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The Faith and Order Commission's Apostolic Faith Study, the process that produced this Study Guide, began in the early 1980's. Its original task was to explain in an ecumenical way the apostolic faith which Christians share, in order to move towards confessing that one faith together. Over time, this study produced the book Confessing the One Faith. It was then felt that this project needed a shorter, accessible guide that could act either as a companion "workbook" or as a resource that stands on its own. That resource is Towards Sharing the One Faith, a primary goal of which is to enable more people to be involved in the Apostolic Faith Study process.

The reasons for taking up the Nicene Creed as a lens through which to view the faith are set out in this Study Guide, but a few more comments might be helpful:

• No creed can say everything about everything. While the Nicene Creed offers a distillation of the essentials of Christian belief, it is silent on many aspects of Christian life. The Study Guide and the questions offered for discussion try to address some of these considerations, drawing at the same time from the faith expressed in the Creed.

• The Creed's fourth-century origins mean that its language and framework can seem dated to us. One of the goals of this Study Guide is to try to express the content of the Creed in language that we can perhaps better understand today.

• The councils that produced the Creed were intensely concerned that the Creed be scriptural. In an attempt to draw attention to this relationship between the Creed and the Bible the Study Guide provides scriptural references along the way. These references are not exhaustive, and readers are encouraged to explore the biblical basis further.

It is the fervent hope of those who had a hand in producing this Study Guide that it will help us all to wrestle with questions which are at the heart of the Christian life, and in so doing bring us into closer engagement with our faith. As we are drawn towards the heart of the faith, it is possible that we will come to see more of how it is shared in common across confessional lines. As C.S. Lewis has said,

It is at her centre, where her truest children dwell, that each communion is really closest to every other in spirit, if not in doctrine. And this suggests that at the centre of each there is something, or a Someone, who against all divergencies of belief, all differences of temperament, all memories of mutual persecution, speaks with the same voice.

This Study Guide has been prepared through a process of consultations by groups of representatives from around the world, of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Orthodox, Reformed and Roman Catholic churches. The Board of the Faith and Order Commission approved its publication at its meeting in Bangkok, January 1996. On behalf of the Faith and Order Board we would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to all those who participated in the preparation of this Apostolic Faith Study Guide for their contribution.

Alan D. Falconer, Director, Faith and Order
Yemba Kekumba, Moderator, Apostolic Faith Study

1. It has long been recognized in the ecumenical movement that the unity of the Church requires a unity in faith. "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:5). How can separated Christians come to manifest unity in faith?

2. The faith transmitted through the living Tradition of the Church is the faith attested in Holy Scripture, preached all over the world, set forth in the creeds of the early Church, borne witness to in the many affirmations and confessions of churches. This faith is proclaimed in liturgies and is manifested in service and mission of faithful Christian communities. But how can Christians move from confessing the faith in separation to confessing it together - for the sake of the glory of God, the visible communion of the Church and a more credible mission in the world?  

3. The Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches is engaged in a study process to help separated Christians to discover together unity in the one faith.

4. The Commission identified three stages necessary on the way to recovering a unity in faith: explication, recognition, common confession.  

Explication
The first step was to formulate an "ecumenical explication" or exploration of the "heart of the faith", "the central tenets of the Christian Gospel". The ancient Creed of AD381 (the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed) was chosen as a "symbol" or "focus" of the faith. This creed has been used through the centuries and is still used by many churches today. Its phrases focus our attention on the core of the Christian faith. The point of the explication is to help Christians to move on towards a stage of recognition.

Recognition
The intention of the ecumenical explication of the faith is to lead churches to recognize first in their own lives the faith of the Church and secondly to recognize that same faith in other Christian communities. In this way separated churches would be challenged to remove obstacles to confessing together the one faith.

Common confession
If, with confidence, we are able to recognize in the life and witness of others the one faith as we believe it is faithfully confessed in our own life and witness, then we can move from separate confession to a common confession.

5. The study process involves a number of complementary initiatives and approaches. Collaborative theological work on the explication of the faith has already been published in the book Confessing the One Faith (Faith and Order Paper No. 153, WCC, Geneva 1991). As the dialogue continues, that text is already widely used in denominational and ecumenical groups and commissions and in theological education.

6. This Study Guide is a further initiative towards the recovering of unity in faith. It is intended to help ecumenical and denominational groups enter into the process of exploring the faith of the Church, and of recognizing this faith in their own lives and the lives of other Christian communities. Such an increased recognition would move us towards common witness to the faith in liturgy and life, and towards growth together in visible unity.

