I join Alexander Campbell in advocating that this ancient creed, which dates back at least 1500 years, be placed on the table as an expression of our common ground in the Christian faith. It may appear unlike Campbell, who bequeathed to us an anti-creedal heritage ("No creed but Christ, no book but the Bible") to appeal to a creed as a basis for unity. But it was human creeds – "man made" they were dubbed – that our forebears objected to, particularly when they were imposed upon others as tests of fellowship and church membership.
In spite of its name the church has never claimed this creed was actually the work of the apostles themselves. Its claim to integrity is both its antiquity and its reflection of apostolic teaching.
Before we proceed further we reproduce the creed for those who may not have ready access to it.
We believe in God
the Father Almighty
Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ
His only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate;
Was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
We believe in
The Holy Spirit;
The Holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting.
Campbell noted that the creed is made up of facts – not theories or opinions – which also distinguishes it from sectarian creeds. And it is facts, he pointed out, that make up the gospel and form the basis of unity. Drawing on the British philosopher John Locke, Campbell defined a fact as what is said or done, which distinguishes it from truth, which defines what is. "God exists" is a truth, but not a fact; "God created the heavens and the earth" is a fact. Truths alone would never have saved us. God had to speak (reveal himself)) and act ("God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself") for us to be saved.
And the Apostles’ Creed, Campbell observed, is a litany of facts – what God has said and done through Christ. Each proposition is part of the core gospel or emanates from the gospel.
The last phrase is important, for one might be able to recite the creed in general, and yet have reservations about the way some items are stated, such as Christ’s descent into hell or the resurrection of the body. While I would allow latitude to a conscientious sister or brother who is trying to be honest in his or her faith, I would hope that one would not go as far as Prof. Henry Cadbury of Harvard. He said in a class where I was present that when it came to reciting the Apostles’ Creed he joins in when it says, "Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead, and buried." That is all of the creed he believed, at least in reference to what it says about Christ. Being a theist he would have confessed faith in God.
The creed has variously read "I believe" and "We believe" And it can be both personal and communal. Our faith may sometimes waver, and yet we remain a part of the community of faith. There may be a time when one can say We when he can’t say I. In times of doubt we can let the church believe for us. This is when a struggling faith is hanging on, perhaps victoriously.
We believe in God the Father Almighty; Maker of heaven and earth.
Jesus and the early church – Jesus in particular – gave special meaning to God as Father. While the prophets had extolled God as "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts" and "Yehovah is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silent before him," Jesus spoke of God in endearing and intimate even "down to earth" terms. God is there in "the secret place" when one prays, and "your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew. 6:6). And "your Father knows the things you have need of even before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7).
To Jesus God is not only the seeking and the welcoming Father, but one who goes after the lost child. He is like the good shepherd who pursues a lost sheep, a concerned woman in search of a displaced coin, and like a compassionate father who hastens to welcome a wayward child back home. "If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children," our Lord went so far as to say, "how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13)!
But while God is a tender, loving Father, he is also the Almighty, which means he is fully able to do all that he has promised. While God has infinite power, he uses it in love for his creation. It is reassuring that the love of God is backed up by the power of God. Unlike ourselves, who are often frustrated in that we are unable to do what we would like for our loved ones, God is able "to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).
The most impressive expression of God’s power is that he by Himself created the heavens and the earth. It is noteworthy that when Jesus addressed God in prayer he began,"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth" (Matthew 11:25). We do well to ponder the first claim of the Bible: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." If God is indeed creator and Lord over all creation; if he created us and not we ourselves; then He justly lays claim to being Lord over our lives.
The creed begins where faith must begin with God who is the loving Father as well as creator of all things. And is this not the essence of our common ground?
We are not to suppose that the earliest Christians waited all that long before confessing their faith in creedal form. If they started with the simple confession that Jesus is lord, they were not long in expanding on what they meant by that.
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up into glory.
The apostle Paul created a literary gem as well as a dynamic creedal affirmation when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:9: "You know the grace of our lord Jesus Messiah, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich." Riches – poverty; Poverty – riches. It is both a great creed; one that could easily be chanted or quoted in unison; and an effective literary device.
There is still another in 1 Corinthians 8:6, which barely expands upon Jesus being lord: "For to us there is One God the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one lord Jesus Messiah, because of whom are all things, and because of whom we live." Here he states the essence of the believer’s faith, and it is biblical monotheism founded on the Shema [Deuteronomy 6:4]; rather than trinitarian.
All the creeds centered in God's anointed one. They began with God, to be sure, but they emphasized God's anointed one, God’s "inexpressible gift." We will now comment upon the particulars about God's anointed one in the Apostles’ Creed.
2. And (we believe) in Jesus Messiah, His only Son our lord.
Early on the object of the church’s devotion was seen as human. He was Jesus, a human being like ourselves, but he was also the Christ, "the anointed one of God." And as the anointed one he was the Son of God. This was Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16: "You are the aninted one, the son of the living God." In time they saw him also as lord; a term reserved for the rulers in Rome.
