The Faith We Confess

The Faith We Confess

The Creed! It tells the story, comforts the soul, strengthens the mind, and teaches the truth! The Creed of the Church is the faith we confess, a source of continual nourishment for the believer. Each Wednesday in Lent, Pr. Johnson unpacked its power. Listen to the sermons below!

February 17: God the Father Almighty
February 24: Maker of Heaven and Earth
March 3: And in Jesus Christ …..descended in hell
March 10: On the third day….the living and the dead
March 17: Holy Spirit…..Amen
March 24: Conclusion

What we have tried to relate to you is what Luther tried to relate to the Church back in his day: the Apostles’ Creed is short, simple, and to the point. The Apostles’ Creed, Luther says in the Large Catechism (1529 A.D.), “…sets forth to us everything that we must expect and receive from God. To state it quite briefly, the Creed teaches us to know Him fully…to make the Creed most easily and clearly understood as it is to be taught to children, we shall briefly sum up the entire Creed in three chief articles, according to the three Persons of the Godhead.”

The Apostles’ Creed is simple. But even though it is simple there is great depth to those ancient words. In the Creed we hear about who God is and what God does: He creates, He saves, He sanctifies. This certainly doesn’t exhaust the mystery of who God is but the Creed tells us what is most essential.

Later Lutherans would echo this sentiment. In what is known as the Formula of Concord: Solid Declaration (1580 A.D.) we read the following: “In ancient times the true Christian doctrine, in a pure, sound sense, was collected from God’s Word into brief articles or chapters against the corruption of heretics. Therefore, we confess… the three Ecumenical Creeds: the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian. They are glorious confessions of the faith, brief, devout and founded on God’s Word. All the heresies that had at that time arisen in the Christian Church are clearly and irrefutably answered by these creeds.”

There you have it. The Creeds: simple, profound, stalwart defenders of the faith. These Creeds are yours, dear Christian. Enjoy them!

God, the Father Almighty
by Rev. Christopher Johnson
Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Ash Wednesday Worship Bulletin