7. This Study Guide has three parts:  

• the first part explores the meaning of confession, the imperative to confess together and the place and role of creeds in the life of the Church;

• central tenents of the faith as these are focused for Christians in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed;

• the third part looks at the contemporary challenges to confessing the common faith in words and in life, and concludes by putting in the form of questions some of the issues arising out of the Apostolic Faith Study process.

The Study Guide incorporates recommendations for group work in the form of eight themes, each with questions for discussion. How groups around the world engage with the issue of confessing the faith together will vary according to the situation. It may be found helpful to pick up from literature and works of art, from music and audio-visual media resources in order to aid discussion; the sharing of stories should be encouraged. It would be advantageous for all group members to have for themselves a copy of this Study Guide. In addition, leaders of groups are recommended to use as a resource, as well as the Bible, the book Confessing the One Faith.

 

8. It is hardly possible to produce a study guide which is appropriate for use in every church and every part of the world. Some will want to take this basic outline and adapt it for their own use. Where this is done we suggest that two things are retained:  

• an explanation of the threefold process of explication, recognition and common confession;

• an exploration of the central tenets of the faith as focused in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, together with pointers to the biblical foundation for the faith.

9. The visible unity of the Church requires the common confessing of the faith. The study process challenges us all to manifest the unity in faith which God gives us. It may challenge those who recite the Creed to recognize that same faith in the life and witness of those who do not use creeds. At the same time it may challenge those who do not recite creeds to consider reciting the Creed on appropriate ecumenical occasions in order to testify to the unity of the one faith of the Church through the ages.

 

This section offers a description and explanation of "confessing", and in particular "confessing together". It gives grounds for the practice of formulating creeds and justifies the special place given to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of AD381.

What is confessing?

10. Christians are united with each other by the Spirit of God in a worldwide community. Confessing is the declaration of trust in God, whose Spirit nourishes faith and makes believers partakers of the life of the Son, in the Body of Christ (Rom. 8:14-17; Jn. 16:13-14).

11. Confessing is a declaration in words. To ourselves, to God and to others we express in words what life, action and even death imply. At the same time, the Christian community confesses its faith by the whole of its life, its liturgy, the witness of its commitment in service, its ethics. Confessing is both the act of the individual within the community of faith, and the act of the community itself. It involves both an expression of identity and a proclamation going beyond the circle of the community. It is an act of worship, an act of praise, to the glory of God.

12. Confessing the faith takes various forms. The one faith is received, translated, announced and lived in a multitude of cultures; it is made relevant in an infinity of contexts. But although there is and should be this diversity in the ways of confessing, unity requires this to be the diversity of Pentecost and not of Babel.

Why confess?

13. God is revealed in Jesus Christ. It is unjustifiable for those who believe in that revelation to remain silent about it. This is the service of Christ, the Word of God: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Mt. 28:19). Confession of faith is an integral part of the teaching and preaching to which Christians are called (Rom. 10:9, Heb. 13:15).

14. Faith that is not put into words or deliberate action weakens in moments of decision or crisis. Confession that is woven into life gives orientation and direction. The One we confess transforms us into his likeness. A joyful act, often a communal, liturgical act, confessing encourages the sharing of faith with others.

15. Confessing the faith clearly and authentically involves responding to challenges in contemporary life - not least situations burdened by conflict which affect individual or church, such as state oppression, economic exploitation and civil strife. The truth is to be defended. In many circumstances the way of confessing is a way of suffering.

Why confess together?

16. The one Lord in whom we believe unites us and calls us beyond the divisions that still exist between the Christian churches. Our faith in the one Lord unites us across the differences and oppositions that otherwise often divide people - divisions between nations and cultures, between classes and races, between women and men (cf. Gal. 3:26-28). This faith is the basis of the ecumenical movement. Visible unity, God's gift and calling, requires a common confession of the one faith; it also requires unity in sacramental life and ministry, witness and service. We are bound to seek koinonia - communion, fellowship, sharing together in the love of God.

17. It has already been said that unity in the content of faith, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, is expressed in different ways. Diversity naturally arises when the one faith is expressed in the different languages, cultures and social contexts of humanity. Differences, for example, in customs and ways of communicating affect the meaning of words and symbols and therefore their use in Christian teaching and liturgy. They need to be translated and received with some flexibility if they are to affirm the same faith.

18. Furthermore, the confessional traditions of the churches and of different religious communities have developed particular insights and emphases in their expression of the one faith. Sometimes these insights have arisen from historic moments of challenge for the Church, or in reaction to the perception that some aspect of the faith was being neglected. Their persistence beyond their origins support and sustain specific forms of belief, worship and life. They may be recognized as validly and vitally part of the one inheritance of faith.

