Scriptural Reference:
"f you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 10:9

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man
Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now
been witnessed to at the proper time."
1 Timothy 2:5

• 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, 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 sitteth 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.
  Apostles Creed
  
  
• We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
  
• We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made."
• For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
  and was made man.
• For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
• On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
• He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
• We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
• He has spoken through the Prophets.
• We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
  Nicene Creed

Reflection: History: Throughout the centuries, Christians have passed down a brief summary of their faith. From the early days of the Church, they created simple statements known as 'creeds'. These creeds are both stand alone and incorporated within the Bible. You may have noticed a range of creeds and confessions can be found throughout the Holy Bible. Above I have mentioned two such creeds. One in Romans 10:9, while the second mentioned above is found in 1 Timothy 2:5. Most people will be aware of the Apostle Creed; which is recited most Sundays as part of the regular church service and in recognition of the reality of the faith. It can be said there are two main Creeds. One of which is the Nicene Creed. And the other is commonly called the Apostles' Creed. Both creeds are encouraged to be taught and recited while attending a service.

On a linguistic and conventional note we can take note that many Christians today are rediscovering the teachings of the puritans in order to follow the traditional path of God's word and to continue spreading the timeless truth that honours Jesus the Christ. Though there is no new theology. There never has been and there never will be. In this digital age, more and more people are seeking electronic books (ePubs, mobi and PDF formats) to add to their collection - books from the Reformers and Puritans - these new students are seeking to become a "digital puritan" themselves. You can visit Puritan Publications to explore a significant selection of rare puritan works updated in to modern English and available in both print and electronic formats. Perhaps a way for more Christian's to seek inspiration from the classics in a modernistic format.

Okay, I went a little astray there. We are discussing the Creeds of the Christian faith. How each one is used and why they may have been created. Generally speaking creeds were created to reject Arianism, A heretical movement that believed Jesus was not part of God but purely human. So within creeds such as the Apostles creed are the explicit declaration that Christ is eternal and a part of the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That Jesus the Christ is indeed the perfect and equal part of the Holy Trinity.

Trinity ©

Father God, divine creator.
You who knew me before my birth.
Take my heart and teach it wisdom.
Help me grow in my faith in you.

Blessed Lord, my souls Salvation.
Healer of this sad broken heart.
Guide me now into your vineyard.
For the harvest of your pure love.

Holy Spirit, precious comfort.
Guiding light within my heart's song.
Gently lead me ever onward.
To the mystery of the cross.

MJ Flack

The Role of the Creed: The Apostles' Creed serves as a quick overview of the Church's teachings and the shared beliefs of Christians, rather than a deep dive into personal faith. Reciting the Creed unites Christians as a community of believers, regardless of their different traditions and practices. When we recite the Creed, we're coming together with Christians from all times and places to share our united faith. The Nicene Creed offers a more in-depth look at what the entire Church believes regarding the key doctrines of Christianity. It kicks off with the phrase: 'We believe …' While it follows the same three-part format as the Apostles' Creed, it dives deeper into the details. This creed was first established at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, where a group of bishops came together.

On the word "Creed": As to a better understanding of the word 'creed' we need to continue our studies. The term or word 'Creed' comes to us from the Latin word "credo", which means 'I believe'. The Creeds are essentially summaries of our shared Christian belief. In the early centuries after Christ's death, the church grappled with conflicting opinions on issues such as his divinity and the nature of his being. As a result of these debates, the church developed declarations of faith, which continue to be a significant aspect of how Christians articulate their beliefs. In fact it's so important to our faith and our confession of our faith that we really need to be mindful of how we recite them. I vaguely remember that Martin Luther once said that we may begin to recite the Lords' prayer; but before we have gone half way our thoughts and our minds are already straying. I would suggest that many Christians have fallen in to the same problem when they stand and recite any of the creeds. The words have become nothing more than a set of words that they know are important. Yet they take for granted. Are my words harsh and unreasonable? Perhaps, but how focused have you been when you recite in any of the creeds? Can we say the words and visualise what they mean to us as we recite them within the congregation?

We have reviewed the history of the Creeds. As well as the purpose their use within the congregation. As well as how we can recite them as a way of staying in touch with God and His Son Jesus the Christ.

This leads me to my challenge to you as a Christian. As I draw this short reflection to a close. That is for each of us, as committed Christians, to prepare ourselves to actually say a creed with the intention to identify what we are saying. We can create an image for each word. In addition, making the creed personal and meaningful for us on a personally. We also need to take time and remember that there are many countries around the globe where people can be executed for saying them. People are, even today, being tortured to recant their faith. It happened in the days of the early saints and it is happening even now as I type this reflection.

We each need to take seriously what we profess in our creeds.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,
I recognise you as my creator,
May I never stray from your grace.

Blessed Saviour,
I recognise you as my redeemer,
May I never stray from your ways.

Holy Spirit,
I recognise you as my comforter,
May I never betray your embrace.

Holy Trinity,
I recognise three in one divine,
May I always affirm my faith.

Amen