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At church last Sunday, the pastor began a series on the Apostles’ Creed. The topic in his sermon was “I believe.”
Here are some items, drawn from his sermon:
A. The creed was developed so that Christians throughout the world would be affirming the same thing. The Greek word for “confess” is homologeo and means saying the same thing.
B. The youth pastor said that, when we speak the creed aloud, we strengthen our own belief in it. The pastor in his sermon explored another dimension of confessing the creed. When we speak the creed, we bring it from our hearts to the outside world, which is what Christians are supposed to do with their Christianity, in general. The pastor contrasted this with people’s tendency to compartmentalize, having a church box, a job box, a relationship box, etc. Christians in antiquity brought their faith into the outside world, even though they were considered odd, when they established hospitals and treated lepers.
C. Believing is about more than ethics or embracing a set of facts, contrary to how the Enlightenment influences people to see faith. It is trust, making the truth one’s own. That occurs through the Holy Spirit. God did not simply give us a list of facts but came to us where we are in Jesus Christ. In so doing, Jesus revealed the Father.
Here are some items, drawn from his sermon:
A. The creed was developed so that Christians throughout the world would be affirming the same thing. The Greek word for “confess” is homologeo and means saying the same thing.
B. The youth pastor said that, when we speak the creed aloud, we strengthen our own belief in it. The pastor in his sermon explored another dimension of confessing the creed. When we speak the creed, we bring it from our hearts to the outside world, which is what Christians are supposed to do with their Christianity, in general. The pastor contrasted this with people’s tendency to compartmentalize, having a church box, a job box, a relationship box, etc. Christians in antiquity brought their faith into the outside world, even though they were considered odd, when they established hospitals and treated lepers.
C. Believing is about more than ethics or embracing a set of facts, contrary to how the Enlightenment influences people to see faith. It is trust, making the truth one’s own. That occurs through the Holy Spirit. God did not simply give us a list of facts but came to us where we are in Jesus Christ. In so doing, Jesus revealed the Father.