On Pentecost the apostle Peter declared that God had made him both lord and Messiah, and by the time Paul wrote Romans; about 57 A.D.; he could say, which may have been still another creedal hymn, "If you will declare with your mouth that Jesus is lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary.
Peter was talking about promises of God when he mentioned that "our beloved brother Paul" has written in his epistles "some things hard to be understood." That his fellow apostle was sometimes difficult to understand did not appear to bother Peter. True, he referred to some; "the untaught and the unstable"; who wrested some things that Paul said "to their own destruction." But nonetheless those to whom he was writing could "grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord" in spite of difficulties in understanding.
The mind matters. As one works his way through this Creed it is all right to think and to question. Even to have reservations. That prayer in Mark 9:24: "I believe, help my unbelief"; may sometimes be appropriate as we cope with difficulties in biblical interpretation.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
When we come to this line we are at the heart both of the Creed and of the Christian faith. All else stands or falls on the claim that he who was crucified became the risen lord. If the resurrection of Messiah is indeed a fact it stands as the most significant event in human history. It is the thing "most surely believed among us" that multiplied millions have lived and died for.
And yet at the outset we are confronted with an amazing truth: On the morning of the first day of the week there was not one person on earth who believed that Jesus would rise from the dead.
It is nothing less than amazing; it is indeed a problem; that his own disciples were not expecting it, in spite of the fact that he repeatedly told them it would happen. It cannot be made plainer that this (Jesus has taken his disciples aside and is talking to them): "Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the son of man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the gentiles. who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again" (Mark 10:33-34, New Jerusalem).
This is the third time, according to Mark, that Jesus foretold his passion and resurrection to his disciples, and each time it could not have been clearer: and after three days he will rise again. And yet on the second occasion; after Jesus told his disciples that he would be put to death and rise again; Mark says of them: "But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him" (Mark 9:32).
Did they not understand or did they grasp what Jesus was saying to them? Jesus may give us the answer when he said to them on an earlier occasion, "Do you still not understand, still not realize? Are your minds closed? (Mark 8:18). Even when the women brought word to the disciples on the morning of his resurrection that they had seen the risen lord, it is said of them, "Their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them" (Luke 24:11).
This excessive incredulity on the part of the disciples may be that the idea of the Jewish Messiah, which they now believed Jesus to be, suffering, dying, and rising again was so overwhelmingly incomprehensible to them that their minds were indeed closed.
As unlikely as it may seem, the disciples’ slowness of heart to believe became strong evidence for the resurrection. The very ones who at first did not believe in time came to believe with such conviction that they were willing to suffer and die for their testimony. Those who were at first incredulous could not be accused of seeing visions or fabricating a story. In the end there can be but one reason for their remarkable change – they saw the risen Christ with their own eyes, touched him with their own hands, and even ate with him. They would make convincing witnesses in any court of law.
Professor Greenleaf studied the testimony of the evangelists as to the resurrection of Jesus from the standpoint of a jurist, and concluded that their testimony was unimpeachable and would stand in any court of law. They could not be accused of deceiving or of being deceived. Their reluctance to believe strengthened their testimony.
Another impressive fact about the resurrection morning story is that no one questioned that the tomb was empty. The Roman authorities, the Jewish leaders, and the disciples of Jesus all understood that the body was no longer in the tomb on that Sunday morning; a reality that they all dealt with in different ways. But there were only two possible explanations; either the body had been taken away or it was risen. The claim that the disciples stole the body away goes back to the very beginning, but it is baseless to the point of being ludicrous.
That several Roman soldiers would fall asleep; at the risk of their lives for dereliction of duty; all at the same time, and remain asleep while a huge stone was rolled away and a grave robbed was not just highly improbable, it was impossible. Anyone would be a fool to attempt such nonsense. Besides, the disciples had no motive to contrive a resurrection, neither believing in one nor expecting one.
Too, the facts are clear that the burial cloths were left behind; collapsed in such a way as to reveal a missing body with the wrappings still in place. Hardly the scenario for a purloined body! This scene was so convincing; that resurrection was the only explanation; that it gained the first convert among the disciples. The apostle John tells us (John 20:8) that when he entered the tomb; after running to it along with Peter that morning; and saw the condition of the cloths that "He saw and believed."
But the strongest evidence for the resurrection is that the Sanhedrin; which was really in a bind with the disciples out preaching a risen Jesus of Nazareth whom they had crucified; could not produce the putrefied body of Jesus. They arrested Peter and John for healing a lame man in the name of the risen Jesus. They threatened them and charged them not to preach, only to hear Peter boldly declare, "Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Messiah of Nazareth whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole" (Acts 4:9).
They marveled at Peter’s boldness. They were fearful over what it might all lead to. But they had an easy way out; expose it all as a fraud by producing a dead Jesus. Peter was bold because he knew that this was the one thing they could not do.
He ascended into heaven.
Chances are you have never heard a sermon on the ascension of the Messiah, and yet it has made its way into the creeds of the church all through the centuries. If we rarely speak of it, it may be because the New Testament rarely makes direct reference to it. Only in Acts 1:9-11 do we have a detailed account. There the disciples watch in wonder as "He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight." While they are still gazing into heaven, two angels who are standing by say to them, "Why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner, as you saw Him go into heaven."
