Introduction

The Nicene Creed has been recited by millions of Christians. In fact, Christians still recite the creed all around the world. In the creed, there’s a line that says, “We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.” Now the word “catholic” here simply means universal, not Roman Catholic. That is, the creed states a belief in one church that is holy, universal, and apostolic. What does it mean to have an apostolic church? First and foremost, it means we believe in Gospel doctrine that’s built upon the writings of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. But what makes an Apostle? In addition, how can we trust the writings of these twelve Apostles? What validates their authority and how can we be sure that what they are writing is congruent with the teachings of Jesus? In this episode of Real Christianity, pastor Dale Partridge confronts these questions as he delivers his sermon on Romans 1:1-7.