I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will 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 the life everlasting. Amen.
What is so unique with Apostles' Creed compared to creeds of other world religions? And why is this uniqueness so important?
Rousas John Rushdoony answered the above questions in chapter 1 of his book, "The Foundations of Social Order: Studies in the Creeds and Councils of the Early Church." He claims that the Apostles' Creed compared to creeds of other religions is unique in at least two ways: nature of its assent and activity. This uniqueness carries with it important implications that embrace the whole of life.
Unlike the creeds of other religions, the Apostles' Creed's assent is not to a body of ideas and concepts. Instead, "it offers a synopsis of history" (p. 5), and Rushdoony describes the creed as "a declaration concerning history" (p.6).
"The Apostles' Creed is unlike all other creeds of other religions, whether humanist, Buddhist, Moslem, Hindi, or otherwise. The faith of all other religions is in a body of ideas or claims concerning reality. It may be a belief in the ultimacy of man, or the ultimacy of nothingness, in the office of a man (Mohammed as prophet), or an ultimate dualism or monism, but, in any event, it demands a belief in certain ideas or claims. The Apostles' Creed is radically different: it offers a synopsis of history, created by God the Father Almighty, requiring salvation by Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, who entered, lived, died, and was resurrected, and is now the Lord and Judge of history. His holy congregation is operative in history, which culminates in the general resurrection and everlasting life. The whole creed therefore is a declaration concerning history"(pp.5-6).
One immediate implication of this kind of conception of the Apostles' Creed is the rejection of any "dialectical separation of faith and history" (p.6). He considers the application of such dialecticism in understanding Jesus foreign to Christianity. In fact, he bluntly describes it as pagan.
"Nothing then can be more alien to the creed, and to Biblical faith, than the dialectical separation of faith and history. To contrast the Jesus of faith and the Jesus of history is to talk the language of paganism, not of Christianity." (p. 6.).
Another uniqueness of the Apostles' creed compared to the creeds of other world religions is in terms of activity. Rushdoony narrates, "Non-biblical creedalism is active: it involves the individual's decision concerning a set of ideas and concepts." In contrast to this, Biblical creedalism due to its affirmation of "God's creation, redemption, and government" (p.8) is therefore passive. The nature of its passivity is in view of the fact that man is a recipient of grace due to "an act of redemption by the triune God" (ibid.). However, this passivity is the basis of genuine activity. Rushdoony explains it best:
"But this passivity is the ground of true activity: man under God moves now in terms of true law, in terms of the canon of Scripture, to exercise dominion over the earth in the name of the triune God. Christian creedalism is thus basic to Western activism, constitutionalism, and hope concerning history" (ibid.).
The opening sentence of the Apostles' Creed affirms the doctrine of creation as a historical fact. Someone who accepts such affirmation could never escape the implication of other corollary doctrines such as God's sovereignty and eternal decree.
"Implicit in this declaration that God the Father Almighty is maker of heaven and earth is the claim of God to be the law-giver, determiner, and sustainer of heaven and earth and of all history. He is its maker, and it is totally subject therefore to Him. An assertion of the doctrine of creation is also an assertion of the doctrine of sovereignty and of the eternal decree, of predestination" (p.6).
Other implications are also derived from the declaration that God is the Almighty Creator. This includes implications for ethics, law, and society.
"The Creed thus has vast implications concerning history because of its declaration that God is the creator of all things. This declaration immediately makes God the source of all ethics, of all morality, and of all law. In all non-Christian systems, the source of ethics and law is the state; it is the polis, the empire, or the kingdom. . . . Either God is the true source of morality and law, or the state is. If God is the true source, then the Word of God must be harkened to by the church, state, school, and every sphere of life as the one authoritative source of morality and law. " (p.6).
Source: Rushdoony, R. J. (1968). The Foundations of Social Order: Studies in the Creeds and Councils of the Early Church. Vallecito, California.
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