19. No single form of words is able to express fully the mystery of faith. Even the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed leaves important aspects unspoken and assumed, for instance the historic revelation of God to Israel, Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom of God, the importance of the Lord's Supper in Christian worship. Moreover, if a full statement were possible it would still be insufficient, if it remained merely a matter of words and did not also embrace the experience of shared fellowship and the practical outworking of faith in witness and service.

20. In our churches the apostolic faith is expressed in proclamation, mission, worship, sacraments and credal statements. Each of these is at times the instrument for common confession by Christians across our divisions. We joyfully acknowledge existing instances of common confession of the faith - in ecumenical meetings; in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; in movements and communities in which Christians from many backgrounds today share the one faith and manifest their unity in prayer, worship and acting together. In such situations, our real though partial communion (koinonia) with God and one another is clear. There are many ways that we can and should move on towards confessing in common our unity in faith.

21. The faith is capable of being shared. Acts of confessing may be complementary and mutually enriching. However, there are limits to diversity. So that the unity of the Christian family is not threatened, each confession should strive to be faithful to the one Tradition that comes to us from the apostolic witness through Scripture by the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the ages.

22. The challenge to the churches today is to move towards recognizing, through and within their diversity, the one apostolic faith which all Christians should share. Each church has first to become aware how much in its own life and commitment it is faithful to the apostolic faith, and how far it is confessing it in its words and deeds. At the same time, every church that is committed to visible unity needs to turn to others, in their ways of living the faith, with sensitivity and a willingness to learn.  

 

DISCUSSION THEME 1: CONFESSING THE FAITH What does it mean to you to confess the faith? Biblical passage: Romans 10:5-13 Additional question: What are the barriers that you face on the way towards common confession?

Why creeds?

23. Creeds have been and remain the means of formally expressing essential matters of faith. The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures clearly indicate that credal confession was a fundamental element in the life, faith and worship of the people of Israel and of the first followers of Christ in their early communities. Often there was an intermingling of the individual voice and the community voice.

24. The saving act of God in the Exodus formed the basis of Israel's identity and was summarized in credal form (e.g. Ex. 15:1-18; Deut. 6:4-5; 26:5-10). In a similar way the significance of God's new saving act in Jesus as Christ, Lord and Son of God, focusing belief on his resurrection as the heart of faith, was expressed in confessional statements (e.g. Rom. 10:9; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; cf. Acts 10:36-43).

25. In the primitive Church, the evidence for the development of common expressions of belief is clear. They were used in different settings, in worship, preaching and teaching and particularly in the instruction of candidates for baptism. What is usually known as the Apostles' Creed probably arose in this context. They were also used as a way of defending the faith within the limits of diversity. The Creed of the Council of Nicea in 325 was a response to one such particular crisis. The expression of this text at Constantinople in 381 summarized the faith transmitted by the apostles on behalf of the entire Christian community, with a claim to authority for all Christians in every place.

26. This impulse to formulate statements of essential doctrine has continued since that time; it became particularly important in the controversies of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. But it is not only conflict between Christians that evokes a credal response. Sometimes credal statements have been used across church divisions to articulate common Christian witness against the events of the day, or for the celebration of rediscovered unity. At the same time, some churches have had objections to the regular recitation of creeds and their use as a requirement for authenticity. Still, over the generations there has been a drive to make fresh affirmations of the faith for the glory of God.

27. The question remains: how are we to recognize the authentic apostolic faith in what each person or community lives and proclaims? Our communion in the one Lord involves us in the sharing of one faith - and this sharing not only in the entire community of Christians on earth but also through the ages, from the beginnings of the Church until the end of time. The Creed of Nicea and Constantinople (i.e., the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, also called simply the "Nicene Creed") has been seen as an appropriate framework for drawing us into consideration of the fundamentals of the apostolic faith.

Why the Nicene Creed?

28. The Nicene Creed has a special place as we search for a means to express the common apostolic faith, and to recognize each other's churches as communities that might also share that one faith. It may put us on the way towards a more united confession of the faith.

29. Historically, the Nicene Creed is one among many creeds which have been recognized as important to the Church for the formulation and regulation of its faith. Because of its origins in an ecumenical council and its wide reception, it has a particular weight as an expression of the unity of faith of the entire community of Christians through the centuries. It has been more universally received than any other verbal confession of the faith and is still the creed used most widely in worship around the world. It belongs to the historical heritage of contemporary Christianity, embraced by churches of the East and West. The Nicene Creed is therefore an appropriate choice for an ecumenical symbol of the unity of the Church in faith.

