“What is the Apostles’ Creed?”……Answer: The Apostles' Creed is not found in the Bible. The Apostles' Creed was not written by the apostles. Rather, it was written at least 150 years after the apostles had all died. It is called the Apostles' Creed because it is supposed to be a record of what the apostles taught. The Apostles’ Creed is as follows:……I believe in God, the Father Almighty,…the Creator of heaven and earth,…and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:…Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,…born of the Virgin Mary,…suffered under Pontius Pilate,…was crucified, died, and was buried.…He descended into hell.…The third day He arose again from the dead.…He ascended into heaven…and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,…whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.…I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,…the communion of saints,…the forgiveness of sins,…the resurrection of the body,…and life everlasting.…Amen.……The Apostles’ Creed is a good summary of Christian doctrine. However, there are two primary concerns with the Apostles’ Creed. First, in regards to the phrase “He descended into hell” – please see our article on “Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?” Second, in regards to “the holy catholic church,” this does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church as we know it today. The word “catholic” refers to universal. The true “catholic” church is all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Please see our article on the universal church.

“What does ‘communion of the saints’ mean in the ancient creeds?”……Answer: The word communion means "an act or instance of sharing." When the Apostles' Creed speaks of the “communion of the saints” it is not just specifically referring to the Lord’s Supper/Holy Communion in which believers come together to remember Jesus' sacrifice through the bread and the wine. The communion of the saints is much deeper than this important sacrament.……The communion of the saints refers to believers in the past, believers in the present and believers in the years to come sharing a common salvation in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have passed from this world into the presence of Christ at the death of their body have the same salvation as believers who are alive today. Those who will come after us will have the same salvation we have.……The communion of saints is all that each one of us has in common with all other believers. We have been forgiven through His death, and saved by His life (Romans 5:10), set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2), and passed from spiritual death to eternal life (1 John 3:16). We have all been permanently adopted as children of God by the will of God (John 1:12-13). We have become God’s handiwork to do good works that He has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10), and we have all been given an eternal home in the New Jerusalem in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lamb, our Temple and our Light (Revelation 21:22-27). These are only a few of the blessings we have in common with all other believers.