Apostles' Creed

Welcome to this series of lectures on the Apostles’ Creed. The word “creed” does not sound very attractive today. Dogma, doctrine, creeds, confessions, and catechisms are not popular in this age of moral relativism. Yet, the first Christians deemed dogma important, for we read of the church after Pentecost: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). When you hear the name “Apostles’ Creed,” you might ask, What is the Apostles’ Creed? You might even ask, What is a creed? The name “Apostles’ Creed” reminds us of the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. What an encouragement would it be for the church today if the apostles were still among us! But they have died long ago. However, we do have the Apostles’ Creed, a confession based upon the doctrine and the teachings of the apostles. We encourage you to watch or listen to these 13 lectures, and prayerfully look for these sacred statements of faith to become your daily confession in your Christian walk.

In Article 11 of the Apostles’ Creed, the Christian confesses, "[I believe in] the resurrection of the body." When Jesus, after the death of her brother Lazarus, met sorrowful Martha, he said to her, "Thy brother shall rise again" (John 11:23). Martha answered, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:24). She misunderstood the words of Jesus. She did not think that Jesus had presently come to raise her brother from the dead. Instead, Jesus' words prompted her to think of the general resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. Yet, her answer reveals that the resurrection of all the dead was widely believed among the Jews.

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Rev. Cornelis Harinck has been a pastor of the Reformed Congregations in the Netherlands since 1962.