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The Apostles Creed by Albert Mohler: a Book Review

January 25, 2021 0 Comments

The Apostles’ Creed is one of the oldest Christian creeds that dates back to the 4th century. In this post I give a brief overview of the Creed, and review Dr. Albert Mohler’s book, “The Apostles’ Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in and Age of Counterfeits.”

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontus Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into Hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence he shall come to judge the quick 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. Amen. – The Apostles’ Creed

The Apostles’ Creed was not written by the Apostles’ but is tied closely to what they taught. As I mentioned, it has been read by Christians as far back as the 4th century. Early Christians referred to is as the, “rule of faith”

It provides a very concise summary of the Christian faith – The non-negotiables if you will. It connects us to the Ancient church and bridges the gaps across denominational lines. We may have some doctrinal differences but there is a good chance we can stand in unity if we can agree on the Apostles’ Creed.

The Apostles’ Creed affirms some of the most denied parts of Christian Faith, such as the virgin birth, Jesus coming in the flesh (incarnation), Jesus death on the cross, and his resurrection.

Book Review

Dr. Mohler’s dedicates a chapter to each of the clauses in the Creed. He explores the meaning and gives plenty of scripture references.  Even though Dr. Mohler is the President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary the book is not written like a text book. With only a few exceptions, his writing style is easy to read.

The chapters are short so they make for a great Bible study. I have been using it in my own church to teach from on Wednesday nights.

The forward is written by John McArthur and the book is right at 200 pages long.

Quotes from the book

From the chapter, Maker of Heaven and Earth, “ Thus God ultimately created the cosmos for redemptive purposes. The agent of creation becomes the agent of redemption. One day, the agent of redemption will become the agent of new creation.”

From the chapter, Jesus Christ his only son our Lord, “We are not Christians if we do not believe the historical Jesus is also the Christ of our faith plainly held out to us in the fourfold testimony of the Gospels.

And from the chapter, Was Crucified Dead and Buried, “The tomb however should not be for Jesus Christ but for his people. The tomb represents the extent of God’s love and the cost of our sin. The burial of the son of God displays the paradoxical unity of the full horror of human sin and the illustrious cosmic, infinite, and scandalous love of God for us in Christ.

Criticism

My only negative from the book is in regards to one of the most controversial clauses, “He descended into Hell.” This clause only gets a little over 2 pages and in my opinion, Dr. Mohler leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn the Biblical meaning behind the Apostles’ Creed or anyone who just wants a better understanding of the basics of the Christian Faith.

“Indeed, wrapped up in the Apostle’s Creed is the nothing less than the unfathomable riches of our God, the surpassing knowledge of Christ, and the true theological identity of Christ’s people.” –  Albert Mohler

Let me know in the comments if your church regularly recites the Apostles’ Creed or one of the other historic creeds.

Also, let me know if you have any questions about The Apostles’ Creed and I will do my best to answer them.

I pray that you are covered by the grace and peace of God our Father and of his son Jesus.

Until next time …… Be strong and courageous.

Click here to get a copy of Dr. Mohler’s book

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About the Author:

I am enthusiastic about helping others discover their purpose and grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is great to see their eyes light up at their “Ah Ha!” moment when they discover they were created for something more. My hope is that this blog will help encourage and inspire you along your way. Join the conversation and take the time to share with me your own story. I have been married to my beautiful wife Janice for over 30 years. We currently live in McDonough Georgia with our daughter. Our two boys have left the nest and we have two wonderful grand kids. Of course we cannot forget about our dog Bear.