • God calls Himself our Father.

  • God is not the Father of everyone the way He is Father to the Christian. In a sense, God is fatherly to everyone in the world. But we are not all God’s children.

  • God as your Father means that His disposition toward you will always be that of total love, kindness, tenderness, and compassion.

 

Review Questions

  • This title speaks to God’s special relationship to His children, defined by a particular care, love, and faithfulness to them.

  • God is not the Father of everyone the way He is Father to the Christian. In a sense, God is fatherly to everyone in the world, but we are not all God’s children. The Bible says that, through Christ, Christians have been adopted into the family of God and become God’s children (Eph. 1:5).

  • God as your Father means that His disposition toward you will always be that of total love, kindness, tenderness, and compassion. Because He is your Father, you can trust that His hand of grace will always rest upon you - His providence will always work for your good - and His love for you will never run out.

 

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Part Three
God is Creator

Key Points from Lesson 3: 

God is Creator (Genesis 1:1)

  • All things find their beginning with God. God is the decisive cause of all things. Because He is the Creator, He sets the rules - He decides what Life is all about.

  • God is the one who has the ultimate right and authority to order the universe the way He pleases.

  • God as the Creator means that He gets to determine right and wrong.

Humans were made in God's image (Genesis 1:26)

  • Wayne Grudem: “The fact that man is in the image of God means that man is like God and represents God.”

  • But we are similar to God in certain ways. We are able to make moral judgments. Be creative. Exercise dominion over the earth. We can reason and use our minds.

 

Review Questions

  • He has total authority over the entire universe, and all things exists by Him and for His purposes.

  • God does. Humans flourish when we align ourselves with the purposes and design that God created us for.

  • Wayne Grudem: “The fact that man is in the image of God means that man is like God and represents God.”

 
 

Questions for Further Discussion 

  1. When outlining Christian truth, why is it important to start with God? Could you start somewhere else instead? 

  2. Briefly explain what it means to be made in God's image. How does this distinguish Humanity apart from the rest of creation?

  3. If God is Personal, why does He sometimes feel cold or distant? Why do people often have this perception about God?

  4. If someone told you that the doctrine of the Trinity sounded confusing, how would you try to explain it to them?

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