The Apostle's Creed - Part 1

 

As I said earlier the Apostle's Creed has twelve sections that compose the Creed. However, there are three primary groups in the Creed. Each group deals with a Person of the Holy Trinity. Part one pertains to God the Father, part two to God the Son, and the third part pertains to God the Holy Ghost. Each of the three parts will have their own page to cover the material therein. 

Part one- God the Father

"I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth."

In truth this is the smallest part of the Apostle's Creed, the largest pertains to God the Son, namely Jesus Christ. However, the size of this part of the Cred should not lead you into thinking that it isn't as important as the other two parts of the Creed. It comes first for a good reason. 

This portion of the Creed is important because it signifies and clarifies four important things for us as believers.

1. A single God, i.e. Monotheism.
2. The person of the Father in the Most Holy Trinity
3. The omnipotence of the Father.
4. The eternal presence of God the Father in Creation. 

"I believe in God"

While monotheism today isn't as shocking as one would think, monotheism in ancient time certainly went against the grain, so to speak. When the ancient Hebrew people made themselves separate from the surrounding civilizations they did so in the most drastic way imaginable at the time. They declared that there is only one God. All Abrahamic religions today, religions that are either a continuation or based on the religion and covenant established between God and Abraham.

"The Father"

This is a clear distinction of the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity. This statement identifies that there is a principle person of the Most Holy Trinity. We will go more in depth of the Trinity in both the Second Module "An in-depth look at the Creeds" and in the Third Module "Philosophical Explanation of Dogma". 

"Almighty"

This is a statement regarding one of the Divine Attributes given to God that we have come to know through revelation, that is to say God revealing Himself through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and Public Revelation.

"Creator of Heaven and Earth"

This is an act that we attribute to God the Father, even though the Trinity acts as one, through their shared Divine Will. We attribute the creation to God the Father since we attribute Omnipotence, a Divine Attribute, just as we attribute Wisdom to God the Son, and Goodness to God the Holy Ghost even though all three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity have all of the attributes equally and eternally. 

With God, the Father Almighty, having created Heaven and Earth, His interaction doesn't cease there regarding Creation. He not only created the supernatural, i.e. Angels and souls, but He also created the natural, i.e. the planet, nature, laws of science such as gravity. The way that He acts, and we will go deeper in Module Three, is in eternity because He Himself is Eternal. So when He made the Heaven and Earth, He then began to sustain Heaven and Earth through Him being present.