The Apostles’ Creed is a short, ancient statement of Christian faith, traditionally divided into twelve articles, that summarizes belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. It grew from the baptismal creed of the early Church in Rome and is prayed today by Catholics and many Protestant churches.
What is the Apostles’ Creed?
The Apostles’ Creed is a concise confession of the Christian story: creation, Christ’s birth, death, resurrection, and ascension, judgment, the work of the Holy Spirit, the Church, forgiveness, the resurrection, and eternal life. It is not a full theology textbook, but a compact summary of the faith Christians confess in worship, baptism, teaching, and prayer.
Its defining features:
- A Trinitarian shape: it moves from God the Father, to Jesus Christ the Son, to the Holy Spirit.
- A focus on the story of Jesus: His conception, birth, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, and return.
- Baptismal roots: it grew from the questions and answers used when new believers were baptized.
- Shared use: Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, and other churches all pray it, with small differences in wording.
- A memorable length: short enough for children, new believers, classrooms, and the whole congregation to say together.
The full text of the Apostles’ Creed
Churches use slightly different English translations. This is the traditional text:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and 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 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; from there He shall come 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 life everlasting. Amen.
For classrooms and homes, an Apostles’ Creed laminated wall chart keeps the words in view while children and adults memorize them.
A brief history of the Apostles’ Creed
The Apostles’ Creed did not appear all at once as a document written by the twelve apostles. The old tradition that each apostle contributed one line is a legend.
Its history is usually traced to the Old Roman baptismal creed of the second and third centuries. In the early Church, people being baptized professed faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that profession gradually took a fixed form. By around the eighth century, the creed had reached essentially its present wording in the Western Church.
That history explains its shape. The creed sounds like a baptismal profession because it grew from one, which is why it is simple, direct, and centered on what Christians publicly affirm together. It is called “apostolic” because it faithfully summarizes the faith the apostles taught.
What does each line of the Apostles’ Creed mean?
“I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.” Christians confess trust in one God who is both Father and almighty Creator. The world is not accidental or self-made; it is created and sustained by God.
“And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.” Jesus is the Christ, the unique Son of God, and Lord. This is the heart of the Christian confession: faith not only in God in general, but in Jesus.
“Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.” Jesus’ human life began by God’s action, and He was truly born into human history. The line protects two truths at once: Jesus is from God, and Jesus is truly human.
“Suffered under Pontius Pilate.” Naming Pilate places Jesus’ suffering in public history. The crucifixion was a real event under a real Roman governor, not a myth or a symbol.
“Was crucified, died, and was buried.” Jesus truly died. Christian hope does not skip over suffering; it passes through the cross and the grave.
“He descended into hell.” Traditions explain this line differently, but it broadly means that Christ truly entered the state of the dead and conquered death. Many churches say “descended to the dead” to make clear it does not mean He suffered damnation.
“The third day He rose again from the dead.” The Resurrection: not a story of inspiration after tragedy, but the Christian claim that God raised Jesus bodily from death.
“He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty.” Jesus is exalted and reigns. “Right hand” speaks of authority, honor, and intercession.
“From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.” Christ will return, and history is moving toward judgment and restoration.
“I believe in the Holy Spirit.” The Spirit is God, living and present among believers, who creates faith, makes holy, comforts, and unites the Church.
“The holy catholic Church.” “Catholic” here means universal: the whole people of Christ across every time and place.
“The communion of saints.” Believers living and departed share fellowship in Christ. Traditions explain this communion differently, but all see Christian faith as shared rather than solitary.
“The forgiveness of sins.” God’s mercy is at the center of the gospel. The creed points not to human achievement, but to grace.
“The resurrection of the body.” Christian hope is not escape from creation but renewal of bodily life; God’s promise includes the body, not just the soul.
“And life everlasting. Amen.” The creed ends with trust in eternal life with God. “Amen” means: this is true, and I hold to it.
Common wording differences across churches
Because so many traditions pray the Apostles’ Creed, readers often notice small differences. These usually reflect translation, liturgical custom, or pastoral explanation rather than a different creed.
- “Descended into hell” or “descended to the dead”: the second wording makes clear that the phrase refers to Christ entering death.
- Methodist use: many Methodist churches pray the creed without the “descended” line, as it appears in their commonly used worship books.
- “Holy catholic Church”: this means the universal Church; it is not a claim that everyone reciting it belongs to the Roman Catholic Church.
- “Holy Christian Church”: some Lutheran and other churches use this wording to avoid confusion over the word “catholic.”
- Capitalization and pronouns: versions differ on “His” or “his,” or “Creator” and “creator,” without changing the confession.
To read the Apostles’ Creed alongside other historic statements of faith, Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms: A Reader’s Edition gathers them in one readable volume.
How is the Apostles’ Creed used today?
The Apostles’ Creed stays practical because it is short enough to memorize and deep enough to teach for a lifetime:
- Baptism: many churches use the creed, or a question-and-answer form of it, when candidates or sponsors profess the faith.
- Confirmation: students and adults study the creed as they prepare to affirm their faith publicly.
- The Rosary: Catholics pray the Apostles’ Creed on the crucifix to begin the Rosary; see how to pray the Rosary.
- Mass: the Roman Missal allows the Apostles’ Creed in place of the Nicene Creed, especially during Lent and the Easter season.
- Membership classes: Protestant churches use the creed to introduce the essentials of Christian belief.
- Children: families and teachers use its rhythm and brevity to teach the shape of the faith.
For Bible study with the historic creeds close at hand, the ESV Bible with Creeds and Confessions prints thirteen creeds and confessions after the full ESV text, the Apostles’ Creed among them.
The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed: what is the difference?
The differences are mostly about origin, length, and detail. Both are orthodox summaries of Christian faith, but they grew in different settings.
| Apostles’ Creed | Nicene Creed | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Grew from the Old Roman baptismal creed; present Western form by around the 8th century | Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381) |
| Length | Shorter, traditionally twelve articles | Longer and more detailed |
| Common use | Baptism, confirmation, the Rosary, teaching, personal prayer | Sunday Mass, the Divine Liturgy, formal worship |
| Emphasis | A compact summary of Father, Son, and Spirit | Fuller statements on Christ’s divinity (“true God from true God”) and on the Holy Spirit |
| Shared by | The Western churches | East and West alike |
The Nicene Creed was written to answer early debates about who Jesus is, so it spells out that the Son is “consubstantial” (of one being) with the Father. The Apostles’ Creed says less, but the faith is the same. For the full text and meaning of the longer creed, see our guide to the Nicene Creed.
A creed to memorize and live
The Apostles’ Creed has been on the lips of Christians for more than fifteen hundred years: at baptisms, at the start of the Rosary, in classrooms, and at bedsides. Learn it a line at a time, pray it slowly, and let it remind you what the whole Church believes. Keep it in view with the Apostles’ Creed wall chart from CFaithS.