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.

If you come to church with any regularity, you will recognize the Apostles’ Creed, the confession of our Christian faith which we recite together each week during worship. The Apostles’ Creed explains and helps us to understand the Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

At first glance, the Creed might seem like a simple expression of what we believe as Christians. It is anything but simple. In his little book, Living in the Kingdom; Reflections on Luther’s Catechism Alvin N. Rogness writes “It boggles the mind to say, “I believe in God the Father.” (p. 50) In the creed, we are confessing that we believe in something unbelievable – that there is a God at all, and that God is indeed our father, a personal parent, someone who knows each of us and loves us individually, unconditionally.

Martin Luther devoted ten pages of the Large Catechism (Luther’s basic teachings on the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments) to the Creed. After much thought and prayer, he concluded that we should understand and study the Creed in reverse. We simply can’t believe on our own. Belief starts as a gift from the Holy Spirit.

“Because the Holy Spirit makes us believers, it stands to reason that we experience the Trinity backward – that is, only when we believe in Christ, (the work of the Holy Spirit, who does not indulge in self-revelation bit in revealing the Son) do we pierce God’s judgment and arrive at mercy.” (Martin Luther’s Catechisms; Forming the Faith Timothy J. Wengert, p. 45)

Even after witnessing Jesus perform an amazing, grace-filled miracle; the father of a young boy who Jesus healed from his convulsions cried out, “I believe! Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) How much more do we, who walk by faith and not by sight, have to rely on the Spirit?

The Third Article of the Apostles' Creed Explained – from Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.

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.


What does this mean?

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life.
This is most certainly true.