the Amen

The Apostles’ Creed has stood as part of the fabric of the Christian faith throughout the centuries of its existence. Its theology was outlined and structured to provide a common statement of faith declaring the accepted beliefs and convictions of the Church. As the movement spread, complexities within the understandings of the faith moved leaders to develop new ideas and interpretations of the Scripture. In this struggle of comprehending the divine there were those concepts and contentions that proved to be inconsistent with the basic tenets of the majority of the Church. Many of these conflicting beliefs were labeled as heretical. Other creeds were developed to appropriately answer and silence those ideologies considered to be heretical. We find these later creeds follow much of the outline shaped in the Apostles’ Creed.

This one concrete statement of faith, the Apostles’ Creed, is comprised of several sub-categorical assertions that stood, and still stand, against many of the heretical beliefs and teachings of some in the early Church. Questions of the reality of the person Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit and ultimate return of Christ, for example, are boldly upheld. The Apostles’ Creed stands incomplete, perhaps vulnerable, without each of the specific principles. Considering the significance of each witness, for this inquiry the one theological statement that will be interpreted is: Amen. The use of the “Amen” is widespread in the development of many of the other creedal statements. Employing the term does more than conclude the arguments; the use of the “Amen” decisively confirms the total proclamation. For this analysis common translations such as, “verily," "truly, "so be it" and "let it be as” should be considered for the Amen.

The affirmation begins in a very personal manner. Each of the three sections within the triad structure begins the same way. It is clear the importance of each of the faith claims made in the statement begin exclusively with each respondent. That is confirmed with the use of, “I believe…” There is no unity that can be fashioned or fabricated extensively without the personal affirmation of every believer. Where there is no strong value or belief in these declarations there will certainly be doctrinal conflict and personal value conflicts. By concluding the statement of belief with the Amen each individual is reminded of the truth revealed and proclaimed in their life. These personal confessions of truth and belief should shape, reshape and transform the reality for the one bold enough to proclaim, “Amen.” This life is then vividly characterized by a fidelity to the teachings and example of God, the Father Almighty, creator, Son and Lord, to the direction of the Holy Spirit and to the communion of saints (and all that entails).

Only time will tell which of the more contemporary creedal statements will survive past their own era’s urging. Perhaps it will be that the number of enduring faith affirmations will continually increase with every generation. It may be, however, that every time in the history of the Church finds its own toils that do not weigh on the minds of each subsequent cohort of church membership and leadership. While personal confession remains the foundation of the creed’s vitality, the confession must be to what is beyond the self. If each statement depicts mankind’s efforts, they will fail, if not abruptly then eventually. So then, what is confessed and proclaimed in word and deed are not ideas manufactured by our own desires and personal fancies, but that which is established by the Other. What sense can the human mind truly make of the Incarnation and all the specific claims made in the Apostles’ Creed? Our explanations would be just that, our explanations. In the quest to discover the reality each statement depicts it is in the look to the Other that Truth can be revealed. Therefore, the Amen draws the believer towards a greater trust and reliance on the Other.

Many pieces of the biblical text were prepared much the same way the Apostles’ Creed sought to unite and establish what is Truth. Both the Old and New Testaments work equivalently. A turn to the text reaffirms the use of the Amen. The assembly mentioned in Nehemiah 5:13 all said, “Amen.” Several of the books of Psalms end with amen. Jesus is written to have included the proclamation in the instructive Lord’s Prayer. Paul the Apostle uses the term on numerous occasions as well. Finally, the last verses of the New Testament end with amen. These instances provide a theological connection to the use of the word. We find that the creedal addition of the Amen offers a bi-directional legitimacy from Scripture to Creed and Creed to Scripture.

As a body united by a set of common beliefs, the Church establishes itself as an entity comprised of professing members. These members build the relationship between self, Other and others appropriately and accordingly to the tenets of the faith. The mention of self and Other have been discussed. There are several references to this relationship between the others as well. The first of these suggestions might be easy to overlook. This implication is made in the first half of the statement. It is found encompassed in the title prescribed to Jesus Christ as “his only Son our Lord.” The emphasis should be placed on “our.” This emphasizes the union of the larger body. To say that Christ is, at this or any other preceding moment, the Lord of each person is a different assertion than that of Christ being Lord of all (Acts 10:35-36). In other words, while Christ demonstrates His divinity in His passion, death, resurrection and ascension and thus carries lordship over what He has created, the heart that does not confess that belief will not confess Christ as Lord. That sounds simplistic, but it separates the believer from the unbeliever into the community of God. Now, the Amen firmly bonds these professing members to their responsibilities as servants of their Lord and to each other. Within the final section of the Apostles’ Creed other references to this communal relationship between members of the Church are given. The concepts of the “holy catholic church,” and the “communion of saints” lucidly builds further constancy to the Amen.

When brought together, the four insights are reaffirmed by the use of the Amen. By declaring that each statement of faith within the creed represents the revelation of Truth and vowing to live by what that Truth offers to the world, we recognize then that each proposition carries its own merit. Each turn holds the other accountable. The turn to self reminds the believer her or his responsibility to honor the Creator as Lord, to recognize Christ as begotten, to live in communion with others and reaffirm the value of Scripture. The turn to the Other places sole recognition of God as responsible for the saving acts found in the creed. That turn should shape the viewpoint of the self to the other three theological turns. So, we might suggest a hierarchy within the outlooks. There is no headway without personal confession; however, the confession has to be to the work of the Other. From there we can conclude that the focus to the Other actually directs all the other turns towards itself. That is, when the believer acknowledges God, she/he finds that God has been reaching outwardly to meet her/him.

It is my belief the common understanding of the Amen lacks the profound theological foundation it warrants. Perhaps a personal example will help best describe this deficiency. It is our family’s custom to join in a moment of thanksgiving prior to each meal we share together. As part of my intention to develop this practice in the lives of my children I will frequently ask one of them to offer a prayer. Our youngest child, (4) years old, volunteered on a particular occasion. In his prayer there was thanksgiving for “Mommy,” “Daddy,” “family,” “toys,” “race cars,” a few other blessings and finally for the food that had been prepared. To conclude his time he reverently continued and prayed, “The End.” Indeed, in my experience, many in the church would be satisfied with the concept of using the same ending. While the overwhelming majority most likely would not use it, that might speak to a habitual inclination to finish a prayer the “right way.”

I have taken from this interpretive exercise a greater appreciation for the development of the Apostles’ Creed and others like it that are common to our contemporary understanding of Christian worship. These statements are not battle cries, mere historical documents or even only “what we believe.” While there uses may have been distorted and exploited in the history of the Church they stand today as much more than common beliefs. Instead, we find in these words a connection. This connection transcends generations, cultures and traditions. Through these words the faith of many Christ believers throughout the world have been affirmed and encouraged. In that time new understandings of our relationship with God have developed and matured. That can be observed in the expansion of creedal statements employed by the Church. However, what unifies their implication is the willingness of the Church to live out each belief in word and practice. The use of the Amen stirs in the life of each believer the motivation to do just that.