_1. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth_

SECTION 1.--I BELIEVE


The Creed is the expression of personal belief. Whether spoken in
private or in a public assembly, it is the confession of the faith held
by each individual for himself. Each of us has a separate life, and each
of us must personally accept God's message and express his own belief.
Religion must influence men as units before it can benefit them in
masses. Faith that saves is a gift of God which every one must receive
for himself. The faith of one is of no avail for another, therefore the
Creed begins with the affirmation "_I_ believe." In repeating it we
profess our own faith in what God has revealed concerning Himself.

"I _believe_."--The Apostles' Creed is a declaration of things
which are most surely believed among us, and its several parts or
articles are founded upon the contents of Scripture, which is our one
rule of faith. It does not begin with the words _I think_ or _I
know_, but with the statement "I believe." "Belief" is used in
various senses, but here it means the assent of the mind and heart to
the doctrines expressed in the Creed. When we repeat the form we declare
that we accept and adopt all the statements which it covers. "With the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made."[009]

Faith differs from knowledge. There are some things which we know to be
true, and there are others of which we say we believe them to be true.
There are certain truths which are termed axiomatic. When the terms in
which they are expressed are understood, the truth they convey is at