"I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator and heaven and earth."

We're off to a great start in LIFEgroups and The Gathering with our fall study in the Apostles' Creed. We have discussed the meaning of the statement "I believe" and what biblical faith means for us. Not only is it belief in something, namely God, its also a commitment to a relationship and a attitude of obedience. When we say we believe in God, we don't just mean that we believe that there might be some kind of being out there which we call God, rather, we believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

"I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth."
God is a Father above all fathers. Even the best of our earthly fathers are not perfect, and at worst they are the exact opposite of who God has called them to be. Many of us may have negative feelings towards our fathers as they were not the men they were supposed to be. Others of us may truly love and appreciate and admire our fathers. In the end, none of them compare to God as our father. He will take care of us and counts us as important and worthy of his love (Matthew 6:30-33, John 3:16, 1 John 4:16, 2 Peter 3:9). He's the dad that truly can beat up your dad!

When we say we believe that God is the Creator of Heaven and Earth, we affirm his sovereign hand in creation. Genesis 1 and 2 affirm that God is the one who spoke creation into being. He did not do so haphazardly nor without thought. He was careful and thorough in his design. As Christians, we affirm that God has created and he is the originator of all that is. He himself was not created nor did anything exist before or apart from him (Job 38-39, Romans 1:20). Other creation stories show God (or whatever deity) as existing within the creation already, however Scripture affirms that God is the eternal one who has existed since before time began. There is no random chaos in which creation arose, rather, there is a God who by his mighty hand and word made all that is.

As we continue through the Creed, it is important for us to lay this foundation as it is found within the Creed. Without a proper foundation for faith, we can not continue to affirm the remainder of this belief statement. Without a firm acknowledgment of God the Father and his acts, we can't possibly proceed and claim belief in remaining lines of the Creed. These are foundational. The early church recognized this necessity as an initial "weeding out" process against other notions of deity found within their day, many of which continue to our present day. I am excited to see how the Lord will use this study to enhance our faith and I am thankful in the tradition of the faithful brothers and sisters who came before us who used the Creed to affirm their faith. May we see it as such as well. Take care and have a great week in the Lord!