30. The rich diversity of ways of confessing the faith across the world is to be endorsed. The importance of action alongside words is to be affirmed, together with the constant imperative to explore anew the meaning of our faith. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the Nicene Creed may be seen as especially valuable, and now an ecumenical explication has been sent out to the churches (Confessing the One Faith - see paragraph 5 above). It is hoped that Christians, sharing in the apostolic faith expressed in the Nicene Creed, may make common confession of the faith in the words of the Creed, at least on special occasions, as a symbolic witness to a shared communion in the faith of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

This section sets out briefly to explore the heart of the Christian faith as it is put forth in the articles of the Nicene Creed. The threefold structure of the Creed reflects our Christian faith in God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe...

31. Faith is a gift of God. In the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God in whom the salvation of the world is realized. Faith involves the free assent of the believer, complete confidence and trust - waiting on God in reliance upon the testimonies which God has given of his love in creation, in redemption and in sanctification.

32. Christians confess their faith whenever their words or actions clearly demonstrate that their lives are fundamentally rooted in God. Saying "We believe..." opens a declaration by words of the content of our faith. This confession is both communal and individual: one says "I believe" within the community of faith with which he or she says "We believe".

33. Confession of faith has several dimensions:

• Personal engagement and trust: we are committing ourselves to what we say. We intend to shape our lives in relation to the Triune God whom the Creed proclaims. We offer ourselves our resources and actions, as well as our words.
• Proclamation and affirmation: we state these convictions as a witness to the Gospel, a testimony that invites others to faith.
• Praise: we offer this affirmation with joy and thanksgiving to God as an act of worship.
• Recognition: we recognize in all those who confess the one faith brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Guidance: we affirm our Christian faith in a way that can guide teaching, preaching and action in the Church so that they are grounded in the apostolic faith.

A. ONE GOD

We believe in one God

34. The Nicene Creed begins with confessing belief in one God and one God alone, in line with the faith of the people of Israel. Christians believe that this God is revealed in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. In Christ and the Holy Spirit God brings new and eternal life to all who believe and trust in him (1 Pet. 1:2-5).

35. We believe in one God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This God in whom we believe is the eternal and perfect one whose unity cannot be broken. The relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the Trinity, a perfect communion (koinonia), a unity in diversity, becomes an inspiration for the human community which is called to the same unity in diversity (cf. 2 Cor. 13:14).

36. To confess that there is one God of all has significant implications:  

• Christians give first place in their lives to God alone. Any other power which lays claim to human obedience, whether ideological, religious, political, economic or social, must be seen to be subordinate.

• Christians profess one God as the source of all life, goodness and beauty. They seek and affirm this unique source in every sphere of life. Christians believe that no account of human life or nature that denies or ignores God is adequate.

• By affirming that there is one God of all, Christians seek to overcome earthly divisions and conflicts. They trust that the one Creator leads all humankind to reconciliation and peace.

• Since Christians affirm that there is one God, they may respect and share the wisdom of other religious traditions which acknowledge one sacred source of life. Belief in one God unites them with many of their neighbours and provides ground for common action and dialogue.

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

37. In the Creed the one God is confessed first as Father. Christians understand the Fatherhood of God in relationship to Jesus, who was recognized as the Son (Mt. 14:33, Lk. 4:41), who called God "Abba" (Mk. 14:36) and also taught us to address God as "Father" (Mt. 6:9, Gal. 4:6). Like the language of the Bible, here the language of the Creed does not imply biological fatherhood nor does it mean that God is male. Rather, our language as well as symbols and images are partial and approximate ways to describe God. Masculine and feminine images of God in scripture, Tradition and creeds describe the providential care and loving concern God has for all people and all creation. By calling God "Father" in the Creed, Christians today are linked in the communion of faith throughout the ages. At the same time attentiveness today to the motherly images of God enrich our understanding of God and the intimate relationship to which God calls us (Deut. 32:11; Isa. 49:15).

38. "Almighty" comes from the Greek pantokrator meaning "the one holding all together", "the one supporting", "the one sustaining everything that is" (Rev. 1:8). In this sense "Almighty" speaks of God's power. For Christians this power prevails over all other claims to power and governs all things (2 Cor. 6:16-18).

39. "Father" and "Almighty" are complementary. God's power cannot be separated from God's love. As Father, God acts compassionately towards human beings. As the Almighty, God exercises all power over the whole of creation.

40. Christians believe and confess that the Father Almighty is the Creator and Sustainer of all. God is the sovereign Lord of creation. Everything is dependent on God for coming into being and for being sustained in its existence.

41. The world is a gift that speaks to us of its Creator and can be an instrument for communion with God. Yet at the same time we experience within God's creation the reality of physical and moral evil; of sin, suffering and death. Since we believe that God is loving and almighty, and that the world created by God is good, we struggle to understand evil and tragedies that afflict our lives.

42. From the very beginning human beings have been inclined to choose selfishness, envy and hatred rather than respond to God's gift of creation in love and good stewardship. Thus we have thwarted the intrinsic goodness of God's creation. With all creation we are "groaning" to be liberated and redeemed (Rom. 8: 19-23).

