What Is The Apostles' Creed21 [Matt 16 : 15-16] / Ephphatha DiscipleshipTraining (Basic Course)

 

Calling                           Moru

 

 

What is the

Apostles' Creed21 

[Matt 16 : 15-16]

 

/ Ephphatha Discipleship

Training (Basic Course)

 

 

 

/ By Pastor Priscilla

 

 

Today's scriptures:

 

[Matt 16 : 15-16]

 

 

 

"But what

about you?"

he asked.

 

 

"Who do

you say I am?"

Simon Peter

answered,

 

 

 

"You are the Christ,

the Son of the

living God."

 

 

The Apostles' Creed

is a confession

statement that

 

 

 

people who believe

in Jesus as Savior

gather and profess

their faith in general.

 

 

 

The Apostles'

 Creed is brief, but

 

 

 

 it is the testimony

of the believers

in the New and Old

Testaments,

 

 

 

and it well implies

the content of the faith

that the saints should

believe in.

 

 

 

In addition,

the Apostles' Creed

is one of the old

confessions of faith

 

 

 

which has been

professed by many

believers.

 

 

 

Furthermore,

those who believe

in Jesus as Savior

 

 

 

must not memorize

the Apostles' Creed

formally

 

 

 

but become our

true confession

of faith.

 

 

In this chapter,

we will take a careful

look at the contents

of the confession of

faith in three units.

 

 

 

Each one of us

must understand

this correctly, apply it

concretely,

 

 

 

and profess our

faith before God.

 

 

 

1. The Apostles' Creed

tells us about objects

of faith.

 

 

 

It is very foolish

to believe without

knowing who the

object you believe

 

 

 

in while living a

religious life.

 

 

 

The Apostles' Creed

clearly and definitely

professes the object

of faith we should

believe in.

 

 

 

In today's scriptures,

Jesus directly asks

his disciples.

 

 

 

“Who do you say I am?”

(Matthew 16 : 15)

 

 

 

This question leads

to a clear confession

of what we should

believe in

 

 

 

and tells us the 

most basic idea and 

core of Christianity. 

 

 

 

It is in vain for us

to build a foundation

without discernment.

 

 

 

Therefore, we need

to know the sure object

of our life of faith

 

 

 

and get the first step

right so that we may

live a proper life of faith.

 

 

 

Who is the one you

must believe in and

confess your faith?

 

 

 

Write about God

as revealed in the

 Apostles' Creed.

 

 

 

(1) God the

Almighty Creator

 

 

 

"Lift your eyes

and look to the

heavens:

 

 

Who created

all these?

 

 

He who brings out

the starry host

one by one,

 

 

 

and calls them

each by name.

 

 

 

Because of his

great power and

mighty strength,

 

 

 

not one of them

is missing."

(Isaiah 40:26)

 

 

 

(2) God the Creator

 (Gen 1 : 1)

 

 

 

(3) The father of

our spirits

 (Heb 12 : 9)

 

 

2) Who is Jesus

you believe in?

 

 

 

Write down about

Jesus mentioned in

  the Apostles' Creed.

 

 

 

(1) "You are the Christ,

the Son of the

living God."

(Matt 16 : 16)

 

 

 

(2) "Mary was found

to be with child through

the Holy Spirit."

(Matt 1 : 18)

 

(3) Jesus was conceived

by the Holy Spirit,

and born of the

Virgin Mary.

(Lk 1 : 27-31)

 

 

 

(4) All the high priests

and the people bound

Jesus, led him away

 

 

 

and handed him

over to Pilate,

the governor.

 (Matt 27 : 1-2)

 

 

 

(5) After they crucified

Jesus, the clothes

were divided by lots.

 (Matt 27 : 35)

 

 

 

(6) Jesus was dead

and buried, and

 the third day

 

 

He arose again

from the dead.

(1 Corin 15 : 4)

 

 

 

(7) He ascended

into heaven.

(Acts 1 : 9)

 

 

 

(8) He sat at the

right hand of God.

(Mk 16 : 19)

 

 

 

(9) "He will punish those

who do not know God

and do not obey the

gospel of our Lord Jesus."

( 2 Thessa1 : 8)

 

 

 

3) Who is the one

who comes into

each one of you

and gives you faith? 

 

 

 

He is the Holy Spirit.

“I Believe in the Holy Spirit”

 The Holy Spirit transcends

time and space and works.

 

 

 

Also, write down

who is the object

of our faith along

with Heavenly Father

 

 

 

and Jesus Christ in

the Apostle's Creed.

 

 

 

"But you will receive

power when the

Holy Spirit comes

on you;

 

 

 

and you will

be my witnesses

in Jerusalem,

 

 

 

and in all Judea

and Samaria,

 

 

 

and to the ends

of the earth." 

( Acts 1 : 8)

 

 

 

This very Holy Spirit

first makes us

believe in Jesus,

 

 

 

second makes us

understand the

word of truth,

 

 

 

and third protects

and guides us. 

 

 

 

Also, no one can call

Jesus the Lord without

the Holy Spirit. 

(1 Corin 12 : 3)

 

 

 

"But the Counselor,

the Holy Spirit, whom

the Father will send

in my name,

 

 

 

will teach you all things

and will remind you

of everything I have

said to you."

