Affirming the Apostles' Creed

A short and helpful read. The Apostle's Creed is a historical statement of faith that all Christians should have some sort of familiarity with. I read this for the first time a decade ago and recently reread it after buying a copy for every student in my youth group. It's everything Packer is known for: clarity, conciseness, and accuracy. In particular I will always remember the atomic bomb he notes about the Trinity - namely, that the command to baptize in the "name" of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit alludes to it in that there are 3 persons sharing 1 name. Such a helpful tool for us pastors and teachers to utilize in our instruction. The book is worth the price for these sorts of insights alone but as a unit it is a helpful overview of the central core of the Christian faith that is the Apostle's Creed.

J. I. Packer's "Affirming the Apostles' Creed" is a must-read for every Christian!Have you found your thoughts wandering while reading/reciting the Apostles' Creed? Packer breaks down each phrase of the Creed into chapters: 18 (short, easy to read) chapters, totalling under 200 pages. His writing is clear and concise, and he offers Bible passages for further enhance your understanding. Each chapter contains several thought provoking questions for discussion or contemplation.I would recommend this book to adults for individual or small-group discussion, and to teens in a small-group setting with an adult facilitator.

I read this book to my wife almost every morning before she went to work. We really liked it. J.I Packer walks us through the Apostles' Creed phrase by phrase. He says that the Creed was originally written in Latin, and that "I believe in God the Father" translate a phrase that literally means "I am believing INTO God." It conveys the idea of total dependence.In the chapter about the only begotten Son, Packer says that the phrase literally means "one of a kind Son." The expression "He descended into hell" means that Christ went down into the netherworld after He died on the cross and proclaimed victory over the powers of darkness to the disobedient angels in prison - see 1 Peter 3:19-22.Believing in the Holy Spirit means trusting in Him as our advocate, counselor, guide, and helper. and as the One who highlights and glorifies Jesus.The communion of saints refers to the fellowship we can have with believers in this life and in the common bond we have with the saints of all times.This is a great little book! The sentences are little long and cumbersome at times. Perhaps a good editor could have tightened up the screws. But this is a minor thing because we really enjoyed this book.

We read the Apostles Creed every Sunday in my church. This book explains the Apostles Creed line by line.

J. I Packard is simply brilliant. In a culture that has while attempting to simplify the gospel have lost the gospel. Packard points you back to the depth and richness of the gospel through exploring the Apostle’s Creed

This is typical Packer, which is to say it's thoroughly evangelical and not at all fluff.We evangelicals tend to want to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, and come up with our own simplifications of the gospel. These are usually substandard, even if not doctrinally incorrect. The truth is that The Apostle's Creed (as well as the Nicene Creed and others) are unsurpassed summations of the orthodox view of Christian truth. There's much more depth and richness to the creeds than our usually-oversimplified attempts have yielded.If your church is looking for a way to move new converts further into the faith, the Creed has a long history of being used for that purpose. Packer's book - along with Justo Gonzalez' excellent one on the same topic - are a very good place to start.

I wish I'd had this as a small group resource when preaching a series on the Creed. Simple approach, but not at all childish.

Terrific overview of the Apostle's Creed. I memorized this as a child (glad I did) and really understand the substance of the creed now. Thank you, J.I. Packer

Anything by Packer will draw you closer to Gods word and this book will help you understand the historic orthodox Chrisitan faith more clearly and deeply.

J I Packer writes like a pastor but has the mind of a top-drawer theologian. This is a very helpful and accessible book. It is short but sweet.

Very clear explanation of the creed. So often we say it without fully understanding what we are saying and what it means. Jim Packer explains clearly, even the more difficult areas.

A GREAT HELP AND A JOY TO READ

Clear, succinct, helpful.