Christian Beliefs

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

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 men and for our salvation He came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit He became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. 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 and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified. He 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.

A creed is a statement of beliefs (from the Latin word "credo", which means "I believe". The Apostles' Creed is a basic statement of Christian belief.

In 325 AD The Council of Nicea expanded the Apostles' Creed into the Nicene Creed, a statement of fundamental Christian beliefs which most Christians in the world accept.

The Trinity

The main body of the Creed is based on the Christian belief in the Trinity, the idea that there is only one God but that He exists in three persons - three persons in one essential being. Christians believe that God exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  1. God the Father - Christians believe in an eternal God who is the Creator of everything there is and who is the source of all life. The Bible says that God is Love; He is a Father who cares for His creation.
  2. God the Son - Christians believe that God became a human being in the person of Jesus - the incarnation. Jesus, it is believed, was fully human and fully God. "Incarnation" means literally "in flesh". The Church and Bible teaching is that it was necessary for Him to becomea human so that He, on behalf of the human race, could make a full atonement for human sin, so that God's forgiveness might be made available to all people. Because Jesus, therefore, saves people from the consequences of their sin and wrong-doing, He is referred to as 'The Saviour'
    Three Crosses

    The Resurrection of Jesus is central to Christian belief. By suffering the agonising death of crucifixion, Jesus paid the debt for human sin. Through the resurrection (Jesus rising from the dead on the first Easter Sunday), Jesus overcame the power of death and gained eternal life for all those that trust in Him.
  3. God the Holy Spirit - Jesus promised that after He had gone back to heaven, that He would send the Holy Spirit - God's presence with those that believe in Him. On the first Whitsun, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, God coming to dwell in their lives to guide and empower them.


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G. Jones:
The FitzWimarc School, Rayleigh, Essex.
Copyright © G. Jones 2001
Homepage: http://www.fitzwimarc.org.uk