Sermon Date: 01/04/2026
Bible Verses:
- Various
Speaker: Rev. Timothy "Tim" Shapley
Theme: https://uppbeat.io/t/northwestern/a-new
Introduction: Belief Is Not Neutral
The Apostles’ Creed does not begin softly.
It doesn’t ease us in.
It doesn’t ask how we feel.
It doesn’t say:
- “I feel like…”
- “I hope that…”
- “I was raised to believe…”
It begins with a declaration that demands ownership:
“I believe.”
Those are not polite words. They are dangerous words. Because the moment you say “I believe,” you are no longer neutral. You have stepped off the fence. You have chosen a side.
Belief is never just internal—it always leads somewhere. What you believe determines what you trust, what you obey, and ultimately what you worship. Everyone believes something. The only question is what and who.
Jesus never treated belief as optional or abstract. He didn’t say, “Consider these ideas,” or “Adopt this philosophy.” He said, “Follow Me.” He spoke of belief as a road you walk, a foundation you build on, a gate you pass through.
That’s why He framed belief as a fork in the road:
- A narrow way or a broad way.
- A house on the rock or a house on the sand.
- Life or death.
You don’t accidentally end up following Christ. You don’t drift into faith like a leaf on the wind. Drift always takes you away from God, not toward Him. Faith requires a decision—a deliberate turning of the heart, mind, and will.
To say “I believe” is to say:
- “This is true—even if it costs me.”
- “This is real—even if it confronts me.”
- “This will shape my life—not just my opinions.”
The Apostles’ Creed begins here because Christianity does not start with behavior—it starts with belief. But belief is never content to stay in the head. It moves into the hands, the feet, the calendar, the wallet, and the conscience.
So before we recite ancient words, we must ask a modern question:
Do I believe—or am I just familiar?
Because belief is not neutral.
Belief is allegiance.
Belief is direction.
Belief is destiny.
And once you say “I believe,” there is no turning back to indifference.
Point One: I Believe — Two Worldviews, One Choice
Jesus does not offer belief as a preference. He presents it as a decision with consequences.
“Enter through the narrow gate…” (Matthew 7:13–14)
That verse doesn’t sound tolerant, and that’s because truth rarely is. Jesus says there are two gates, two roads, and two destinations. One is easy, crowded, and familiar. The other is hard, costly, and life-giving.
He presses the point further:
“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them…” (Matthew 7:24–27)
Notice what Jesus doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “Everyone who agrees with my words.” He says, “Everyone who hears and does.” Belief that never reaches obedience isn’t belief—it’s noise.
Moses framed it the same way centuries earlier:
“I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.” (Deut. 30:15)
Scripture does not give us a philosophical spectrum. It gives us a fork in the road. You don’t get a third option. You don’t get to stand in the middle forever. You choose by how you live.
Two Worldviews
- The Biblical (Covenant) Worldview
(And yes—bilabial works beautifully here: belief spoken and belief lived.)
This worldview says:
- God is real.
- God has spoken.
- Truth is revealed, not negotiated.
- Obedience flows from trust, not fear.
This worldview does not say God is one voice among many.
It says God defines reality.
At its core, it confesses:
“God defines what is true—and I submit to it, even when it costs me.”
Faith here is not blind—it’s anchored. Not naïve—it’s obedient.
- The Secular Worldview
This worldview sounds free—but it enslaves.
It says:
- Man is the final authority.
- Truth is flexible.
- Desire becomes doctrine.
- Feelings outrank Scripture.
This worldview claims independence, but it quietly replaces God with self.
At its core, it confesses:
“I decide what’s right—and God can weigh in later, if at all.”
Jesus does not pretend both foundations work. When the storm comes—and it will—only one stands.
Same storm.
Same rain.
Same wind.
Different foundations.
That’s why this matters:
Belief is not what you claim on Sunday.
Belief is what you build your life on Monday.
Point Two: I Believe in God — Can We Know Him?
That single phrase—“I believe in God”—raises one of the most important questions a human being can ask:
Who is God—and can He actually be known?
The Bible answers without hesitation.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deut. 6:4)
God is not a vague force. Not a cosmic suggestion. Not a spiritual placeholder. He is one, personal, distinct, and self-existent.
And remarkably—He does not stay distant.
“The LORD your God is in your midst… He will rejoice over you with gladness.” (Zeph. 3:17)
Let that sit for a moment.
The infinite, eternal, holy God doesn’t merely tolerate His people—He rejoices over them. That’s not the language of an abstract deity. That’s the language of relationship.
