Hearing the Word of the Lord

Pray: Psalm 148

Read: Genesis 1:1-2:25

Sing: We All Believe in One True God, Father (Lutheran Worship #212)

The Apostles’ Creed

Almighty God, whose mercies are new every morning and whose goodness, though undeserved, still abundantly provides for all our wants of body and soul, grant us, we humbly pray, your Holy Spirit that we may heartily acknowledge your merciful goodness toward us, give thanks for all your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Lutheran Worship, p. 37)

Creeds and Confession

The word "creed" comes from the Latin "credo" which means "I believe." A creed is a short statement of faith summarizing what is believed. There are several examples of creeds in the Bible. Among them: Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 3:18-22.

The Three Ecumenical Creeds

There are three historic creeds that summarize what Christian believe about God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and His works. These three creeds are called "ecumenical" or "catholic" because what they teach is confessed by Christians throughout the world and through history. The creeds do not confess the peculiar teaching of any denomination or church body, but what orthodox Christians have always and everywhere believed.

The three ecumenical creeds confessed by Lutherans together with the whole Church are:

·         The Apostles' Creed (2nd century) - the Western baptismal creed

·         The Nicene Creed (AD 325/381) - the Eastern defense of the divinity of Christ

·         The Athanasian Creed (5th century) - the Western defense of the Trinity

Since the Apostles' Creed was originally associated with Holy Baptism, it is fitting that this creed be included in the Catechism as a summary of what we believe about the Triune God. The First Commandment teaches us that we are to "fear, love, and trust in God above all things." The Apostles' Creed now teaches who this God is whom we are to fear, love, and trust and what He has done and does for us. The Ten Commandments deal with repentance, and so they began "You shall." The Creed, on the other hand, deals with faith, and so it begins "I believe."

The Triune God: Three (Tri-) Persons in One (-une) Being (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 3:16-17)

God is Three Distinct Persons (Psalm 2:7; John 10:30; 15:26; Galatians 4:6)

God is One Divine Being or Essence (Deut. 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; John 10:30)

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

with references from the Holy Scriptures

I.       I believe in God, the Father

Rom 8:15, Gal 4:6, Eph 4:6; Mt 6:9; Mt 6:8,15; 10:29

Almighty

2 Cor 6:18; Rev 1:8; 4:8; 11:17, etc.

Maker of heaven and earth

Eph 3:14-15; 1 Cor 8:6; 1 Tim 6:13; Acts 14:15; Rev 10:6; 14:7 [after Ps 146:6]; Gen 1:1

II.     And in Jesus Christ, his only Son,

Jn 1:14,18; 3:16,18; 1 Jn 4:9

our Lord

Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit

Lk 1:35; Mt 1:18.20

born of the Virgin Mary

Lk 1:35; Mt 1:18.20.25

suffered under Pontius Pilate

Lk 3:1; Acts 4:27; 1 Tim 6:13

was crucified, died and was buried.

1 Cor 15:4

He descended into hell

1 Pet 3:19; Rom 10:9; Eph 4:9; Col 2:15; Phil 2:10

The third day he rose again from the dead

1 Cor 15:4, Acts 10:40; Rom 10:9; 2 Tim 2:8; Mk 8:31; 9:9f; Lk 24:7.46; Jn 20:9

He ascended into heaven

Acts 1:9ff; Lk 24:51; 1 Pet 3:22; Heb 4:14; 8:1-2; 9:24; Jn 3:13; 6:62; 20:17; Eph 4:10; 1 Tim 3:16

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty

Ps 110:1; Mk 12:36; 14:62; Acts 2:32-34; 5:31; 7:55f; Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; 1:13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2

From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Acts 1:11; 10:42; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5

III.    I believe in the Holy Spirit,

Jn 15:26, etc.

the holy Christian (catholic) Church,

Eph 5:25-27; 1 Cor 14:33; the word "catholic" was first used by Ignatius to the Smyrnians (8,2); see Jude 3 for the sense of it; also Eph. 4:4, 1 Cor.10:17

the communion of saints,

holy things (ta aJgia, sancta) - 1 Cor 10:16-17; or holy people (oJi aJgivoi, sanctae) "The holy things for the holy ones."

the forgiveness of sins,

Lk 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18; Col 1:14; Eph 1:7

the resurrection of the body,

1 Cor 15:44

and the life everlasting.

Mt 19:16-29; Mt 25:46; Jn 3:15-16; Rom 5:21; 6:23

The First Article

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

What does this mean?

I.    I believe that God has made me and all creatures;

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:3

God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. god blessed them and said to them. "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:26-28

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:7

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

II.   That He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

III.  He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. Psalm 36:6

The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. Yo open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. Psalm 145:15-16

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:46

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-32

IV.  He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:29-30

If you make the Most High your dwelling even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. Psalm 91:9-10

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

The LORD Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:7

V.   All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. Psalm 103:13

If you, then, though your are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

VI.    For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118:1

How can I repay the Lord, for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. Psalm 116:12-14

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:4

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:16-17

The grace and goodness of God's fatherhood already presupposes His grace in Christ. The Father is father of the Son. The 1st article anticipates the 2nd and the 3rd articles by pointing to God's fatherly goodness and mercy. Our response of thanks, praise, service and obedience is possible only through the death and resurrection of the Son (2nd article) delivered by the Holy Spirit through the gift of faith (3rd article).

Therefore this article, if we really believed it, would humble and terrify us. For we sin daily with our eyes, ears, hands, body and soul, money and property, and everything that we have. Those especially are guilty of doing this who still oppose the Word of God. Christians, however, have the advantage of at least recognizing their obligation to serve and obey God in response to all His kindness.

We should therefore daily work at this article and impress it on ourselves. We should remind ourselves of it by means of everything good we see or experience. And every time we escape from distress or danger, we should realize that this is a gift and act of God. He does all this for us so that we may look into His fatherly heart and sense how boundlessly He loves us. That would warm our hearts, setting them aglow with thankfulness toward God and with the will to use all these good things to His praise and glory. (Large Catechism, p. 70)

Praying the Catechism

Gracious Father in heaven,

Adoration:            You are our Maker, our Provider, and our Protector. You have given us our lives, our bodies and souls, all that we are and all that we have.

Confession:          We confess that we have not acknowledged your fatherly goodness and mercy toward us. We have not sufficiently thanked and praised you, nor have we served and obeyed you with the many gifts you have given us to support our bodies and lives.

Thanksgiving:     We thank you, O Father, for your great goodness, for the gifts of creation, for clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, for family and friends, for work and play.

Supplication:        We pray that you would give us thankful hearts eager to praise You, and willing bodies eager to serve our neighbor in obedience to your holy will.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.