43. We believe that God's love for all human beings, male and female, made in the image and likeness of their creator, together with his care for the whole creation, remains steadfast and faithful. Thus, God has granted us through our participation in the death and resurrection of Christ the promise of the Holy Spirit. In the power of the Spirit we are enabled to enter into a new life.

44. The created universe is made up of more than material, tangible realities. According to the Cree d, everything belongs in the wholeness of God's creation, the seen and the unseen (Ps. 148), despite the distortions in both realms. God who sent his Son to redeem creation, and who through the Holy Spirit gives new life to it, will bring everything to its fulfilment in a new heaven and a new earth (2 Pet. 3:13).  

DISCUSSION THEME 3: BELIEVING IN ONE GOD What is appropriate language for speaking of God together today? Biblical passages: Deuteronomy 5:6-11, 2 Corinthians 13:14 Additional questions: The Holy Scriptures affirm and confess belief in One God, and say that we should worship this One God only and no other gods. In other times and places people worshipped idols and elements of nature. What kinds of "idols" do people give their lives to today? How do we often turn away from God and make idols of other things or activities in our lives? Language about relationships is always personal and symbolic. Words take on special meanings when they describe relationship. In Christian usage what is the meaning behind speaking of God as "Father"? In our contemporary sensitivity to inclusive language what does this meaning say to us in our usage today? A word like "almighty" may have negative meanings and implications in some cultures. What does this mean to us in our setting? How do we understand God when we call God "Almighty"? Do the biblical narratives of the creation contain a scientific meaning? If not, what is their purpose? How do these texts speak about human autonomy and responsibility?

 

B. WE BELIEVE IN ONE LORD JESUS CHRIST

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
Light from Light, true God from true God,

begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

45. We believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and only Son of God. As God's Son, Jesus Christ is eternally with the Father and the Spirit. When we say the Son is "eternally begotten ... begotten not made", we mean that, while the Father is the source of the Son, the Son is not created by the Father. There was no time when the Son was not with the Father. God's Son is eternally present with the Father from the beginning before the world was made (Jn. 1:1-3; 17:5). The Father is creator of the world, but not alone; as Father of the Son, he creates with and through the Son.

46. There is no more than one Lord and God, for Father and Son are of one being. The Son is of God; he is light from light. The Son lives as the Father lives, in the fullness of divine life - in unconditional love, freedom, eternity, creativity. True God, in his incarnation he reveals the glory of God.

47. We come to know God through Jesus Christ. In him there is light, illumination and orientation for our lives in the darkness of the world. He is the living Word, the manifestation of the eternal wisdom and life and love of God. God was in Christ, in our midst, and continues, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to be present and active amongst us.

For us all, and for our salvation he came down from heaven;
and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

48. God's creation has been distorted because sin has separated us from the source of life. All human nature is alienated from God and so cannot be what God intended it to be. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. It requires God's own action, the loving action of grace by which God sent the Son into the world (Jn. 3:16-17), to forgive us, to restore us in right relationship and to heal the damage done by sin.

49. God has restored our relation to him and all creation. This salvation can only be received by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) which includes an attitude of repentance and renewal in response to grace. God's coming to us in Jesus Christ offers justification, healing, reconciliation, liberation, wholeness, deification, through the gift of communion.

50. By saying "and was made man", we affirm through the Creed that Jesus Christ, while remaining truly God, became also fully human. At a particular point in time, in a particular culture, in a particular family, as a particular person, "the Word became flesh and lived among us" (Jn. 1:14). In his earthly life, Jesus preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and offered God's grace to all.

51. Jesus, the incarnate Son, was born of Mary and the Holy Spirit. In affirming the virginity of Mary, the Creed expresses the belief that the Father of her son at his birth in time s the same as the one whose Son he is from all eternity. Mary is also the one who hears the word of God, responds to it and keeps it (Lk. 11:27-28). She said "yes" to God in the name of all humanity (Lk. 1:38).

52. In Christ, a new quality of relationship is possible, not only with God, but among human beings and all creation. Through the incarnation of Christ the whole of human life is renewed. Though we continue to be weak and sinful, we are given the power and called to live with one another as people created in God's image and redeemed by God's love. He calls us to join in his saving activity.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
On the third day he rose from the dead
in accordance with the scriptures;

53. Christians confess that Christ's suffering and death are "for our sake", a decisive saving event open to all people. In faithfulness to his mission to proclaim and enact the reign of God, Jesus took the place of sinners, of all who have turned away from God and from their neighbours. He carried the consequences of human sin and failure. In this way, God was reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor. 5:19). This wonderful exchange between sinners and the only one without sin offers all people liberation from the burden of guilt and the prison of selfishness.