What matters is that following his resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven, and Luke makes that clear in both accounts.
The word "ascension" can be misleading if we interpret it as did the ancients with their Ptolemaic view of the universe. To them God and heaven were "up" while Satan and hell were "down." In our modern world we see these spatial terms as symbols. Jesus was not literally "taken up" to "the right hand of God." There is no up or down or across in the universe. That Jesus was "taken up" or "ascended" means that he departed into the presence of God. And that he sits or stands at God’s right hand means that he joins the Father as sovereign over the universe.
While the word ascend itself rarely appears, there are synonyms that are frequently used, such as "exalted to the right hand of God" in Acts 2:33, "taken up" in Acts 1:9, "received up in glory" in 1 Timothy 3:16, and "gone into heaven" in 1 Peter 3:22. During the forty days between the resurrection and the ascension Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples. He would appear for a time, and then disappear. The only difference between these appearances (and disappearances) and the ascension is that the ascension was the last time. This means that Jesus ascended into heaven in the same resurrected (spiritual) body that he had during the forty-day interval, and Philip. 3:20 indicates he now has that same "glorified" body in heaven; and that our bodies will be transformed into the likeness of his glorious body.
That is the meaning of the ascension to us; not only that Jesus becomes the exalted and glorified lord to us, but our forerunner as well. He has gone before us into glory. As he is now we one day shall be. As he was taken up or departed into the presence of God so shall we. Paul said it well, "If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:17).
In appealing to this ancient creed as common ground we are to distinguish between facts as stated and theories (opinions) about those facts. In this series I am doing both; restating the facts of the creed and giving my opinion about them. It is the facts that we look to as our bond of unity, not our theories about those facts.
This is the difference between the core gospel; which is the basis of the Creed; and any teaching that may grow out of that core gospel. We should be able to find agreement on the gospel facts themselves, while allowing for differences on the teaching (theology). It was apparently that way with Paul and Peter. They were united on the gospel itself, but differed on some of its applications.
Even when we are looking at bare facts, such as "sits at the right hand of God the Father," we are to recognize that some "facts" are symbols and not to be taken literally. In John 10:9 Jesus says "I am the door." While that is a fact, we all understand that it is a symbol. This distinction is relevant to the propositions we now consider.
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
This is part of the previous affirmation, "He ascended into heaven." Jesus ascended; or was "taken up"; so as to sit at God’s right hand. In Acts 2:33 these two facts are combined in still different language; "being exalted to the right hand of God." While dying and looking into heaven, Stephen saw the Messiah, not sitting, but standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56).
This symbol has Old Testament precedent. The church has always seen Psalm 110:1 as Messianic: "The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool." This picture of Jesus as destined to sit at God’s right hand appears frequently in the New Testament. Jesus himself referred to it in describing himself, as in Matthew 26:64 where he offends the high priest, who accuses him of blasphemy for saying, "Hereafter you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
It is clear that these descriptions are not to be taken literally or spatially. Their symbolic meaning is reasonably clear. To be at the "right hand" of God or Power indicates honor, dignity, and sovereignty. While Jesus was crucified as a criminal, he now rules the universe. While he was once judged by men, he is now the judge of all the earth. While he was once rejected and dishonored, he is now crowned with glory and honor.
It also suggests joy, as in Psalm 16:11: "In Your presence is fulness of joy, in Your right hand are pleasures for evermore." Hebrews 12:2 says it was "because of the joy set before him" that he endured the stake. Messiah’s joyous exaltation in the presence of God is the basis of our joy. As he was exalted by being "taken up," into God’s glorious presence so shall we.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
Here we have two items of faith; the second coming of Messiah and the judgment; both of which are often treated with imbalance and neglect. In most "mainline" churches, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant, one hears virtually nothing about the second coming of Messiah, while it is all some marginal groups can talk about. A more balanced view would be to recognize the second coming as a significant Christian doctrine; one which has substantial ethical implications (How are we therefore to live?).
While the Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus is coming again, the how and the when is not clear. We have already noted texts that refer to him "coming in clouds of glory," and Acts 1:11 indicates that he will return in the same manner that he departed. Some metaphors seem to clash, such as "every eye will see him" (Revelation 1:7) and "he will come as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). And 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says it will be with "a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God."
How are we to interpret all this? How much is symbolic and how much is literal? What matters is that it is actual in that it refers to a real, personal coming of our Lord. Even with the symbols it is apparent that his coming will be glorious, triumphant, clearly evident, and unpredictable.
As for the time; or the "season"; no one knows. Jesus said that even he didn’t know, but only God (Mark 13:32). And Paul, who had no little interest in the subject, appears to move from an imminent coming in his earlier writings (1 Thessalonians in particular) to a delayed coming in his later writings. In Romans he seems to have an extended time frame for human history, one that allows not only for the conversion of Gentiles, but through them "all Israel" as well. As he put it: "God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all" (Romans 11:32).
