The first phrase in the Apostle’s Creed is “I Believe in God, the Father Almighty”. What does this tell us about God, and what implications does it have for us?
In winter 2026, Pastor Ryan explored the claims of the Apostles’ Creed. His focus was the basic statements of faith that all Christians should be able to agree on. Here is the creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe 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 the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again 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.
The two Penitential Psalms not included in this series are Psalm 38 / 詩 篇 38 (of David, asking God to remember him) and Psalm 143 / 詩 篇 143 (also David, asking for help).
We think of confession as something frightening, to be avoided if possible. But in David’s psalm 32, it’s more uncomfortable to keep our sins hidden. Confessing our sins to God brings a new and joyful relationship with Him. In fact, he recommends that “all the godly” confess their sins. And then he recommends that we do something else.
In Psalm 102, the psalmist starts out with strong lament over the sorry state of his life, but moves to thinking about God’s everlasting nature and compassion, and confidence that God’s goodness will endure and lead to praises by people of all nations. This realization enables him to move forward out of guilt and self-pity. What is the connection, and what does he move toward?