Devotional Church Creeds

What is a church creed and what does it mean?

A church creed is a short, formal statement summarizing what Christians believe. The word creed comes from the Latin credo, meaning “I believe.”

Creeds are not additional books of the Bible. Rather, early Christians developed them to summarize important biblical teachings and to clearly distinguish orthodox Christian belief from teachings they considered false.

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 the Father,
and he will 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.

It summarizes beliefs about:

• God the Father as Creator

• Jesus Christ as God's Son and Lord

• Jesus' virgin birth

• His crucifixion, death, and burial

• His descent to the dead/“hell”

• His resurrection

• His ascension

• His future return and judgment

• The Holy Spirit

• The Church

• Forgiveness of sins

• Resurrection of the body

• Eternal life

The Nicene Creed

This originated at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 and was expanded into the form associated with the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. It's especially important due to Christians debating who Jesus was at the time.

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 the Son],
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic 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.

The Top 13 Christian Creeds: Origins, Contents, & Importance