Book Review: What We Believe by R.C Sproul

What is the purpose of creed and confessions? First of all, they are not an addition to the Bible. Creed and confessions exist as an expression of what Christians believe based upon the pages of Scripture.

Creeds and confessions are not to take the place of the Bible, but be a supplement to our faith. Theology should not be based on creeds and confessions. Our theology should be based on the Bible. Creeds and confessions are expressions of what Christians believe.

Over the years, there have been many creeds Christians study that make them go back to the Bible as to why we believe that. Some creeds are even used as corporate reading. One of those creeds is the Apostles' Creed, which goes like this:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.


I have to admit, the first time I heard this creed was from an old Petra song. R.C. Sproul takes the Apostles' Creed and uses it to show what Christians believe in his book, What We Believe. Sproul breaks the creed and uses it to teach fundamental truths about the Christian life.

Sproul says that faith must be lived out by faith in a world of unbelief which is why the first chapter is dedicated to the first two words, "I believe." Sproul continues to talk about who God is, why He is our Father, and even addressed the virgin birth of Christ.

Sproul tackles some of the hard to grasp concepts of the creed such as Jesus decending into hell and the holy catholic church. Sproul at times can be hard to read depending on the topic. This book was very easy to understand. He does not try to go above the reader's head. I would assume that he is not only writing to believers but also to unbelievers.

Knowing what Christians believe is very important in our day. The world will tell us what we should believe, but Christians need to know what we believe and where in the Bible we can point to why we believe it.

Thanks Baker Books for letting me review this book.

Recommended Resources:

The Apostles' Creed sermon series from The Village Church

Affirming the Apostles' Creed by J.I. Packer