Mountain View Baptist Church

As the old Baptist adage goes, "No creed but the Bible."  This being the case, why would a Baptist church recite an ancient creed as an affirmation of faith?  We would do so because there is great value in the recitation and internalization of a concise statement of faith. This helps to equip Christians to be prepared to give a reason for the hope they have.  Of course no creed is sufficient for an exhaustive treatment of the nature and work of God, but a creed can be a beneficial point of departure, or a foundation upon which to grow one's understanding of these noble truths.  For use in public worship, The Apostles' Creed and The Nicene Creed are recommended.

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 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.  Amen.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.  He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father.  And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.  And we believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic church.  We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.  And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

*Note that in both creeds, "catholic" is written with a lower case "c".  This word denotes NOT the Catholic, or Roman church, but the general, worldwide church.  It is merely an acknowledgment that true, born again believers exist as one church in God's eyes, even if they are not all part of the same local church body.