[Tim asked if I would post this series of short lessons on the Apostles’ Creed which we’ve been teaching as part of our Sunday worship services at Christ Church Cincinnati.]
Did you know that demons believe the Apostles’ Creed? That is to say, demons—Satan and his servants—know that every statement in the Apostles’ Creed is true.
In modern usage, that’s really all “believe” has come to mean. We have reduced the phrase “I believe” to simply mean: “These are the facts. I have observed and believe that these things are objectively true.”
But the Bible’s concept of belief—or “faith”—is much more than just intellectual assent to statements of truth. In fact, if that’s as far as our “belief” in God’s truth gets, then we are no better than the demons who believe—and even shudder at—God’s Word.
When the Apostles’ Creed was originally written, the phrase “I believe” was intended to mean much more. And when we, as Christians, say it, we are not just declaring that we agree in our minds with the truth of these statements.
When a Christian says, “I believe,” what he’s saying is: Not only are these things true, but this is where I place my hope and my trust. My life is built on the foundation of these truths, and without these truths, my life would be meaningless, and I would despair. These truths are where I go for comfort, for peace, for assurance, and for life itself.