Too, we are to keep in mind that there are numerous "comings" of Messiah. When he said in John 14:18, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you," he was not referring to the second coming, but to coming in the form of the Holy Spirit. He "came" or "appeared in glory in a vision" at the Transfiguration, which may be what Mark 9:1 refers to: "Some of you standing here will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."
Some are very vocal about the "leading" of the Spirit and the "baptism" of the Spirit, while others are suspicious of such emphasis. Some converse with the Spirit directly, while others listen to the Spirit only through Scripture.
But they all have common ground. They all believe in the Holy Spirit, and this is what the ancient church and scripture bequeaths to us. We can differ, and do so graciously, on the particulars. The quiet Quaker and the excited charismatic can be one in Messiah as well as if both were quiet or both were excited. According to l Corinthians 12:11 the Spirit allows for such diversity in the body of Messiah.
There is one thing in particular that the church has always believed about the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is the Comforter that came to be with the church, and to guide, teach and comfort the church once Jesus ascended into heaven. It was the clear promise of Jesus: "I will not leave you as orphans, but I will come to you" (John 14:18). He was speaking of the Spirit, as when he said in verse 16, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever."
There are two Greek words for another, one meaning another of the same kind, and the other refers to another of a different kind. John has Jesus using the another of the same kind. – "another Helper" just like Jesus! This means that Jesus continues to be with his church in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Another general agreement is that the Spirit’s mission is to conform the believer more and more into the image of Messiah, as in 2 Corinthians 3:18: "We all with unveiled face behold as in a mirror the glory of the lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the lord." It is a thrilling promise. If the apostles were missionaries to the world to make disciples for Jesus, the Spirit of Messiah is a missionary to the church to transform those disciples into the likeness of Messiah.
This is the context for the fruit of the Spirit; love , joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). They spell Christlikeness. This is the ultimate purpose of God, both in spirit and in body. As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:49: "As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven."
To be like Christ; now and forever; that is God’s purpose for us. And we are enabled to be so by the power of His Spirit.
The Holy Catholic Church
We would suppose the Apostles’ Creed would have included all four of the church’s essential marks; as the Nicene Creed had done before it; rather than just two: We believe in one, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The called-out Assembly has always believed that it must have all four of these marks to be the true Church of God.
Inasmuch as Christ cannot be divided, his body the called-out Assembly cannot be divided. It is by its very nature one, and it cannot be other than one. Our own Thomas Campbell in his Declaration and Address, which is arguably the founding document of the Stone-Campbell Movement, captured this truth in a stunning and captivating sentence: "The Church of God upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." The one body of Messiah may have parties, sects, and factions imposed upon it, but the called-out Assembly remains one even as Messiah is one.
The called-out Assembly's unity may not be realized, but it is nonetheless real. This means that all of us; in however many sects; who are "in Messiah" are one in Messiah. Not because of the sects, but in spite of them. There is but one called-out Assembly, and all of us who are "the elect," are in that one called-out Assembly.
In the meantime, one might be in a denomination; and faithfully serve God; and yet not approve of denominationalism. What matters is that one realizes the true nature of the called-out Assembly, and works and prays for the realization of its four essential marks of identity.
Just as the called-out Assembly is essentially one it is also essentially holy, even when it is not sinless. One who is yet far from perfect can still be holy. If not, then there would be no saints, which is what holiness means. Paul described the called-out Assembly at Corinth as "called to be saints" and as "sanctified - set apart in Messiah Jesus." He even said to them, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you" (1 Corinthians 3:16).
And yet that ecclesia, called-out Assembly had its failures, moral as well as doctrinal. It was holy, and its members were saints, not because it was without sin, but because of its relationship to Messiah; not because it was perfect, but because the Spirit of Messiah dwelt in it.
The called-out Assembly is holy in that it is called out of the world to follow and obey Messiah. Despite its failures it is a community of saints that has a heart for God and a passion for Christlikeness.
That the called-out Assembly is catholic means that it cannot be parochial or sectarian. It is not provincial or racial. The catholic called-out Assembly is universal, not only in outreach but in its acceptance; receiving others on the same basis that Messiah received it. It is not only color blind, but it has removed all social and economic barriers. Some in the Corinthian church had been covetous, drunkards, revilers, idolaters, homosexuals, and thieves, but they were washed and sanctified by the Spirit of God the same as the others (1 Corinthians 6:10-11).
The called-out Assembly is apostolic in that it has a long history, tracing itself back to Messiah and the apostles. Its basic doctrine; its core gospel is rooted in the teaching and preaching of the apostles. The called-out Assembly is apostolic when it is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Messiah himself being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians. 2:20).
When the called-out Assembly is apostolic it doesn’t need gimmickry or "show place" edifices. Nor will it think in terms of what the people want as much as what they need. It has an ancient gospel to preach, that which was proclaimed by the apostles.
In this last installment of this series we look at the last four affirmations of the Creed. Each of these items of faith are subject to great diversity of interpretation, which we might call theology. As we have repeatedly emphasized, our common ground in the Creed is not as much in the theology as in the facts themselves.
