This We Believe
We all believe in something. By believing, we place our trust in something or someone. Belief is the acceptance that something is true, or that some. People believe in all kinds of things, from personal values to social ideals to scientific findings and religious credences, among others.
Among the many religious belief systems in the world include: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Bahaism, Vodou, Spiritualism, Materialism, Shinto, Atheism, etc. We Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to atone for the sins of the world and to establish a new kingdom. We also believe in Jesus' self-proclamations, his earthly work, and His continuing work in the Church through the Holy Spirit today.
Before his ascension to Heaven, Jesus instructed his disciples to leave Jerusalem and Judea and take the gospel to the ends of the earth. And this they did. Scriptures tell us that Peter went to places like Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia; all these places found in modern day Turkey (1 Peter 1:1). John's exile was to the island of Patmos, and he later preached the gospel in Ephesus. Paul went to places like Ephesus, Rome and Corinth, where he returned three times. Phillip the evangelist preached the gospel in Samaria. Tradition holds that Thomas took the gospel to India, and was killed there.
Only James, of all the apostles, is recorded to have died in Jerusalem (Acts 12:1-5). The common belief is that all the other apostles died outside Jerusalem and Judea while spreading the good news of what they believed. Church tradition holds that Peter and Paul died in Rome, Nathaniel faced martyrdom in Asia, Andrew was crucified in Greece while Matthew was killed in Ethiopia, among other martyrdoms. It is not of much importance to know how every apostle died, but it is of great importance to know that they died for their belief in Christ.
Wherever the apostles went even under persecution, the Church grew as people believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostles wrote the gospels and letters (epistles) to Christians in cities where churches were established. These writings served various purposes for the early Church and as they do for us today. These purposes included: convincing people of Jesus’ works and of who He was, training in righteousness, teaching, correcting and rebuking false doctrine.
Back then, people hand wrote Scripture, and the lack of a printing press resulted in a few copies of the apostles’ letters. Paul's instruction in Colossians 4:16, that the church at Colossae share his letter with the church in Laodicea and vice versa, is evidence of this.
“And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.” — Colossians 4:16 (ESV)
If you open your Bible, you won’t find the book of Laodiceans. But we know Paul wrote a letter to them because he tells the Colossians to read it. This implies that the letter was lost. Laodicea was located just about 10 miles from Colossae.
There is a possibility that Christians in some cities might not have read letters addressed to other cities close to them. For example, Christians in Rome might not have read the letters to the Corinthians, the Ephesians might not have read the letter addressed to the Galatians, and so forth. We have to thank God that we have the Bible easily accessible to us.
The New Testament as we have it today comprises the apostles’ writings, but it wasn't until the 4th century AD that the 27 books were established as canon. This means there was a time in Church history when there was no complete collection of scriptures of the New Testament.
However, even with access to just a few books of the New Testament, early Christians developed formal statements of faith, affirming the fundamental beliefs held as a body. These were easy to remember and recite whenever they met for worship. These were called creeds.
A creed is a set of beliefs that guides the way of life for an individual or group of people. The term “creed” originates from the Latin word “credo”, meaning “I believe.” It is important to note that creeds are lists of biblical truths that Christians proclaim to believe and are not themselves scripture. Therefore, by reading these creeds out loud in an assembly of believers, Christians were proclaiming, “this we believe.”
One of such creeds is the Apostle’s creed. This creed is called the Apostles' creed not because the apostles produced it themselves but because it contains a summary of their teachings. It is the oldest creed in the Christian church and is the basis for other creeds that followed. Scholars date its writing to the second century AD, just over 100 years after Jesus’ ascension.
“I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator 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 to the dead;
On the third day he rose again;
He ascended into heaven,
He is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty,
and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.”
“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. ” — 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)
Does your belief system cultivate righteousness within you? Do you learn from what you believe? Are you corrected by what you believe? When in error, are you reproofed by your belief system? Believing in Christ will do all that for you.
Convince people of Jesus’ works and of who He was
The four gospels serve to convince people of Jesus’ works and of who He was. For example, Apostle John says the entire purpose for which he wrote the gospel of John is that his readers might believe that Jesus is who he claimed to be.
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. ” — John 20:30–31 (ESV)
Are you convinced by what you believe?
Training In Righteousness
Scriptures train a believer in righteousness. In 2 Peter 1:5–7, Apostle Peter reminded believers of qualities that would keep them fruitful for Christ.
“5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ” — 2 Peter 1:5–7 (ESV)
And later in verses 12 to 13 he says,
“12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,” — 2 Peter 1:12-13 (ESV)
Training in righteousness is an ongoing process for the believer. Does what you believe cultivate righteousness within you?
Teaching
At the Areopagus in the city of Athens, Apostle Paul taught the Greeks that the “unknown god” they had inscribed on an altar was actually the God of heaven and earth who made the world and everything in it. He explained to them that this God does not live in temples made by man, nor can human hands serve Him. Reference Acts 17:22–27. Do you learn from what you believe?
For Correction And Reproof
Scriptures serve to rebuke false teaching and correct believers. We find a good example in the book of Acts, Luke recorded that there were some believers who were teaching that “Unless one was circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” To correct this error, the apostles and elders of the Church met in Jerusalem in 50 AD to consider this matter. Known as the Jerusalem council, this meeting was the first Christian council. After much debate, they agreed to not burden Gentile believers with requirements beyond righteousness. The letter sent to the new believers by Paul and Barnabas read as such:
“The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” — (Acts 15:23–29 ESV)
The Jerusalem Council wasn’t the last council that met to address the error. Over 250 years later, in the fourth century AD, a council met first at Nicea in 325 AD and another at Constantinople in 381 AD to address errors in the doctrine of the Trinity.