54. We affirm that the one who was crucified, suffered and was buried is none other than the eternal Son of God who became a human being. The crucifixion which took place "under Pontius Pilate", the Roman governor, was a specific event in world history. The suffering and death of Jesus Christ means that God is present and identifies with the reality of pain and suffering in this world. In some Christian traditions, to follow Christ in his suffering has been a way of finding meaning in otherwise meaningless pain, and of persevering in times of trial. But such an interpretation can be misused as a means of oppression when people are encouraged to continue to accept unnecessary intolerable situations.

55. On the cross Jesus Christ died a real death but was resurrected from that death. The resurrection of Christ and his victory over the forces of death and destruction gives hope to all who suffer and with whom Christ continues to suffer. In the power of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection, Christians and churches are called to continue to identify and confront all that is inhuman and oppressive. In this way the good news of God's victory on the cross and in the resurrection of his Son becomes a source of life and reconciliation within the brokenness and conflicts of humanity.

56. The confession that Jesus rose from the dead is central to Christian faith and preaching. The resurrection is a reality which breaks the power of death and initiates the renewal of the whole of creation. The resurrection assures us of the continuing presence of the living Christ whom we already encounter in faith and yet whose reign is to be fulfilled (1 Pet. 1:3).

57. Affirming that the resurrection of Jesus is "in accordance with the scriptures"(1 Cor. 15:4), Christians assert the continuity of God's plan of salvation from the beginning of creation. God made this plan known by his saving acts with Israel, through covenants with his people and the witness of the prophets to his redemptive will. God's continued faithfulness is revealed in Christ's life, death and resurrection.

he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

58. Having accomplished his saving work, Christ is exalted to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:9-11). Humanity is taken up with him into the life of God. Through his resurrection and ascension, Christ exercises lordship over all things with God the Father in the Holy Spirit. The Creed expresses this reality with the image of Christ sitting "at the right hand of the Father" (Mk. 16:19). This rule of Christ over all the powers of the world (1 Pet. 3:22) is the basis of the wonderful liberty of the children of God. We belong to Christ and see all other power as subject to him.

59. Guided by the Holy Spirit of whom they are the temple, Christians wait and hope for the final fulfilment of God's gift of new life made in the resurrection of Christ, the crucified Lord. Christ, who has experienced the fullness of the human condition, will be the judge of all human beings (Heb. 4:15-16; Jn. 5:26-27). The one who came to show mercy will be the measure of our lives (1 Jn. 4:17).

60. Through the glorified Christ, all creation is being made new, and the forces of destruction will themselves be destroyed forever. In the midst of our sufferings and joys we continue to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Christ in word, sacrament and Christian life.

61. This is a liberating confession. The rule of Christ implies a refusal of all oppressive systems and ideologies. It reveals political, economic and religious powers of this world as provisional and in need of renewal and change. God's kingdom provides all the rulers of this age with a vision and standard of their final responsibility and destiny (Mk. 10:42-45).

C. THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE CHURCH AND THE LIFE OF THE AGE TO COME

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. Who, with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the Prophets.

62. The relationship among the Spirit, the Son and the Father is characterized, first and foremost, by a communion of life and love. The Holy Spirit in communion with the Father and the Son is the Lord of the Church, the dynamic power who enables the Church to fulfil its mission in the world. Through and in the Spirit of God the gift of life is bestowed on created beings; the Spirit also gives the new life in Christ, characterized by a whole variety of gifts.

63. The intimate relationship between the Father and the Spirit is expressed as the Spirit proceeding from the Father (Jn. 15:26). Some churches have recited the Creed with an added clause, stating that the Spirit proceeds from the Father "and the Son" (in Latin, filioque), in order to stress the Spirit's relationship to the Son. The centuries-long controversy provoked by this addition has not been officially solved, but the substantial issues surrounding it have been clarified to the point where the filioque clause is for most people no longer a divisive issue. The increasing tendency today for many churches is to recite the Creed without the addition "and the Son".

64. The Holy Spirit is worshipped and glorified with the Father and the Son. By the Spirit, we know Jesus as the Son (Jn. 1:33-34; 1 Cor. 12:3). By the Spirit, we know the Father, calling out "Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15-16). In the Spirit, the worshipping community glorifies the Father through the Son. The Spirit, too, is Lord (2 Cor. 3:17-18) and is worshipped and praised. Thus Christians share in the divine Trinitarian communion of God's love.

65. We affirm that the Spirit "has spoken through the Prophets". In their day they proclaimed the message of justice and looked towards the coming of Christ. The Spirit rested upon Jesus and was poured out upon the apostles at Pentecost. The same Spirit inspired the writers of scripture to put God's message in their own languages for the spiritual enrichment and instruction of believers throughout the ages.