But Scripture keeps us grounded:
“My thoughts are not your thoughts…” (Isaiah 55:8)
We don’t climb our way to God through intellect or effort. We don’t reason Him into submission. We know God because He chooses to be known.
And John says it plainly:
“God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God.” (1 John 4:16)
Not “God loves sometimes.”
Not “God shows love occasionally.”
God is love.
So how do we know Him?
We know God because:
- He reveals Himself — not hiding, but speaking
- He acts in history — not myth, but incarnation
- He speaks through His Word — not confusion, but clarity
- He draws us by love — not coercion, but grace
Christian belief is not believing about God.
It is trusting the God who came looking for us first.
We don’t believe in an idea.
We believe in a God who reaches for us.
Point Three: I Believe in God the Father Almighty — Abba
This is where belief stops being theoretical and starts being relational.
Not just God.
Not just Almighty.
Father.
That one word changes everything.
Paul says:
“You have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15–17)
Abba is not formal language. It’s not religious polish. It’s not “Dear Sir” or “Most Holy Deity.” It’s the word a child uses when they run into the room needing comfort, protection, or reassurance.
It’s closer to “Dad.”
Christian belief does not say God merely rules over you.
It says God welcomes you.
That means:
- You are not tolerated—you are adopted.
- You are not managed—you are loved.
- You are not kept at arm’s length—you are brought near.
The gospel doesn’t move God closer to us—it moves us closer to God.
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:22)
Notice the confidence there. Not fear. Not hesitation. Assurance.
And here’s the key tension the Creed holds beautifully:
God is Father and Almighty.
His love is not fragile.
- He protects.
- He provides.
- He disciplines.
- He sustains.
Some people struggle with God’s authority because they’ve known authority without love. But Scripture flips that assumption on its head. God’s authority doesn’t compete with His love—it guarantees it.
Because if God were loving but not almighty, He could mean well and still fail you.
If He were almighty but not loving, you’d never trust Him.
But He is both.
Only an almighty Father can be trusted completely.
Point Four: Creator of Heaven and Earth — Nothing Is Accidental
The Creed anchors belief in creation for a reason. If God is not Creator, then everything else collapses into opinion. But Scripture opens with certainty:
“In the beginning, God created…” (Genesis 1)
Before chaos—God.
Before matter—God.
Before time—God.
Creation doesn’t begin with randomness. It begins with intention.
John makes it unmistakable that Jesus is not a side character in the story of existence:
“All things were made through Him.” (John 1:3)
And Paul removes any remaining doubt:
“By Him all things were created… visible and invisible.” (Colossians 1:16)
That means creation is not neutral. It belongs to Christ. It exists for Him.
So let’s say this plainly:
- You are not an accident.
- Your life is not random.
- History is not meaningless.
- Creation belongs to Christ.
The universe is not cold and indifferent—it is intentional and declared.
“The heavens declare the glory of God.” (Psalm 19:1)
Creation preaches every day.
Sunrises preach faithfulness.
Seasons preach order.
Stars preach power.
Breath in your lungs preaches mercy.
The world is not screaming, “There is no God.”
It’s whispering—sometimes shouting—
“You were made for Him.”
And that changes how you see everything:
- Your suffering has context.
- Your calling has purpose.
- Your obedience has meaning.
- Your worship has direction.
You are not floating through a godless universe.
You are living inside God’s creation, under God’s authority, held by God’s love.
Conclusion: “I Believe” Is a Line in the Sand
The Apostles’ Creed does not begin with theology—it begins with commitment.
Two words. No qualifiers. No escape hatches.
“I believe.”
Not:
- “I agree in theory.”
- “I was raised to think this.”
- “I like these ideas.”
- “I’ll circle back to this later.”
But:
“I believe.”
And belief is never neutral.
Belief chooses a road.
Belief lays a foundation.
Belief names God as Father.
Belief confesses Christ as Creator.
Belief doesn’t just shape what you say—it shapes how you stand when the storm hits.
Jesus was honest about this. Storms don’t discriminate. They come to the obedient and the disobedient, the believer and the skeptic, the churchgoer and the church skeptic alike. The difference is never the storm—it’s the foundation underneath.
Once you say “I believe,” you don’t get to leave it in the pew.
You carry it into your work, your relationships, your suffering, your decisions, your obedience.
Because belief that never changes how you live is not belief—it’s familiarity.
So the question today isn’t:
“Do you understand the Creed?”
The question is:
“Which foundation are you building on?”
Because storms are coming either way.
And when they do, only one confession will stand.
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