We can all agree; and find unity; in the fact of the resurrection of the body, while allowing for differences of opinion as to how that is to be understood. It is one thing to agree together with Paul that, "The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption," and another thing to agree on precisely what he meant by that.
We unite on the first; we allow liberty of opinion on the second. This is the only way unity is possible: We unite upon what the scriptures clearly say; we allow for differences over what we think it means by what it says.
The Communion of Saints
Communion means fellowship. We enter into fellowship; the sharing of life in Messiah with all other believers; when we become believers. Our faith is personal but it is not private. As part of the body of Messiah we are "members one of another" in a social relationship. None of us is to be unto himself. We belong to each other, with each one resolved to "esteem others better than himself" (Philippians 2:3).
The word saints - holy ones is to be understood in the New Testament sense. It does not refer only to those who have been canonized as saints, or who have "saint" before their names as a prefix, but to all believers. This affirmation is not saying we are in communion only with those "saints" who are renowned for their piety and holiness.
Communion of the saints - holy ones is sharing joys and sorrows, and being there for each other in time of need. It is being family, brothers and sisters together. We are to understand from Hebrews 12:22-23 that this fellowship brings us to "the city of the living God, the New Jerusalem" where we are in communion not only with "innumerable angels" but also to "the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven."
While we are not yet where they are, we are nonetheless even now with them in the cosmic reach of the communion of saints. As Charles Wesley put it:
One church, above, beneath;
Though now divided by the narrow stream,
The narrow stream of death. The Forgiveness of Sins
It is only when we see the seriousness of sin in all its degradation that we can appreciate the awesome grace of God in the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness; God forgiving us and we forgiving others; is at the heart of the Christian faith. Take away forgiveness and you take away Christianity.
When we have a problem forgiving others, it may be because we ourselves do not enjoy the forgiveness of God. And this may be because we have not really repented of our sins; or do not even take our own sins seriously. We are inclined to think of sin as murder, rape, theft, adultery, drunkenness; things that decent folk like us do not do. And so we do not really commit serious sins, and consequently have little understanding of repentance. Church folk may have a problem seeing the weightier sins; pride, greed, selfishness, lust, insincerity, insensitivity. When we repent of these, we can meaningfully join the church in saying, "We believe in the remission of sins."
When we see that we are sinners saved by grace this should go far in bringing us closer together in Messiah. When Messiah is not only Savior of the world, but our Savior as well, what differences we have may seem less important.
The Resurrection of the Body
Are we to understand this as one minister who said, when dedicating a new cemetery, "What an appropriate place this is for resurrection day when the graves will open, and the bodies will rise in the midst of all this beauty!"?
"The hour is coming when those who are in their graves shall come forth; those who have done good, to a resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to a resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29). Then there is "It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:44).
It may be observed that our resurrection is to be as real and literal as was our lord’s, as Paul seems to say in 1 Corinthians 15:20: "But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." And in Romans 6:5 he says that our resurrection will be "in the likeness of his resurrection." Jesus’ resurrection was certainly real.
Paul makes it clear that we are to have bodies like the body Messiah now has in heaven: "Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Messiah, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21). If the apostle here has in mind those believers who will still be living on earth when Messiah comes, it would apply to the elect of ages past as well. They are "raised" in that they receive "a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heavens," as the apostle puts in in 2 Corinthians 5:1.
That passage infers that we will have our heavenly bodies when we leave our "earthly house" Paul does not see the saints as ever being without a body, "lest we be found naked" (2 Corinthians 5:3).
And the life everlasting.
The promise of all promises; age upon age lasting life.
Is this not what Jesus says in John 3:36: "He who believes in the son has age upon age lasting life," and in John 5:24: "Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has age upon age lasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life." "Death" is to live for self and for pleasure, and for this world, while "Life" is to live for God and for others and for a redeemed world.
This means that we are not innately immortal. The doctrine of the immortality of the soul was born of Greek philosophy, and not the Bible. The Bible teaches; as in the above verses; that immortality is the gift of God. Paul says it plainly in Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is age upon age lasting life in Messiah Jesus our lord."Eternal life is a life of joy, peace, and love. It is the "abundant life" that Messiah came to give us. It is to "walk by the Spirit" and to set our minds on heavenly things. It is the victorious life in Messiah. While it begins when we are but babes in Messiah, it grows in grace and wonder forever.
If there is anyone who can sincerely profess this Creed with you; the basic truths of the Christian faith; then you share common ground with that person. You may disagree on some of the details on what the Creed may be saying, but you can agree on the facts stated, on what God has said and done through Messiah. It is a starting point for a Christian walk together.
Written by Leroy Garrett and edited by Bruce Lyon
In spite of its name the church has never claimed this creed was actually the work of the apostles themselves. Its claim to integrity is both its antiquity and its reflection of apostolic teaching.
Before we proceed further we reproduce the creed for those who may not have ready access to it.
We believe in God
the Father Almighty
Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ
His only Son our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate;
Was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended into hell;
The third day he rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
We believe in
The Holy Spirit;
The Holy Catholic Church;
The Communion of Saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting.
