I love the Apostles' Creed. It is a succinct summary of a great many of the beliefs that I hold as a Christian. I call it an "executive summary". Nevertheless, it is obvious that no mention of Jesus' earthly life is made in the Creed except for the circumstances of His birth and death. The omission is so glaring that one might easily conclude that it was deliberate. If so, I have no idea why. I have tried to flesh out the Creed in an attempt to rectify this oversight as I might wish if I were one of the ancient fathers who originally formulated it. See what you think. Ask yourself how you would do it.

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

"And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. When grown to manhood, He touched lives, loving, caring, blessing, and ministering to men and women while He was amongst us. He healed minds and bodies and raised the dead. He taught and interpreted the Scriptures and preached the gospel of salvation to all who would listen to Him. He was betrayed by one of His own to selfish men in high places, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God The Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

"I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen."

John 21:25 – And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. (NKJV)

Why have I done this? I suppose, as a retired engineer, I have a somewhat orderly mind. This means, amongst other things, that if I summarize my beliefs on a subject, I like to have all of them there without gaps, for the sake of continuity and completeness. Now, I don't believe that any of you need worry — I'm sure an overwhelming majority of Christians are satisfied to leave the Apostles' Creed just as it is. In the end, so am I. But it is a bit of a challenge for all of us — do you not think — to try and summarize what we believe as concisely and completely as possible.

Question to ponder: If someone asked you what you believed, how exactly would you answer them?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, when we are asked to declare what we believe, may we do it not by rote, but thoughtfully, completely, boldly, and clearly, so that all who hear us will know unmistakably who and what we are. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Robert Norminton <normin@vaxxine.com>
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
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