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Weekly Devotion

9-7-25

I Believe: Why study the Apostle’s Creed?

The Apostles’ Creed in a nutshell: I believe in God, the Father almighty… I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son… I believe in the Holy Spirit…

Pr. Steve’s Introduction: What does it mean to say, “I believe in God”? We begin with a distinction between believing intellectually that something is true and believing in something to be true for me. To believe in God is to believe with a trusting faith that who God is for me really matters. At times Luther will also say: “I believe upon God.” Here he links faith with building my life upon the foundation Jesus Christ. God revealed in Father, Son, and Spirit is a foundation I can build my life upon.

Martin Luther’s teaching on the creed shifts our focus from the “I” who believes to “God,” who creates, redeems, and gives faith. God comes to us in the words of the creed as God who gives, loves, redeems, comforts. The Apostle’s Creed and the Catechism Explanation are a gift to us, forming our faith, giving us the foundation stones to build our life upon. We will explore the creed as three experiences of God: life in God’s creation, life in Jesus, and life in the Spirit. Even so, for each of the parts of the creed, the fulness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit show up in each of the parts.

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

6There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) 16From his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Discussion Questions

Opening Discovery

1. What is your faith story?

2. What primary associations do you have of God? Whether of judgment or mercy? Anger or love? Distant or Close? How have those associations changed or stayed the same for you?

3. What experience of Luther’s Small Catechism did you have growing up?

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4. What are your experiences associated with God in creation?

5. What are your experiences associated with Jesus: his teachings, the cross, salvation in him? How do you talk about that?

6. What experiences do you associate with God the Spirit?

7. Which member of the trinity do you resonate with more? Why?

God the Creator?

God the Savior?

God the Spirit?

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8. What do you hope to learn through this worship and study series?