I believe in Jesus Christ...

March 14, 2011 Monday Message:

“I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.” from the Apostle’s Creed

The Apostles Creed, a statement of faith used by many denominations, can be studied in three parts. Last week we talked about God the Father, and next week we’ll move on to the Holy Spirit and everything else (at least that’s what I call it). But this week we’re in the middle - Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

Saying, “I believe in Jesus Christ,” implies way more than is written. It’s not just believing that Jesus was real, that he actually walked on earth. It’s believing that Jesus is who the Bible says he is. Simon Peter stated it best: "You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:16

This creed goes on to list some unique and notable events in the life of Christ; significant yes, but this is certainly not an exhaustive list.

We believe in Mary’s super-natural conception and the virgin birth of Jesus, fulfilling the prophecy from Isaiah 7:14, where it also names Jesus, “Immanuel – God with us.”

We believe Jesus suffered under the Roman Perfect (Governor) Pontius Pilate. We believe Jesus died on the cross - no heartbeat, no breathing – dead by all our earthly standards. He was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

Next, the version of the Apostle’s Creed on the ELCA web site says, “He descended to the dead,” but explains that the traditional reading is “hell.” From Hebrew to Aramaic to Greek to English, there’s a bit of confusion here, as different religions, different cultures and different times held different understandings of life after death. For example, “sheol” (Hebrew) or “hades” (Greek) sometimes means “pit (hell),” “grave,” or “abyss (separation).” So it can mean “place of the dead,” but not necessarily a bad place. When a Greek citizen died, they were said to be “sleeping.” And the Bible says that the dead will rise again, meaning, in a way, that they weren’t really dead in the first place. See the potential confusion?

So did Jesus go anywhere during the 3 days he was “dead?” The truth is we don’t really know, but he may not have gone anywhere. I’ve had people tell me that Jesus had to duke it out with Satan, to let him know who’s the boss. Others say that Jesus personally delivered the sins of the world to hell, where all evil belongs. Still others say that because Jesus had the sins on the world upon him, he was temporarily sentenced to the lake of fire.

Personally, I don’t buy any of it. Reformed Theology teaches that Jesus took the sins of the world upon himself, and in the great exchange, covered the people with his righteousness. Since Jesus was a lamb without blemish, he was a sufficient sacrifice to pay for the sins of the whole world. And that’s all that was necessary. When Jesus spoke from the cross, “It is finished,” the mission was indeed complete. Jesus had fulfilled his greatest purpose in coming to earth – to redeem mankind. John 19:30a

Death has no hold on the Son of God, and we believe Jesus walked away from it all. The women found the tomb empty, but over the next 40 days about 600 people saw our Lord walking around and heard him speak the Good News. Then they watched in awe as Jesus was taken into the clouds, returning to the Father. We believe he will return again (with fire in his eyes and a sword in his hand, riding a white horse – don’t make me sing the whole song!). That will be the time of judgment, and Jesus will be in charge.

Next week we’ll move on to the Holy Spirit and remainder of the Apostle’s Creed.

Blessings,

Norton Lawellin

Apostle's Creed Unlocked - 1

March 07, 2011 Monday Message:

“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” Beginning of Apostle’s Creed

I’ve recently been asked several questions about The Apostle’s Creed. Perhaps we should park here for the next few weeks.

Of course the common myth is that the Apostles themselves authored this Creed. You’d think that from the name. But the first mention of The Apostle’s Creed is 400 years after Jesus, and that wasn’t the form we know today. We know of a version close to what we use nowadays from c. 700 A.D.

The original thinking was that an apostle had, at some time, stated the principles set forth in this creed. Another tradition is that each of the 12 apostles spoke a portion. What we translate as “creed” is actually “symbol” in Latin. So this creed is our symbol of what Christians believe, based on what the apostles taught.

While The Apostle’s Creed includes many basic truths that express what Christians should believe, it is not an exhaustive list. The divine nature of Jesus and the Holy Spirit is not clarified, nor is the fact that our salvation comes to us by the grace of God because of our faith in what God can do, key points in Reformed Theology.

“I believe in God,” should be different than believing in an earthly entity. What we’re saying is that God IS! God is who he says he is, did the things he claims to have done, and in the future will do what has been prophesied in scripture. God is the creator of all things, the giver of life and our assurance of salvation in His heavenly kingdom. God is God, and we are not. This is an unchanging, non-negotiable reality. There’s a lot in this first sentence.

Next week we’ll look at Jesus in the Creed, and the Holy Spirit the following week.

May God bless each of you on your walk with the Him!

Norton Lawellin