While creeds do not have any power or authority in their own right, they can serve as succinct statements of faith that ground us in the central truths of our Biblical faith. To remind ourselves of these core beliefs, we regularly recite the Apostle’s Creed: a statement of faith common to Christianity since the 2nd century AD.
I believe in God the Father, Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried:
He descended into Hades1.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
in the holy catholic church2,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
1 – That is, the place of the dead. Not to be confused with the fictional underworld of Greek mythology.
2 – The word “catholic” means “universal,” so we are here affirming our faith in the eternal church of Christ, and not in the Roman Catholic Church specifically.