Campbell noted that the creed is made up of facts – not theories or opinions – which also distinguishes it from sectarian creeds. And it is facts, he pointed out, that make up the gospel and form the basis of unity. Drawing on the British philosopher John Locke, Campbell defined a fact as what is said or done, which distinguishes it from truth, which defines what is. "God exists" is a truth, but not a fact; "God created the heavens and the earth" is a fact. Truths alone would never have saved us. God had to speak (reveal himself)) and act ("God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself") for us to be saved.
And the Apostles’ Creed, Campbell observed, is a litany of facts – what God has said and done through Christ. Each proposition is part of the core gospel or emanates from the gospel.
The last phrase is important, for one might be able to recite the creed in general, and yet have reservations about the way some items are stated, such as Christ’s descent into hell or the resurrection of the body. While I would allow latitude to a conscientious sister or brother who is trying to be honest in his or her faith, I would hope that one would not go as far as Prof. Henry Cadbury of Harvard. He said in a class where I was present that when it came to reciting the Apostles’ Creed he joins in when it says, "Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead, and buried." That is all of the creed he believed, at least in reference to what it says about Christ. Being a theist he would have confessed faith in God.
The creed has variously read "I believe" and "We believe" And it can be both personal and communal. Our faith may sometimes waver, and yet we remain a part of the community of faith. There may be a time when one can say We when he can’t say I. In times of doubt we can let the church believe for us. This is when a struggling faith is hanging on, perhaps victoriously.
We believe in God the Father Almighty; Maker of heaven and earth.
Jesus and the early church – Jesus in particular – gave special meaning to God as Father. While the prophets had extolled God as "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts" and "Yehovah is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silent before him," Jesus spoke of God in endearing and intimate even "down to earth" terms. God is there in "the secret place" when one prays, and "your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew. 6:6). And "your Father knows the things you have need of even before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7).
To Jesus God is not only the seeking and the welcoming Father, but one who goes after the lost child. He is like the good shepherd who pursues a lost sheep, a concerned woman in search of a displaced coin, and like a compassionate father who hastens to welcome a wayward child back home. "If you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children," our Lord went so far as to say, "how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13)!
But while God is a tender, loving Father, he is also the Almighty, which means he is fully able to do all that he has promised. While God has infinite power, he uses it in love for his creation. It is reassuring that the love of God is backed up by the power of God. Unlike ourselves, who are often frustrated in that we are unable to do what we would like for our loved ones, God is able "to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).
The most impressive expression of God’s power is that he by Himself created the heavens and the earth. It is noteworthy that when Jesus addressed God in prayer he began,"I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth" (Matthew 11:25). We do well to ponder the first claim of the Bible: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." If God is indeed creator and Lord over all creation; if he created us and not we ourselves; then He justly lays claim to being Lord over our lives.
The creed begins where faith must begin with God who is the loving Father as well as creator of all things. And is this not the essence of our common ground?
We are not to suppose that the earliest Christians waited all that long before confessing their faith in creedal form. If they started with the simple confession that Jesus is lord, they were not long in expanding on what they meant by that.
Some of these creedal statements; sometimes described as hymns; found their way into the New Testament. The most elaborate one is in 1 Timothy 3:16:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up into glory.
The apostle Paul created a literary gem as well as a dynamic creedal affirmation when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:9: "You know the grace of our lord Jesus Messiah, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich." Riches – poverty; Poverty – riches. It is both a great creed; one that could easily be chanted or quoted in unison; and an effective literary device.
There is still another in 1 Corinthians 8:6, which barely expands upon Jesus being lord: "For to us there is One God the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one lord Jesus Messiah, because of whom are all things, and because of whom we live." Here he states the essence of the believer’s faith, and it is biblical monotheism founded on the Shema [Deuteronomy 6:4]; rather than trinitarian.
All the creeds centered in God's anointed one. They began with God, to be sure, but they emphasized God's anointed one, God’s "inexpressible gift." We will now comment upon the particulars about God's anointed one in the Apostles’ Creed.
2. And (we believe) in Jesus Messiah, His only Son our lord.
Early on the object of the church’s devotion was seen as human. He was Jesus, a human being like ourselves, but he was also the Christ, "the anointed one of God." And as the anointed one he was the Son of God. This was Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16: "You are the aninted one, the son of the living God." In time they saw him also as lord; a term reserved for the rulers in Rome.
On Pentecost the apostle Peter declared that God had made him both lord and Messiah, and by the time Paul wrote Romans; about 57 A.D.; he could say, which may have been still another creedal hymn, "If you will declare with your mouth that Jesus is lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary.