(John 14 : 26)

 

 

 

2. The Apostles' Creed

teaches us two things

to believe and respect. 

 

 

 

If there is something

that we often ignore

today, read and write

the following scriptures

about what it is.

 

 

 

'I will build my church,

and the gates of

Hades will not

overcome it.'

(Matt 16 : 18)

 

 

 

'Only encourage

one another and

strive to meet

together'

(Heb 10 : 25)

 

 

 

We modern people

live so busy lives. 

 

 

 

So, we tend to

stay away from the

church or leave the

church community

 

 

 

and have only

  personal faith.

 

 

 

But the Lord wants 

us to live a church

-centered life.

 

 

 

(1) The apostles and

believers confess their faith

in a life centered on the

church community.

 

 

 

Therefore, we must keep

in mind that we must live

a church-centered life

that God wants us to, not

a world-centered life.

 

 

 

(2) I believe in the

  communion of saints.

(Heb 10 : 24-25)

 

 

 

Since the church

is a collective, there

are some difficulties

 

 

 

in interpersonal

relations or systems

in some cases,

 

 

 

but for those reasons,

we should not avoid

the church or have a

bias toward the

church.

 

 

 

Moreover, faith is

not led alone, it is the

  life of a community. 

 

 

 

The congregation,

not alone, should

unite with one another

to form communal

 fellowship.

 

 

 

God works

 through man.

 

 

 

Therefore, the saints

should take care of

one another,

 

 

 

serve one another

with counsel and

comfort encourage

love and good deeds,

 

 

 

and strive to meet

together more often

as the day of the

 Lord comes near.

 

 

 

Therefore, we mus

t become a church of

a community of faith

that we build up

together.

 

 

 

3. The Apostles' Creed

tells us important truths

that we must believe in.

 

 

 

1) We profess that

Jesus shall come to

judge the quick

and the dead.

(Acts 17 : 31)

(Rev 20 : 11-15) 

 

 

 

Also, there is an

inevitable judgement 

awaiting humans. 

(Heb 9 : 27)

 

 

 

2) All our sins can be

forgiven by believing in 

Jesus and only in the

name of Jesus.

(Acts 10 : 43) 

 

 

 

3) 'I believe in the

resurrection of

 the body.'

 

 

 

This refers to the

resurrection

of the dead. 

 

 

 

Read the

following scripture

and write down

the events

 

 

 

that will take place

on the day of the

Lord's coming.

 

 

 

"For the trumpet

will sound, the

dead will be raised

imperishable,

 

 

 

and we will

be changed." 

(1 Corin 15 : 52)

 

 

 

(Ex) : The last

of the 10 steps

of salvation

-'Glorification'

 

 

 

4) 'I believe in life

      everlasting.'

 

 

 

- This is the profession

that we will live with

the Lord forever.

 

 

 

"Jesus said to her,

"I am the resurrection

and the life.

 

 

 

He who believes

in me will live, even

though he dies;

 

 

 

and whoever lives

and believes in me

will never die.

 

 

 

Do you believe this?"

(John 11 : 25-26)

 

 

 

"There will be

no more night.

 

 

 

They will not need

the light of a lamp

 

 

 

or the light of the sun,

for the Lord God

will give them light.

 

 

 

And they will reign

for ever and ever."

(Rev 22 : 5)

 

 

 

And to say

“Amen” is a

profession of

confirmation

 

 

 

that the above facts

are truly true.

 

 

 

4. Conclusion 

 

 

 

To summarize the

above confession

of faith, 

 

 

 

the first is

the profession

of the object of faith,

 

 

 

the second is

the profession

 

 

 

of what the life of the

saints should be like

in the present world,

 

 

 

and the third

is the contents

of the hope to be

fulfilled in Jesus

   Christ in the future.

 

 

 

Now, if you have

received Jesus as

your Savior,

 

 

 

you should be

able to boldly say

 

 

 

this confession of faith

that Jesus' disciples,

the apostles and saints

professed, anytime,

and anywhere.

 

 

 

1) God:

My good Father,

God the Almighy

 

 

 

2) Jesus:

The Lord of my life,

the ruler of my life,

the Lord of my soul,

the Savior, and the

bridegroom

 

 

 

3) The Holy Spirit:

The one who guides us

to the truth,  makes us

know God and Jesus,

and makes us fulfill

God's will.

 

 

 

5. Summary 

 

 

 

1) Who made the

Apostles' Creed

and what is its

   characteristics?

 

 

 

(1) This is a profession

and the subject is

   God the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

(2) This confession

of faith was chosen

 by the apostles.

 

 

 

2) First, what do we

profess through the

Apostles' Creed

and what is the

content?

 

 

 

-The object of faith is God.

God is the Almighty,

 

 

 

the Maker of heaven

and earth and all things,

and He is my Father.

 

 

 

3) Seconly what do

we profess through

the Apostles' Creed

and what is its

 content? 

 

 

 

-Jesus the Savior

 (see 9 things)

 

 

 

4) Thirdly what do we

profess through the

Apostles' Creed

and what is its

content?  

 

 

 

-the Holy Spirit-

The Word of truth, and

Protection, and

 Guidance.

 

 

 

5) Can you confess

this faith as yours? 

 

 

 

-Amen

 

 

 

2021/05/21

 

/ By Priscilla