This We Believe: Meditations on the Apostles' Creed
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About this ebook
This We Believe-Meditations on the Apostles' Creed is a small devotional resource based on the ancient Apostle's Creed. Each major section of the creed is thoughtfully reflected on by Dr. Timothy Tennent one of today's most profound theological commentators.
Timothy C. Tennent
Timothy C. Tennent (PhD, University of Edinburgh, Scotland) is President, Professor of World Christianity at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of Building Christianity on Indian Foundations and Christianity at the Religious Roundtable. Dr. Tennent and wife, Julie, reside in Wilmore, Kentucky, with their two children, Jonathan and Bethany.
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This We Believe - Timothy C. Tennent
This We Believe!
This We Believe!
MEDITATIONS ON THE APOSTLES’ CREED
Timothy C. Tennent
Copyright 2012 by Seedbed Publishing
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012955173
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62824-012-2
ISBN (epub edition): 978-1-62824-014-6
Cover design by Haley Hill
Page design by Haley Hill and Kristin Goble
SEEDBED PUBLISHING
Sowing for a Great Awakening
204 N. Lexington Avenue, Wilmore, Kentucky 40390
www.seedbed.com
Dedicated to all the alumni of Asbury Theological Seminary who day by day faithfully proclaim the gospel all over the world!
Contents
Apostles’ Creed
Introduction
Chapter 1 I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth
Chapter 2 I Believe in Jesus Christ His Only Son, Our Lord
Chapter 3 Who was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary
Chapter 4 He Suffered Under Pontius Pilate; was Crucified, Died and was Buried
Chapter 5 He Descended to the Dead
Chapter 6 The Third Day He Rose from the Dead
Chapter 7 He Ascended into Heaven and Sits at the Right Hand of God the Father Almighty
Chapter 8 From There, He Shall Come to Judge the Living and the Dead
Chapter 9 I Believe in the Holy Spirit
Chapter 10 The Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints
Chapter 11 The Forgiveness of Sins
Chapter 12 The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting
Hymn Apostles’ Creed Words by Julie Tennent
Apostles’ Creed
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.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty. From there, He shall 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.
Introduction
One of the great privileges of serving as the President of Asbury Theological Seminary is traveling across the country meeting our alumni and friends. I meet hundreds of people every year. During the last two years I have seen how hungry God’s people are to be taught the Word of God and to know the central teachings of the Christian faith. Throughout history the people of God have wanted clear summaries of the faith so that they could be clear on the essential truths of Christianity. Known as catechesis manuals, these were then used to develop spiritual training guides for children and new believers. The word catechesis is the same root from which we get our modern word echo. The idea is that we pass on the faith, and those who receive it would echo it, meaning that they would be able to say it back to us just as they heard it. Thus, the word catechesis simultaneously reinforces twin truths: the sacredness of the Apostolic message and a warning against those who are tempted to reconstruct the faith to conform to modern sentiments or the latest cultural wind.
These early training guides were often based on summary passages such as the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount and the Apostles’ Creed. In fact, throughout the history of the Church, Christians have recognized that there is no better summary of the Christian faith than the Apostles’ Creed. For many centuries the Church has used the Apostles’ Creed as a basic guide to instruct believers in the faith. Likewise, millions of parents and grandparents across the world have used the Apostles’ Creed as the basic guide for instructing their children and grandchildren in the faith.
These devotionals are dedicated to exploring the Apostles’ Creed, which contains the twelve most basic affirmations of the Christian faith. If you read these carefully, you will be renewed in your own faith and be better equipped to share your faith with your friends and neighbors. You will also be able to more effectively teach the faith to others.
One of the wonderful features of the Apostles’ Creed is that it only uses language taken directly from the Scriptures. Therefore, I am including beneath every phrase some suggested readings. This feature enables the book to be used for personal devotion, as well as in small study groups or Sunday school, since I have received letters from many of you that my annual devotional books are being used in those settings. Also, as with my two previous devotional books, Word Made Flesh and Christ the Fulfillment, each chapter concludes with a verse written by Julie Tennent that is brought together as a full hymn at the end of the book. The hymn reminds us that all learning and growth in the Christian faith should ultimately lead us to worship.
A creed is a historic statement of Christian faith. The purpose of a creed is to give a brief, clear summary of the Christian faith. There are two creeds in the history of the Church that have been accepted by virtually all Christians everywhere. These two creeds are known as the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed. The Apostle’s Creed is the shorter and older of the two. The Apostles’ Creed was not actually written by the twelve Apostles, but it is based on