For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life John 3:16 (NIV)

The word ‘believe’ is central, not just to the Christian message, but to my personal reality. ‘Believe’ describes what I’m convinced is assuredly and certainly true: That “Jesus died and rose again” (1 Thessalonians 4:14) and that if I confess with my mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead I will be saved (cf. Romans 10:9).

If I were to begin to state the essence of why I’ve placed my trust in God through Christ I may have to launch into another post! But I won’t do that now . . . after all, The Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed are excellent summary statements of accepted belief. So, with the creeds in mind I’ve fished out my 1992 edition of the Prayer Book of the Church of England in South Africa, the copy that was left to me by my late father-in-law, looked up The Apostles Creed and included it below. I share this, my preferred version of the The Apostles Creed, to both state some of the essentials of my personal belief and to invite you to reflect on this declaration of orthodoxy.

The Apostles Creed

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 Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, He died and was buried.

He descended into Hell.

The third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into Heaven,

and is seated at the right hand of God,

the Father Almighty;

from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;

Christ’s holy universal church,

the fellowship of Christians, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.