My mom thinks it’s one of the greatest books ever written, and who am I to argue with my mom.  She thinks you should buy one, and then buy one for a friend.

For many Christians, the Apostles’ Creed is a regular part of Sunday worship. Many have memorized it and can recite it from rote in unison when the occasion calls. But few have taken the time to study and understand why it is important.

The Apostles’ Creed, or any creed for that matter, is a declaration on our part of the truth of faith. It is a reminder to us that we as Christians are united in our beliefs and trust in the truth that the church has taught for centuries. These truths are based on the scriptures that God has given us and have been honed through the years by great teachers and leaders. They are a proclamation on our part of the historic tradition of the church and our belief in the truth of scripture.

There are many things in Christianity that churches continue to debate. Different churches exist because of differing views on the sacraments, church leadership, or other points of theology. But all Christians are united in the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully God and fully man, and that we have salvation through His death and resurrection. In Christ we are united as one. We hold this as our common creed.

Romans 6:5 says, “If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.” What a joy it is to know that Christ unites us as one!

The life of a disciple wasn’t an easy one. All of them left their careers and families to spend every day following Jesus. They had no other goal in life than to be Jesus’ disciples, to learn all that He had to teach and to do all the things that He did. All of them suffered persecution and tradition tells us that almost all of them suffered painful, tortuous deaths. It was a hard life to be a disciple of Jesus, and it continues to be a hard life today.

Throughout the world, Christians are jailed and persecuted because of their faith. While we in America may not feel the brunt of these persecutions, our connection to the church worldwide means that we have an obligation to support them in their trials. We are united together under one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and we have a responsibility to help our fellow Christians who are suffering because of their faith.

It is easy for us to turn a blind eye to the troubles of the church around the world. There is a danger in becoming so focused on what surrounds us that we forget there are others whose situation is much worse than ours. This is the reality of many Christians in the world who must hide their faith daily in order to survive.

Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” We have an obligation to remember and pray for all who suffer because of their faith.

If the creation/evolution debate is the greatest faith topic in modern culture, then the Ten Commandments is a close second. A constant debate over the separation of Church and State in America surrounds the display of the Ten Commandments in public places. Is our display of a granite monument on which are written the words of Exodus 20:1-17 a creation of a national religion? That’s for the courts to debate. What we must consider is how we should display the Ten Commandments in our lives.

It is easy for us to fall prey to the belief that if we display outward signs of faith, then our inward hearts do not matter. The opposite is the truth. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” What God cares about more than our actions is the heart that drives us. We can obey God’s commands all our lives, but if we do so out of selfish desire or a need to fit in, then we fail to honor God.

What God wants from us is not that we would be people who praise God with our lips and curse Him in our hearts, but that we would be people who love God in our hearts and, through our hearts, honor Him with our actions. God doesn’t want obedient slaves; He wants men and women with hearts tuned to pleasing God.