Confessions of Faith

Apostles' Creed 

c. AD 150

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I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

 

I believe in Jesus Christ, his 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, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

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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.

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Nicene Creed

AD 325 & 381

 

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

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We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him, all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

 

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

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Definition of Chalcedon

AD 451

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Following the holy fathers, we teach with one voice that the Son of God and our Lord Jesus Christ is to be confessed as one and the same person, that he is perfect in Godhead and perfect in manhood, truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body consisting of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood, like us in all respects, apart from sin.

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Begotten of His Father before the ages as regards his Godhead, but in these last days born for us and for our salvation of the virgin Mary, the God-bearer. This one and the same Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, must be confessed to be in two natures, without confusion, without changes, without division, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and only-begotten God the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. Even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us. Amen.

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Confession of First-Century Faith

AD 2019

 

For us, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live, and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and lived. We shall love the Lord our God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our minds, and with all our strength. We shall love our neighbors as ourselves. These commandments that God gives us today shall be on our hearts. We shall teach them to our children and talk about them at home, in public, and when we lie down and get up. We shall bind them as symbols in our actions and thoughts, and they shall be the rule of our homes.

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For the gospel that Paul received, he passed on to us as of first importance: Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, and was raised on the third day. He appeared to Peter and then to the twelve. Afterward, Jesus appeared to more than 500 brothers and sisters simultaneously. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, Christ appeared to Paul. Jesus appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Holy Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed in the world, and taken up in glory.

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Because of Jesus, we are children of God by faith. We are baptized into Christ, having clothed ourselves with him. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for all of us are one in Christ Jesus. Since we belong to him, we are Abraham's offspring, children of the promise. There is one body and one Spirit, just as God called us in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. We are branches grafted into the root of Israel's tree. We stand by faith in humility, trembling in awe of God's salvation. Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death and resurrection until he comes. Amen.

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* Based on 1 Cor. 8:6; Mark 12:29-31 (cf. Deut. 6:4-5; Lev. 19:18); 1 Cor. 15:3-8; 1 Tim. 3:16; Gal. 3:28-29; Rom. 9:8; Eph. 4:4-6; Rom. 11:11-20; 1 Cor. 11:26.​

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