We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

66. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit is given to give birth to the Church. This gift of the Holy Spirit opens the way for all believers to enter into communion (koinonia) with God and with each other. In the Spirit Christians experience and believe that the Church is one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

• We proclaim that the Church is one. Oneness is God's gift because the Church is the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12). Oneness is also God's call since Christians are divided. Separated by sin and brokenness, nevertheless the churches believe and celebrate the real though imperfect unity and seek the fullness of visible unity.

• We proclaim that the Church is holy. The one Church reflects the holiness of the one God who sanctifies his people through word and sacraments. While the gift of holiness is already present, it is obscured because of the reality of sin. Institutional and personal sin exists in the churches and among their members. But the Holy Spirit enables members to grow in holiness through constant conversion despite their weakness. Sin will not destroy the Church nor prevent it from fulfilling its call to mission until the end of time (Mt. 16:18).

  We proclaim that the Church is catholic - whole, all-embracing and universal. Through the Holy Spirit each local church manifests its catholicity by celebrating the fullness of Christ's grace and truth in communion with the whole Church. The mission of the Church is to proclaim the good news to all peoples, all nations, all races, to every class, sex and age, to give them the message of salvation and to gather them into one body until Christ comes again (Mt. 28:19).

• We proclaim that the Church is apostolic. Apostolicity of the Church expresses the identity of Christians throughout the ages as heirs of the tradition proclaimed and lived by those who were the first chosen witnesses. Apostolicity is the call to the churches to live on in continuity with the faith, life, witness and ministry of the apostolic community and all the faithful who follow them in the communion of saints.

67. The Church foreshadows, expects and proclaims the kingdom of God and awaits the return of Christ in glory. This expectancy is expressed most fully in the liturgy. Nevertheless every time two or three disciples of Christ are gathered together, the Lord himself is present in their midst.

We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

68. We affirm that the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of people before, in and after their baptism. Christians affirm one baptism, administered with water in the name of the Trinity, effecting reception into the body of Christ by the power of the Spirit. The baptized enter into a covenant with God and, incorporated into the Church, share the gift of the Spirit.

69. Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. By participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the believer is cleansed, made a new creation in Christ, given the seal of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 1:13). Faithfulness to baptism requires a constant reaffirmation of life in union with Christ and the acknowledgment of sin (Acts 2:38, Rom. 6:1ff).

70. The gift of God in baptism requires the personal response of faith. The one baptism marks the baptized with the seal of belonging to Christ as children of God by grace. This seal of the Spirit gives each member of the community his or her own special gifts which contribute to the building up of the body of Christ. Christians are called to grow in their common experience of life in Christ while they wait in hope for the manifestation of God's new creation, of which the gift of the Spirit is the foretaste.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come.

71. Christians believe that at the end of time the power of Christ will restore the whole of creation in a new heaven and a new earth. There is hope for all creation in the saving act of Christ, since Christ has overcome death and made possible the new creation. In the fulfilment of the new creation there will be no more death, no sorrow but everlasting life, life forever with God, when God will be all in all (Rev. 21:4; 1 Cor. 15:28).

72. By affirming "the resurrection of the dead", Christians affirm in Christ that death is not the end. Though mystery surrounds our understanding of the life in the resurrection, we believe that we will behold the face of God (1 Cor. 13:12; Rev. 22:3-4). God will give us a spiritual body, and we shall know God's victory over all the forces of evil and death which have separated us from truth, life and joy (1 Cor. 15:24-26, 44).

73. Christians affirm and eagerly await "the life of the age to come". With the salvation of humanity, the restoration of the whole of creation has been promised by the Creator. Biblical images such as "the banquet" and "the heavenly city" speak of the renewed community which we already begin to experience in the sacramental life of the Church and also in mutual love in the community of believers, and which will be fully realized in the age to come.

74. The Church is therefore a communion of hope within a world confronted by death and destruction. In the Church the reign of Christ is present in the world. By the power of the Holy Spirit, reconciliation, peace, love, justice and renewal become realities already attainable. Thus, the Church is a sign of God's future for the coming of the Kingdom. The Church also looks forward to the final fulfilment. Its hope is thus a hope for the world and a trust in God's redemptive promise of faithfulness to his entire creation.

Amen.

75. By "Amen" Christians fervently affirm the truths proclaimed in the Creed and commit themselves to stand in their light. The Creed becomes meaningful as it is freely received and affirmed. Today, when the people of God proclaim and confess the faith through the words of the Creed, saying together "Amen", they are manifesting their communion with God and with one another in the apostolic faith.

