We must continually revisit the core truths of our faith, for they are the lifeblood that nourishes our relationship with God. - Tozer
Knowing what we believe is how we suit up for battle. (Ephesians 6)
We can’t afford silence. (Romans 10)
Belonging to the body of Christ requires belief in specific content. (Romans 10)
What do you know about what Christians actually believe?
Creeds are not replacements for Scripture—they’re faithful reflections of it. They help guard the gospel, articulate truth, and pass the faith from generation to generation.
“Theologically hollow congregations and pastors may like to think they will bequeath a gospel legacy to the next generation, but the truth is we only pass on what is our passion. New converts and new kids won’t think and live and love like mature Christians, let alone be able to articulate the Christian story, if our beliefs rest in a statement of faith on the website, and not in our hearts.” - DeYoung
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
I BELIEVE
The Christian understanding of faith includes both knowledge and conviction—the head and the heart working together.
Faith involves thinking, learning, and engaging our minds.
Conviction is what happens when the truth we know becomes truth we trust.
The object of our faith matters more than the strength of our faith.
It’s not the strength of your faith that saves you. It’s the strength of your Savior.
I BELIEVE IN GOD
Christians believe in the eternal, triune God. One God in three persons.
The Trinity
There is only one God.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in essence, equal in power and glory.
There is only one God. (Deut 6:4, Isa 43:10, Mark 12:29)
The Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons. (Luke 3:22)
Each person is fully God. (1 Cor 8:6, 1 Pet 1:3, John 1:1, Titus 2:13, Heb 1:8, Acts 5:3-4)
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth
We are children of God, not by right of human birth but by the miracle of divine adoption.
John 1:12-13
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. “Father” is the Christian name for God. – J.I. Packer
2 Corinthians 5:19
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.
Romans 8:15
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
To be right with God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater. - J.I. Packer
Behold, ponder, contemplate—be astonished, smitten and speechless “at the great love the Father has lavished on us. (1 John 3:1)
How can you apply the truth that God is your Father?
Pray like a child, not a performer.
Love the family you’ve been adopted into.
Start your day with the Trinity.
Good morning heavenly Father,
good morning Lord Jesus,
good morning Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I worship you as the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world.
Holy Spirit, I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God, have mercy upon me. Amen.