This article is the first in a series exploring the Apostles’ Creed.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
Under Pontius Pilate, He was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again 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.
Throughout the history of the church, at least since the fourth century AD, Christians have turned to the Apostles’ Creed as one of the clearest summaries of “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Though brief—only about a hundred words—it distills the heart of Christian belief in a way that both instructs and unites God’s people. In an age when truth feels fluid and identity shifts with every new cultural current, the Creed offers a firm place to stand, reminding believers who God is and what the gospel truly proclaims.
Creeds as Gifts to the Church
Creeds are not divine revelation; they are not on par with Scripture. Rather, they reflect the church’s words about God—statements of faith and summaries of biblical truth passed down through the centuries. They are gifts from the history and tradition of the Christian church, meant to correct our false and distorted views of God.
As Albert Mohler has written, the Creed “instructs, guides, defends, and enshrines the glorious truths that answer the most important question anyone could ask: What must I do to be saved?” Perhaps it’s even better to say the Creed seeks to answer, “What must I believe to be saved?”
That’s why the Apostles’ Creed contains, to borrow the phrase from the title of Gavin Ortlund’s book, the hills worth dying on—the doctrines that define what it means to be a Christian. It’s helpful to think of the Creed like this: a Christian may, and perhaps even should, believe more than what’s in the Creed, but not less.
One Faith, Once for All
From the earliest centuries of the church, the Apostles’ Creed has unified Christians across cultures, traditions, and generations under what Paul calls the “one faith” (Eph. 4:5).
The Creed has served as a kind of Christianity checkup—a spiritual kind of physical examination, exposing unhealthy, diseased, and false ideas about God that need correction by the prescriptions of Scripture. For centuries it was used to teach candidates for baptism, ensuring that those entering the waters of faith truly believed. It has the potential to continue to serve many churches in that same way today.
In an era of vague spirituality, when many people “believe in God” but struggle to define who that God is, the Apostles’ Creed insists that there are certain truths that must be affirmed to rightly identify as a Christian. If you claim to be married, but can’t pick your spouse out in a crowd, then you probably aren’t married. And so too, you may claim to be a Christian, but if you can’t affirm the claims in the Apostles’ Creed, you may need to reconsider where you are.
This is not to say the Creed contains everything Christians believe. The Bible speaks of countless other truths that are helpful and beneficial to believe. But the Creed includes everything that must be believed to be saved. It defines the outer boundaries of orthodoxy—the fence around the pasture of faith.
To deny the truths it proclaims is to step outside historic Christianity. That doesn’t mean there’s shame in admitting disbelief; far better to know you’re not a Christian than to think you are and not be one. The Creed offers clarity, not condemnation. It invites honest reflection: Do I truly believe the gospel handed down by the apostles?
If so, then praise God! If not, then “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
The Creed of Creeds
Philip Schaff noted in The Creeds of Christendom that as the Lord’s Prayer is the “Prayer of prayers,” and the Ten Commandments are the “Law of laws,” so the Apostles’ Creed is the “Creed of creeds.”
At its core, the Apostles’ Creed is structured around who God is—the one God who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The largest section focuses on Jesus Christ, explaining who he is and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection. The Creed is therefore a concise summary of the gospel—the good news that saves sinners who believe.
By declaring faith in the Father, Son, and Spirit, Christians affirm the triune heartbeat of Scripture. Without that foundation, the entire structure of Christianity collapses.
Why the Creed Matters Now
In many ways, modern Western culture has developed what Greg Gilbert described in What is the Gospel as an “anemic, decaffeinated” view of God. He writes about a lowercase-“g” god—an elderly, harmless figure who never judges, always forgives, and mostly keeps to himself. He’s polite, non-confrontational, and conveniently quiet.
It’s easy to dismiss that caricature intellectually, but many live as if it were true. God becomes a distant grandfather, mostly asleep, whose one rule is “don’t judge”. The Apostles’ Creed shatters that illusion by confronting us with the true God who is Father, Almighty, Creator, and Judge; the Son who suffered, died, and rose again; and the Spirit who gives life, saves, and sanctifies the church.
Reciting the Creed, whether individually or corporately, guards the church from drifting into sentimental or self-defined religion. It anchors us in the truths that endure.
Belief Worth Living and Dying For
The word creed comes from the Latin credo, meaning “I believe.” Each line of the Apostles’ Creed begins with that confession. But belief in this sense isn’t mere opinion or private sentiment. It involves understanding, assent, and trust.
Understanding refers to knowing what the Creed actually says—being able to picture the bridge, so to speak. Assent means affirming that it’s true, accepting that the bridge really exists. And trust means being willing to walk or drive across the bridge—staking one’s life on the God the Creed describes.
True belief is more than intellectual agreement; it’s wholehearted commitment. To say “I believe in God the Father Almighty” is to trust him with one’s whole life, to depend on him entirely, and to live in light of who he really is—in awe of his attributes, committed to obey his commands (Matt. 28:19-20).
Unity and Clarity in a Fragmented World
In a fragmented, polarized world, the Apostles’ Creed reminds believers that there is one faith that unites them across denominational and cultural lines. Whether recited in a small rural congregation or a larger city church, its words draw Christians together in shared confession. It helps us maintain unity amidst denominational diversity.
It keeps the church from being tossed by every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14), grounding it in the gospel that has endured through persecution, heresy, and reform. In a time when authenticity often trumps orthodoxy, the Creed declares through the centuries: This is the truth that saves.
A Creed for the Next Generation
Modern Christians in particular need the Creed’s clarity. In a world of competing truth claims and endless digital noise, we need enduring words. The Apostles’ Creed gives language to faith; it offers a lens through which to test whether we are truly New Testament Christians or merely cultural ones.
As we pass the faith to the next generation, the Creed serves as both anchor and compass. It grounds us in the past, in historic, biblical Christianity, while pointing us toward the eternal future promised by the gospel.
The Apostles’ Creed is not a dusty relic of the past. It has power to guide the church in the present and into the future. It instructs, unifies, and fortifies the people of God by summarizing the essentials of the faith. It reminds us that Christianity may include believing more than what the Creed affirms, but never less.
In every age, believers must return to these foundational truths—confessing with the church through the centuries:
Maker of heaven and earth…”
Because these truly are hills worth dying on.
