The Apostles’ Creed has a Trinitarian structure, as it is commonly divided into three sections with the first section focusing on God the Father, the second section on God the Son, and the third section on God the Holy Spirit. Each section begins by stating belief in the respective member of the Trinity, but the third section (that on the Holy Spirit) seems a little different from the other two. The first two sections seem to explicitly describe the work of the Father and the Son, but the section on the Holy Spirit talks about the “holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” While it might appear these are unrelated to our beliefs about the Holy Spirit, they are actually part of the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit causes us to experience the things Christ purchased for us through his blood: community with each other, forgiveness, and the hope of eternal life. In addition, the Trinitarian structure of the Apostles’ Creed teaches us that the Spirit is not a lower god or a force, but equal with the Father and Son.
In commenting on this section of the Apostles’ Creed, the Heidelberg Catechism (Q & A 53) highlights how this section of the Creed points both to the divinity of the Holy Spirit and his work, so we will look at both truths in this post.
The Divinity of the Holy Spirit
The first truth the Heidelberg Catechism makes about this section is that it shows us that “Spirit, with the Father and the Son, is eternal God.” One sees this truth emerge in Scripture, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are used in parallel in places such as Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14. Also when Ananias and Sapphira lie in Acts 5, it is said they have lied to the Holy Spirit and to God (Acts 5:3-4), showing the Spirit to be God. We also see all three persons present together at Jesus’s baptism, indicating that they are distinct persons, not in different forms (see Matthew 3:13-17). Because he is called “the Holy Spirit,” it can be easy to think of the Holy Spirit as being a force rather than a person, but we must remember that God is described as a Spirit (John 5:24), and language is used of the Holy Spirit is used for a person, not a force. For example, one can lie to the Spirit (as noted above) or grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). The Spirit helps and intercedes (Romans 8:26-27), even bearing witness to us (Romans 8:16), teaching us (John 14:26), and convicting us (John 16:8). When Jesus speaks about the Spirit in the Book of John, he uses personal language (calling the Spirit a “he” as opposed to the use of a neuter pronoun which would fit grammatically) and uses a term in John 14:16 that implies that the Spirit is like Jesus (“another helper”). The Spirit is a person, one who gives us power to witness and move forward in life (Luke 24:49).
The Work of the Holy Spirit
The Spirit is the person of the Godhead who brings us the experience of new life. The Heidelberg Catechism notes that in stating, “the Spirit is given also to me, so that, through true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits, comforts me, and will remain with me forever.” The Spirit gives us new life, as shown in Jesus’s words in John 6:63 as well as his description of being born of the Spirit in John 3. The Spirit objectively brings us the benefits of Christ but also helps us to experience these benefits in our lives. We experience the love of God personally because of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:6; Romans 5:5) and also receive joy (Luke 10:21; Acts 13:52; 1 Thessalonians 1:6) from the Spirit. The Spirit should lead us into obedience and new life, helping us become who God intends us to be.
Same Teachings found in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed
In many ways, the Nicene Creed of 325 expands upon the ideas of the Apostles’ Creed with particular reference to Jesus (because of controversies concerning the person of Jesus). The Constantinople Creed of 381 (which is often called the Nicene Creed and is the one typically recited in churches) expands on the Nicene Creed with reference to Jesus, making it clear that the Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son and that He gives life: “And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets.” While the Apostles’ Creed is not as explicit in these truths about the Holy Spirit (and further notes the role of the Holy Spirit in revelation), the ideas found in this later creed reflect the same beliefs embedded within the Apostles’ Creed.
Christians can fall into the errors of either not talking about the Holy Spirit or having wrong ideas about the Spirit. May the Apostles’ Creed guide us to know the Spirit and worship the Spirit, spreading the joy we have because of the Holy Spirit.
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