A Statement of Faith
At Commons, rather than create a statement of faith unique to our community we have chosen to affirm the historic creeds of the church. Within the large story of christian orthodoxy we welcome diversity of theological thought and scriptural interpretation. We hope to practice spiritual discernment and empathetic conversation rather than reaching for uniformity or certainty.
At Commons we are completely fascinated with this complex and beautiful collection of texts we call the Bible–but we worship Jesus.
The scriptures lead us to the realization that Jesus is the only exact representation of the divine and that God has always looked like Jesus even when we didn’t see that clearly.
Because of that we have abandoned the idea of an angry, violent God in order to fully embrace the good news brought forward by Jesus.
We believe that Jesus came not to change God’s mind about us but to repair our imagination of God.
Realizing this and coming to understand that God is love we affirm surprising acceptance and scandalous grace as the way God chooses to heal all things.
We desire to participate in that renewal by following the way of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit, trusting that this good news is even better than we can imagine.
The Apostles' Creed dates back to at least the year 390CE. During the 4th century it was widely believed that, guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, each of the Twelve Apostles had contributed an article of a creed. The creed is structured in a trinitarian format with sections affirming belief in God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From time to time we read this creed collectively in our worship. In this way we are connected into and celebrate our place in the long tradition of the Christian faith.
Apostles' Creed
We believe in God, the Father, the Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's 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;
Jesus descended to the dead.
and on the third day rose again;
Christ, our saviour, ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of the loving God,
and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
Originally adopted by the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople, and the amended form is referred to as the Nicene or the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. Still most commonly known as the Nicene Creed, it is the only authoritative ecumenical statement of the Christian faith accepted by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and the major Protestant denominations.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father,
the Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Creator,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Creator.
Through Christ all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
the only begotten came down from heaven:
and by the power of the Holy Spirit
became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made human.
For our sake Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
suffered died and was buried.
But on the third day, rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Creator.
Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and God’s kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Creator.
Who with the Creator and the Christ, is worshiped and glorified.
The Spirit has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.