The Christlike Creed

When the church wanted to clarify its doctrines in the early centuries it developed the Apostle’s Creed. It would also be helpful to have a creed that summarizes the practice of the faith. That is why I wrote the Christlike Creed. It contains 9 stanzas of 3 lines each and summarizes the important attitudes and practices of the Christian life, including identity and destiny. It describes what a Christlike person looks like. In other words, it describes spiritual growth and discipleship.

Consider how important it is to have a description of what a disciple of Jesus looks like. How can a church or ministry make disciples if the leaders or the people don’t know what a disciple looks like? Don’t we need to know what we are aiming for? This creed describes what a disciple of Christ looks like so we know what is important and what is less important.

It can be spoken collectively in a fellowship meeting, used as lyrics for a song, or used for personal devotion. It is also very useful for creating a disciple plan for a church or ministry. I would love any feedback you have and if you write a song I would love to hear it. (This creed is in the public domain; I am not restricting the use.)

The Creed was updated in July 2018.

The Word format version of the Christlike Creed is here.

Download a framable PDF of the Christlike Creed here.

THE CHRISTLIKE CREED

I am a forgiven and loved child of God.
I have been reborn in the image of Christ.
I have the Spirit of God dwelling in me.

I am a member of God’s family.
I have spiritual gifts for blessing this family.
My destiny is the community of love with God and His people.

I need the Father’s Spirit and grace to become Christlike.
I need the support of God’s family in order to grow.
I need to pray and absorb scripture to follow Jesus.

I commit to loving and trusting God with my whole self.
I commit to setting my mind and heart on things above.
I commit to trusting the Bible.

I commit to loving and forgiving all people, including enemies.
I commit to acknowledging and turning away from my sins.
I commit to accepting God’s forgiveness for my sins.

I commit to surrendering to God’s will in all things.
I commit to pursuing honesty, humility, and holiness.
I commit to trusting Jesus even when life is dark and painful.

I commit to being a channel of God’s kingdom coming to earth.
I commit to walking in the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
I commit to blessing those in my care.

I commit to exercising discernment in all matters.
I commit to speaking words of encouragement and blessing.
I commit to building godly friendships.

I look forward to seeing Jesus and the Father in the new creation.
And being completely Christformed.
And united in love with God and His people.