A preacher named Arius from Alexandria, Egypt (c. AD 256-336) had become the chief proponent of the teaching that rejected the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ. Arius diverged from established doctrine and taught that: "If the Father begat the Son, then he who was begotten had a beginning in existence, and from this it follows there was a time when the Son was not." The Church at the time responded by meeting at two councils and wrote a creed that rejected Arianism. The Niceo-Constantinopolitan creed or most commonly known as the Nicene creed, affirmed the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
““We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
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.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father*,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy 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.””
This creed affirms God is three in one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and puts more emphasis on Christ’s divinity. “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.” This creed has formed the basis of the Church’s position on the doctrine of the Trinity to this day. Many believers around the world still recite this creed when they meet for worship. Are you corrected by what you believe?
What Do You Believe About God he Father?
Do you believe He is the Alpha and the Omega, creator of all things visible and invisible? Or do you believe the universe started from nothing with a big bang?
What do you believe about God the Christ?
Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? Do you believe Jesus Christ is Lord? If you do, do you believe you ought to do all things He commanded? Do you believe Christ commands all people everywhere to repent?
What do you believe about God, the Holy Spirit?
Do you believe the Holy Spirit was sent as a helper to bear witness of Christ? Do you believe we are the temple in which He dwells?
What do you believe about man?
Do you believe God created man in His image? Or do you believe man evolved from other species? Do you believe all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? Do you believe God created man male and female? Or do you believe God created man on a “gender spectrum"?
What do you believe about sexuality?
Christians to this day have continued to write creeds on various topics of the faith. More recently, on 31st of October 2024, Australian Christians from many denominations and groups came together and wrote a new creed that affirms the timeless teachings of the church regarding sexual integrity, that articulates God’s glorious design for sex and marriage as revealed in Holy Scripture (australiancreed.org).
“We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who designed sex as part of His loving plan for humanity,
and whose will for sexual integrity is clearly revealed in Holy Scripture.
We believe God created each person in His image as male or female,
and any person’s attempt to deny or change this distorts God’s good design.
We believe God blesses sexual intimacy solely between a man and a woman within the holy covenant of marriage,
a life-giving mystery that reflects Christ’s love for His church.
We believe God calls a husband and wife to be fruitful and multiply, that every life is sacred,
and that children are precious to God and must be protected from sexualisation.
We believe God calls all people to the joy of living a chaste life, by celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in marriage,
and that His commands are given for the common good.
We believe sexual activities outside these bounds are sins which grieve God’s heart, injure others,
and enslave people to idolatry.
We believe our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, that Christ calls and empowers us to repent from all sin, including sexual sin, that His mercy abounds to forgive and restore, and that by living with sexual integrity we glorify God and humbly embrace His wise and loving plan for human life.
Amen.”
What do you believe about Life?
Do you believe that every life is fearfully and wonderfully made and that God knew us even before we were formed in the womb?
What do you believe about Death?
Do you believe it is appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgement? Or do you believe that this life is all that there is? Do you believe we are going to give accountability for the things we have done before God? And good luck defending yourself before God without Jesus as your atonement.
What do you believe about Salvation?
Do you believe God's desire is that no one should die in their sin, but that all would believe in Him and be saved?
Can You Articulate You Believe?
Some of our Christian beliefs are foolish to the world, but can we defend them?
“18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ” — 1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)
So, can you defend your Christian beliefs?
“15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” — 1 Peter 3:15–16 (ESV)
People have believed in many things and have been disappointed to discover their beliefs were false. People have believed in things like the flat earth and have been proven false. But when you believe in Christ, you cannot be put to shame.
“11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ” — Romans 10:11 (ESV)
What Differentiates What We Believe From What Demons Believe?
We do well to believe all this, but demons too believe some things we believe.
In Matthew 8:29, two demon possessed men met Jesus and before He could speak a word to them, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
From their own declaration, demons believe Jesus is the Son of God. And they also believe that judgment awaits them. James was writing to believers in James 2:19:
“19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! ” — James 2:19 (ESV)
So then what differentiates what we believe from what demons believe about Christ?
“9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ” — Romans 10:9–10 (ESV)
Confessing is not “saying”. Remember Jesus said in Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Confession must be followed by obedience. And that’s what demons fail to do. They believe Jesus is the Son of God, but will not obey him as Lord. We have to be careful not to be the sort of “believers” who say Lord, Lord but do not do the will of the Father in heaven.
What do you believe? Does your belief system cultivate righteousness within you? Do you learn from what you believe? Are you corrected by what you believe? When in error, are you reproofed by your belief system? Does what we believe check our feeling and emotions?
What is your creed?
As the body of Christ, this we believe. Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
* “Filioque” which is Latin for “and the Son” was added to the Niceo-Constantinopolitan Creed (325 & 381 AD) in 589 AD at the third council of Toledo by the Western Church to discredit Arian teaching. The addition was adopted by the Roman Church in 1014 AD by Pope Benedict VIII at the request of King Henry II of Germany. The addition of "Filioque" has been a point of contention between the Eastern and Western Christian traditions, contributing to the great schism between the two branches of Christianity.
