Christian Practices Devotionals
The Apostles Creed
The Apostles Creed is a simple and time-honored way to confess the core truths of the Christian faith as you enter into the rhythm of prayer. Rooted in the early life of the Church, it gathers together the essential story of God’s saving work in a form that can be spoken, remembered, and shared. As you pray the Creed, you are not only declaring what you believe, but joining your voice with generations of believers who have held to this same faith across time and place.
Rather than being a statement to analyze, the Creed is meant to be received and prayed. It gently leads you through the great movements of the gospel: belief in God the Father, trust in Jesus Christ and His redeeming work, and life in the Holy Spirit within the community of the Church. In speaking these words, your heart is anchored again in what is true, especially in moments when faith feels uncertain or fragile.
As you move through the Creed, you are invited to rest in the story it tells and the God it reveals. It creates space to remember who God is, what He has done, and who you are in Him. In this way, the Apostles Creed becomes more than a confession. It becomes a daily grounding, a shared declaration of hope, and a steady reminder that you belong to the people and promises of God.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
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.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
*
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 universal Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The * in the Apostles Creed
The Apostles Creed was written to deal with the false teaching of “Gnosticism” which denies that Jesus was truly Man. It is the oldest and most popular creed of the church and has influenced other creeds and confessions written throughout church history. The Apostles Creed was not written by the apostles themselves, but is called the Apostles Creed because it was the early church’s attempt to give a summary of apostolic teaching. It provides a summary of the essentials of the Christian faith that all believers ought to affirm, meditate upon and attempt to live by.
The Apostles Creed we have today is slightly different from the original creed. The creed was first known as the Old Roman Creed. It can be traced back in Greek to around 140 AD. It shows up in Latin around 390 AD. One of the differences between the Old Roman Creed and the Apostles Creed we have today is the line “He descended into hell” which is placed right after “was crucified, dead, and buried”. This line has been the source of some controversy since it was added to the creed somewhere around the middle of the third century. Did Jesus actually descend into hell?
The proof text for those who believe that Jesus actually descended into hell is 1 Peter 3:18-19.
1 Peter 3:18-19
18 Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison,
They believe that He descends to hell to liberate those spirits who have been held in prison previous to His incarnation. His task in hell then is to liberate Old Testament saints.
1 Peter 3:19 leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Peter doesn’t tell us who the lost spirits in prison are or where the prison is. The lost spirits in prison could easily be referring to lost people in this world. For this reason we have chosen to replace the line “He descended into hell” with an asterisk (*). Depending on where you stand on the issue, please feel free to include the line as you read, recite, and mediate on the Apostles Creed.