Saints LightThe Apostles' Creed, Line by Line
Twelve lessons, one for each article of the Apostles' Creed, explaining what every line means, where it comes from in Scripture, and why it matters for your life.
The lessons
- I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth
The Creed is the apostles' faith in summary, and its first line says that God is a loving Father, all powerful, and the maker of everything that exists.
- and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord
Jesus is the Savior, the promised Messiah, the eternal Son of God, and the Lord who is God Himself. Each title in this line tells us who He is and what He means for us.
- who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary
God the Son became a real man, conceived by the Holy Spirit without a human father and born of the Virgin Mary. That is why Mary is called Mother of God.
- suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried
Jesus really suffered, died on a Roman cross under Pontius Pilate, and was buried. He did it freely for the sins of all of us, and no group of people is to be singled out for blame.
- He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead
After He died, Jesus went to the realm of the dead to free the just who waited there, and on the third day He rose in a glorified body. His Resurrection is real, and it is the promise of ours.
- He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty
Forty days after Easter, Jesus went body and soul into the glory of God, where He reigns and prays for us. He has not left us; He prepares a place for us and stays with us through the Spirit and the sacraments.
- from there He will come to judge the living and the dead
Jesus will come again in glory at a time no one knows, and He will judge every person by love. The judge is our Savior, so the best preparation is to receive His mercy and share it.
- I believe in the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the Trinity, sent to be our helper and to make the Church holy. He prays in us and shows His presence in real, visible fruit.
- the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints
The Church is God's people, made holy by Christ and sent to the whole world, which is what catholic means. The communion of saints joins every believer, on earth, in purification and in heaven, into one family.
- the forgiveness of sins
God forgives every sin through His Church: first in Baptism, and after that in the sacrament of Confession. No sin is too big for His mercy if we are truly sorry.
- the resurrection of the body
At the end of time God will raise our bodies, transformed and glorious, and reunite them with our souls. Because of that, the body matters now, and we treat it with respect.
- and life everlasting. Amen.
Life everlasting means seeing and loving God forever, together with all the saints, in a renewed creation. Our Amen says we trust this with our whole life.
Take The Creed in the app
This course is free in the app too, with progress tracking, a guided class for each lesson and a certificate when you finish.
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