Affirming the Apostles' Creed [Paperback]

J. I. Packer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 2008

The Apostles' Creed is the oldest, most beautiful succinctsummary of Christian beliefs. Though often recited in unison duringworship services, the creed begins with the phrase "I believe,"making it a deeply personal profession of faith. But when was thelast time you examined it closely?

In Affirming the Apostles' Creed, an excerpt fromGrowing in Christ, noted Bible scholar and author J. I.Packer explains the meaning and implications of each phrase of thisgreat creed. Each concise chapter serves as an invitation to divefurther into the creed-and as a result, into the essentials of theChristian faith-by concluding with discussion questions and Biblepassages for further study.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J. I. PACKER is a Board of Governors' professor of theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has authored the classic best-seller Knowing God, as well as a number of other titles. He served as General Editor for the English Standard Version Bible, published by Crossway Bibles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (June 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433502100
• ISBN-13: 978-1433502101
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Theology > Catechisms
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Christian Living > Worship
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Theology > Apologetics

More About the Author

J.I. Packer currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. An ordained Anglican minister, he hold a D.Phil. from Oxford University. Dr. Packer's many published works include "Rediscovering Holiness, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God," and the best-selling "Knowing God."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Devotional Study of the Apostles' Creed. Well Done!, May 30, 2009

By 

Marc Axelrod (Potter, Wi USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Affirming the Apostles' Creed (Paperback)

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise Book on the Apostles' Creed, August 13, 2010

By 

Roy Ingle "The Seeking Disciple" (Lexington, SC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Affirming the Apostles' Creed (Paperback)

Like many evangelicals I come from a church background where the creeds were not part of our worship. We never read them and never studied them. It seemed it was enough for us to abide by the Bible and that was enough. And while I agree with that, I do think that we can learn from the creeds and the catechisms. In this book Packer deals with the Apostles' Creed and each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of the creed itself. I had heard of the creed and had even repeated it when we would have inter-denominational services but until I read Packer's book, I had never really studied what the creed teaches.

The chapters are not long and are easy to read. While Packer has the ability to go deep into theology, in this book he takes his time and is light reading when considering the subject at hand. I enjoyed the fact that Packer begins his book by pointing out that one of the main weaknesses in the modern Church today is that we don't know what we believe. We have made Christianity so "simple" that we have missed the reality of sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16). Jesus said that we are His disciples if we abide in His teachings (John 8:31-32) and sadly so few today spend time studying His teachings and so we don't know what we believe. The devil uses this to his advantage and brings in cults and other false teachers to lead people astray (2 Corinthians 11:13-14; 1 John 4:1-4). The Apostles' Creed can help disciples know what they believe and why. And I believe Packer does a good job of showing that the Apostles' Creed is a trustworthy creed worth repeating and studying in our churches.

Overall I enjoyed this book. As an Arminian, I did disagree here and there with some of Packer's Calvinistic leanings but for the most part he stays on track and tries to stay true to the Bible. The short chapters make this a perfect book for reading before bed or while you are on a break at work (a Bible break instead of a smoke break!). You can read this book in three days easily. I do recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Attention Kindle users: read this before you buy!, August 12, 2011

By 

Daniel Wallis (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Affirming the Apostles' Creed (Kindle Edition)

This is a great book. I used it for a youth series on the Apostles' Creed.
Be advised, Kindle user that this is just one third of a larger book by Packer called "Growing in Christ" (...) - the other sections covered in Growing in Christ are the "10 Commandments" and "the Lord's prayer". At the time of my writing this, the full book "Growing in Christ" is just $1 more than this book. So spend a dollar more and get two other works by Packer for "free"!