The First Article of the Creed

These words give us briefly a description of God the Father, his nature, his will and work. Since the Ten Commandments have taught that we are to have no other gods, we may naturally ask: What kind of a being is God? What does he do? By what manner of praise, representation and description can we make him known? That is taught in this article and the two following. So the Creed is simply an answer and confession of Christians, founded on the first commandment. We illustrate this way: If we were to ask a child: Dear child, what sort of a God have you? What do you know of him? The child might say: First, my God is the Father who created heaven and earth. I believe in none else as God, for no one else could create heaven and earth.

For the learned and those who have some Scriptural knowledge, the three articles might be extended and divided into as many parts as there are words. But for young pupils it is sufficient to indicate the most necessary points—that this article refers to the creation, as we said; that we emphasize the words: "Creator of heaven and earth." Now, what is the force, or what do you mean by the words: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator," etc.? We answer: I understand and I believe that I am God's creature; that is, that he has given and continually preserves to me my body, my soul and life, the members of my body great and small, my senses, reason and understanding, my food and drink, raiment, support, my wife and child, my servants, house and home, and so on. Besides, he makes all creatures serve the uses and necessities of life: sun, moon and stars in the heavens; day and night, air, fire, the earth and its products—bird and fish, beasts, grain and all kinds of plants. And, more, he gives all personal and temporal blessings—good government, peace, safety. We learn, then, from this article, that no one has his life of himself, nor any of the things enumerated or that might be named, nor can he retain any, however small and unimportant it be, for all is comprehended in the word "Creator."

We further acknowledge that God the Father has not only given us all that we have and all that we see with our eyes, but he also daily guards and protects us from every evil and misfortune, averting manifold dangers and calamities; and that he does it wholly from love and goodness and without merit of ours, as a kind father who cares for us that no evil befall us. But to further consider this subject would be to speak of what pertains to the other two words of this article—"Father Almighty."

Now, from this it is evident, and follows, that, since all that we have and all that is in heaven and on earth comes to us daily from God and is preserved to us by him, we are in duty bound to love and praise and thank him without ceasing, and in short to serve him wholly and entirely, as he requires and demands in the Ten Commandments. There would be much to say were we to take up the subject of how few there are who believe in this article. We all pass over it with neglect; we hear and speak the words, but we do not grasp their teaching. If we believed them in sincerity of heart, our acts would accord therewith; we should not go about so haughtily, defiantly boasting as if we had life and wealth and power and honor of ourselves, and were ourselves to be feared and served. This is the practice of the wicked and perverse world, which, in its own blindness, abuses all the blessings and gifts of God to satisfy its own pride and greed, its own lust and pleasure, and does not once look up to God to thank him or to acknowledge him Lord and Creator.

Therefore, if we believed this article, it would humble us, it would terrify us. Daily we sin with eyes and ears, with hands, with body and soul, money and property, all that we have; particularly do they sin who oppose the Word of God. But Christians are ahead in this, that they recognize it to be their duty to serve God obediently.

Daily, then, we should make this article an object of mental and moral effort. Everything we see should remind us of it, and every blessing should help us recall it. When we escape danger or difficulties, we should remember that this is God's doing. He gives us all things for the purpose that therein we may see his fatherly heart and his surpassing love for us. Thus will our hearts be warmed and kindled with gratitude toward God and a desire to use all his blessings in his honor and to his praise. Such is the meaning of this article, very briefly expressed. It is all the simple-minded need to learn in regard to our possessions and God's gifts and the duty we owe God in return—excellent as a matter of knowledge and priceless as a treasure. For therein we see how the Father has given himself to us with all his creation, and how he has abundantly provided for us in this life and, further, has overwhelmed us with unspeakable and eternal blessings in his Son and in the Holy Spirit, as we shall hear.