Hebrew 2:17 clearly says about Jesus: Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Indeed by the power of God's Holy Spirit Jesus was specially created of God, begotten of God and thus for this reason become the son of God even as Adam became the son of God when he also was specially created of God, he of the red earth and Jesus in the womb of his mother Mary. Paul as a result calls him the "second man" [2 Corinthians 15:47]
I believe in what has become a part of the church’s creeds through the centuries, that Jesus was indeed "conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary." I am especially impressed by Dr. Luke’s testimony. It is inconceivable to me that Luke; the careful researcher that he was, which likely included interviews with Mary herself; would have included this story in his "orderly account" had it been but a myth, as is argued.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
This part if the creed places the gospel story in its historical context. God is working in and through history. The Roman governor is an agent in God’s hands. While he was acting freely and on his own responsibility, it was nonetheless according to "the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). The creed properly places the suffering of the Son of God under Roman authority. God’s pivotal act in the story of redemption took place in human history among the kingdoms of men and under their jurisdiction.
Pilate would of course have filed a report for the Roman emperor about what happened, and there is a lot of legend as to what he might have said. Interestingly and oddly,
Was crucified, dead, and buried
These facts were part of the apostolic proclamation (kerugma). This is how Paul spells out the facts of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:4-5: "I delivered to you of first importance of that which I also received; that Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."
These facts: crucifixion (death), burial (hades), resurrection; Peter preached on Pentecost in Acts 2: "Him you have taken and by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death" (Acts 2:23-24). It is "the thing preached" all through Acts.
The fact of burial was especially poignant in that it emphasized that the son of God was indeed dead. It sets the stage for the resurrection. Paul was at last to relate these facts to Jesus being lord: "To this end Messiah died and rose and lived again, that he might be lord both of the dead and the living" (Romans 14:9).
The Jews had four ways of execution (sword, strangling, fire, stoning), but they did not crucify, even though many ancient nations did. The Romans likely borrowed it from the Phoenicians. Ancient writers such as Livy and Cicero described it as most terrible and most shameful of deaths. It was so dreadful and horrible that Rome would not inflict it upon their own citizens.
The gospel writers tell of Jesus’ crucifixion with astonishing brevity; "Now it was the third hour, and they crucified him" (Mark 15:25). There was no need to describe it in detail, for the excruciating horror of it was well known. Conquering generals sometimes crucified thousands at a time. The stake came to stand for shame as well as horror.
It is the irony of history that the one sent by God to bring love, peace, and brotherhood to a troubled world – one who had done no wrong -- should be subjected to the most ignominious death ever devised by man’s ingenious cruelty..
He descended into hell??? - He was buried, period.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
This part if the creed places the gospel story in its historical context. God is working in and through history. The Roman governor is an agent in God’s hands. While he was acting freely and on his own responsibility, it was nonetheless according to "the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). The creed properly places the suffering of the Son of God under Roman authority. God’s pivotal act in the story of redemption took place in human history among the kingdoms of men and under their jurisdiction.
Pilate would of course have filed a report for the Roman emperor about what happened, and there is a lot of legend as to what he might have said. Interestingly and oddly,
Was crucified, dead, and buried
These facts were part of the apostolic proclamation (kerugma). This is how Paul spells out the facts of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:4-5: "I delivered to you of first importance of that which I also received; that Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."
These facts: crucifixion (death), burial (hades), resurrection; Peter preached on Pentecost in Acts 2: "Him you have taken and by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death, whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death" (Acts 2:23-24). It is "the thing preached" all through Acts.
The fact of burial was especially poignant in that it emphasized that the son of God was indeed dead. It sets the stage for the resurrection. Paul was at last to relate these facts to Jesus being lord: "To this end Messiah died and rose and lived again, that he might be lord both of the dead and the living" (Romans 14:9).
The Jews had four ways of execution (sword, strangling, fire, stoning), but they did not crucify, even though many ancient nations did. The Romans likely borrowed it from the Phoenicians. Ancient writers such as Livy and Cicero described it as most terrible and most shameful of deaths. It was so dreadful and horrible that Rome would not inflict it upon their own citizens.
The gospel writers tell of Jesus’ crucifixion with astonishing brevity; "Now it was the third hour, and they crucified him" (Mark 15:25). There was no need to describe it in detail, for the excruciating horror of it was well known. Conquering generals sometimes crucified thousands at a time. The stake came to stand for shame as well as horror.
It is the irony of history that the one sent by God to bring love, peace, and brotherhood to a troubled world – one who had done no wrong -- should be subjected to the most ignominious death ever devised by man’s ingenious cruelty..
He descended into hell??? - He was buried, period.
One thing we are saying in this series on the Apostles’ Creed is that one’s faith may have its problems and still be viable. Honest doubt is better than an unexamined assurance. Truth has nothing to fear from rigorous examination of one’s presumptions. One can believe profoundly; a simple trusting faith; and still deal with difficult questions. She can still believe even when she can’t answer all the questions. Faith is not having all the answers as much as trusting in all the promises. One can glory in the promises even amidst all their mysteries.
Peter was talking about promises of God when he mentioned that "our beloved brother Paul" has written in his epistles "some things hard to be understood." That his fellow apostle was sometimes difficult to understand did not appear to bother Peter. True, he referred to some; "the untaught and the unstable"; who wrested some things that Paul said "to their own destruction." But nonetheless those to whom he was writing could "grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord" in spite of difficulties in understanding.
