The Apostles' Creed: 12-Day Plan نموونە

God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth

The first line of the Apostles’ Creed says, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” The creed starts where the Bible starts: with God.

Have you ever been in darkness so complete that you literally couldn’t see your hand in front of your face? No amount of time can allow your eyes to adjust when you’re in total darkness. Now imagine a full moon on a dark night. It allows you to see the world around you in a way that would otherwise be impossible. Now imagine being in that same spot in the middle of a sunny day. You have a clear, more complete picture.

The Apostles’ Creed is like the moon. It’s not the source of light. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, the creed merely reflects the truth of Scripture. God’s Word is the sun—our source of truth. Remember that you aren’t studying the creed. It’s a summary of what we believe. You’re studying the Bible. It’s the totality of what we believe. The creed should point you to the truth revealed in God’s Word.

God’s Word teaches that God created from nothing. He didn’t simply fashion preexisting creation into new shapes and forms; He brought creation into being by His word (see Gen. 1; Heb. 11:3). By the incomparable power of His will, God spoke everything into existence. He’s Almighty.

As the Apostles’ Creed states, God the Father Almighty is the “Creator of heaven and earth.” These words beautifully capture the fact that every bit of every created thing rightly belongs to God. As our Creator, God knows what’s best for us. He made us. A creator of something knows how it works best, right? God created everything. He created the heavens and the earth and everything in them—including you. Everything has a purpose. The design is intentional, intricate, and beautiful. Throughout the story of creation, the common refrain in Genesis 1 is “It was good.” The Bible is vocal and loud about God’s delight in you, His pleasure in you, and His desire to commune with you. In other words, He loves you.