In the Commandments, we learned the first part of Christian teaching, those things which God wishes we do or not do. The Creed naturally comes next because it shows us all what God has done and what we should expect from Him. Whereas the Commandments are set so high that no sinful human being is able to keep them, the Creed is God’s answer to our sin, that God is our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer in this life and into the next.
The First Article: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
The first article answers the question, “What sort of God do we have?” The answer is that He is the one true God who created all things, and nothing else could be God for nothing else can create the heavens and the earth.
According to the Scripture God created all things from nothing, that is, without prior matter, space, or time, and that it was strictly by His Word that all things were created and given their purpose. By “all things,” it means every last thing that exists was created by God from nothing. Further, God has chosen to create this universe and everything in it, for His pleasure and good, and the pinnacle of His creation, humankind, was given lordship over creation to watch and protect, and to enjoy the blessings of His creation. And everything we have is a gift from God, from the smallest and least significant morsel of food to all our members, senses, reason and understanding, food and drink, clothing and housing, spouse and family, our livelihood and career, our talents and temporal abilities, and the like, and all of these things are sustained and nurtured through all the gifts of nature from the sun, moon, and starts, the day and night, the air, and all the primary elements, the plants and trees, the creatures of the earth, material goods, good government, security and peace, and all the like.
The same God who created all things also preserves all things and works endlessly to protect us from evil and danger, from calamity and unbearable suffering, and He does all this and provides all these things because He is a loving and gracious God and Father, full of goodness, who wants no evil for us but only good, and He does and provides all these without any merit on our part, but solely out of His gracious love.
In response to His endless, loving mercy and grace, how should we respond? With a humble fear and love so that we do not prance about claiming credit for anything we have and are. For we sin daily and abuse the gifts He has given us, thus we should repent daily and learn to thank and praise our God and Father for every gift, great and small, and serve God and neighbor, as is our Christian duty.
Prayer: Almighty God and Father, thank You for creating all things and lovingly providing me with everything I need in body and soul. Forgive me when I do not recognize Your kindness and help me use Your gifts to serve others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.