This section underlines how confessing the faith today opens up challenges raised both within the life of the Church and in face of problems in our contemporary world.

76. Our confessing today concerns the wholeness of human life, our words and acts, our personal and communal existence, our worship and diaconal service in our local and global contexts. The Church is conscious that it must live by the Word and the Spirit to meet the full challenge of this. Confessing the faith is an act of gratitude for God's faithfulness and his liberating presence in our life. In the face of prejudices nurtured in us by birth, sex, class, race, religion, nationality; in dehumanizing political and socio-economic forces; in hostilities and greed and ambition - in the midst of such reality we are called to confess the faith together.

What does it mean to share the one faith?

77. The implications of our call to confess the faith together must first be addressed within the life of the Church. Our common confession is under scrutiny. Are the words of our mouths borne out in the conduct of our lives? Is our understanding of the truth followed by an urgency to see truth prevail? Is our thanksgiving for our knowledge of the love of God expressed in service characterized by sacrificial love in his name?

78. Particular challenges to the churches arise from our common confession of the apostolic faith. Some of these challenges are:  

• If together we acknowledge the gift of and call to the unity of the Church, how do we relate this affirmation to our priorities in our own church life?

• If together we agree that the one faith might be expressed differently in diverse contexts, how do we remove the obstacles that hinder our recognition of each other as churches in the full sense of the word?

• If together we affirm the essentials of the faith as expressed in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, how do we face the difficult questions which still exist, e.g. the role of the Virgin Mary, the meaning of resurrection, the existence of evil, the divisions of the One Church?

• If together we affirm that there is only one baptism for incorporation into the Body of Christ, how do we move to the common recognition of baptism in our churches? If together we affirm our belief in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, how do we discern and acknowledge the fruit of the Spirit evident among us, and beyond us?

DISCUSSION THEME 7: CHALLENGES TO THE CHURCHES What obstacles hold you or your congregation back from confessing the faith with other churches? Biblical passage: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 With questions from paragraphs 77-78 above.

What does the common confession of faith say to the world?

79. Both in and outside church life, from the very beginning Christians have faithfully witnessed to God in the face of all kinds of oppression and discrimination - even to the point of martyrdom. In many situations, the confessing of the faith has been a defence for the Church against the interference of the state. Our con-fessing today is challenged by economic injustice and imperialism; by ideologies of racism, militarism, totalitarianism and unbridled nationalism; by the existence of detention camps and by overt and covert persecution.

80. Particular issues arise for the churches in today's world which need to be faced in the light of the common confession of the faith. For example:

• If together we affirm that we believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, how do we address those who say there is no place for God, or whose conception of God is different?

• If together we affirm that God created all that is, how do we address the threats to our world posed by, e.g. environmental pollution, ex-ploitation of resources, nuclear testing, irresponsible genetic research?

• If together we affirm that God became human, how do we express solidarity with those who are dehumanized by, e.g. neglect of human dignity, denial of human rights, extreme poverty, unemployment, violence?

• If together we affirm that God forgives us through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, how do we establish ways and structures of reconciliation, justice and peace in our churches and societies?

• If together we affirm that the unity of the Church is for the renewal of the human community, how do we engage in dialogue with those of other religious, philosophical or political convictions?

 

Challenges of the Apostolic Faith Study

81. To conclude this Study Guide we set out some of the questions emerging from the study which you might ask yourselves:

I. How far do you think that the Creed manages to express and focus the faith which is grounded in the Scriptures?

Can you recognise the faith which is grounded in the Scriptures and is focused in the creeds:
a. in your own personal life and witness?

b. in the life and witness of your Church?

What are the most pressing challenges to the faith today in
a. in your own personal life?

b. in the life of your church in the particular context in which it finds itself?

II. Can you recognise the faith of the Scriptures, focused in the Creed, in other churches with which you are acquainted and with those with whom you have discussed this text?

III. Can you see the creative role of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in helping Christians today to discover a sense of their common faith - a faith which has been the faith of Christians through the centuries and which is held by Christians around the world today?

What special occasions might there be in which Christians could confess together their faith:
a. by reciting together the words of the Creed as a challenge to unbelief?

b. by witnessing in life and action together to that faith?

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We believe that the faith to which we must hold fast today is the one apostolic faith confessed by those who have gone before us, that leads us in hope into that life, when the whole creation, redeemed and renewed, offers to the God of love its multiform praise and joins in the continued confession which is the worship of heaven:

"Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come".
(Rev. 4:8)

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We would be glad to hear about your experience in using the Apostolic Faith Study Guide. Please address any comments to: Faith and Order Secretariat World Council of Churches 150, route de Ferney P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2 Switzerland Fax: (+41 22) 791-0361.