The mind matters. As one works his way through this Creed it is all right to think and to question. Even to have reservations. That prayer in Mark 9:24: "I believe, help my unbelief"; may sometimes be appropriate as we cope with difficulties in biblical interpretation.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
When we come to this line we are at the heart both of the Creed and of the Christian faith. All else stands or falls on the claim that he who was crucified became the risen lord. If the resurrection of Messiah is indeed a fact it stands as the most significant event in human history. It is the thing "most surely believed among us" that multiplied millions have lived and died for.
And yet at the outset we are confronted with an amazing truth: On the morning of the first day of the week there was not one person on earth who believed that Jesus would rise from the dead.
It is nothing less than amazing; it is indeed a problem; that his own disciples were not expecting it, in spite of the fact that he repeatedly told them it would happen. It cannot be made plainer that this (Jesus has taken his disciples aside and is talking to them): "Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the son of man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the gentiles. who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will rise again" (Mark 10:33-34, New Jerusalem).
This is the third time, according to Mark, that Jesus foretold his passion and resurrection to his disciples, and each time it could not have been clearer: and after three days he will rise again. And yet on the second occasion; after Jesus told his disciples that he would be put to death and rise again; Mark says of them: "But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him" (Mark 9:32).
Did they not understand or did they grasp what Jesus was saying to them? Jesus may give us the answer when he said to them on an earlier occasion, "Do you still not understand, still not realize? Are your minds closed? (Mark 8:18). Even when the women brought word to the disciples on the morning of his resurrection that they had seen the risen lord, it is said of them, "Their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them" (Luke 24:11).
This excessive incredulity on the part of the disciples may be that the idea of the Jewish Messiah, which they now believed Jesus to be, suffering, dying, and rising again was so overwhelmingly incomprehensible to them that their minds were indeed closed.
As unlikely as it may seem, the disciples’ slowness of heart to believe became strong evidence for the resurrection. The very ones who at first did not believe in time came to believe with such conviction that they were willing to suffer and die for their testimony. Those who were at first incredulous could not be accused of seeing visions or fabricating a story. In the end there can be but one reason for their remarkable change – they saw the risen Christ with their own eyes, touched him with their own hands, and even ate with him. They would make convincing witnesses in any court of law.
Professor Greenleaf studied the testimony of the evangelists as to the resurrection of Jesus from the standpoint of a jurist, and concluded that their testimony was unimpeachable and would stand in any court of law. They could not be accused of deceiving or of being deceived. Their reluctance to believe strengthened their testimony.
Another impressive fact about the resurrection morning story is that no one questioned that the tomb was empty. The Roman authorities, the Jewish leaders, and the disciples of Jesus all understood that the body was no longer in the tomb on that Sunday morning; a reality that they all dealt with in different ways. But there were only two possible explanations; either the body had been taken away or it was risen. The claim that the disciples stole the body away goes back to the very beginning, but it is baseless to the point of being ludicrous.
That several Roman soldiers would fall asleep; at the risk of their lives for dereliction of duty; all at the same time, and remain asleep while a huge stone was rolled away and a grave robbed was not just highly improbable, it was impossible. Anyone would be a fool to attempt such nonsense. Besides, the disciples had no motive to contrive a resurrection, neither believing in one nor expecting one.
Too, the facts are clear that the burial cloths were left behind; collapsed in such a way as to reveal a missing body with the wrappings still in place. Hardly the scenario for a purloined body! This scene was so convincing; that resurrection was the only explanation; that it gained the first convert among the disciples. The apostle John tells us (John 20:8) that when he entered the tomb; after running to it along with Peter that morning; and saw the condition of the cloths that "He saw and believed."
But the strongest evidence for the resurrection is that the Sanhedrin; which was really in a bind with the disciples out preaching a risen Jesus of Nazareth whom they had crucified; could not produce the putrefied body of Jesus. They arrested Peter and John for healing a lame man in the name of the risen Jesus. They threatened them and charged them not to preach, only to hear Peter boldly declare, "Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Messiah of Nazareth whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole" (Acts 4:9).
They marveled at Peter’s boldness. They were fearful over what it might all lead to. But they had an easy way out; expose it all as a fraud by producing a dead Jesus. Peter was bold because he knew that this was the one thing they could not do.
He ascended into heaven.
Chances are you have never heard a sermon on the ascension of the Messiah, and yet it has made its way into the creeds of the church all through the centuries. If we rarely speak of it, it may be because the New Testament rarely makes direct reference to it. Only in Acts 1:9-11 do we have a detailed account. There the disciples watch in wonder as "He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight." While they are still gazing into heaven, two angels who are standing by say to them, "Why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner, as you saw Him go into heaven."
What matters is that following his resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven, and Luke makes that clear in both accounts.
The word "ascension" can be misleading if we interpret it as did the ancients with their Ptolemaic view of the universe. To them God and heaven were "up" while Satan and hell were "down." In our modern world we see these spatial terms as symbols. Jesus was not literally "taken up" to "the right hand of God." There is no up or down or across in the universe. That Jesus was "taken up" or "ascended" means that he departed into the presence of God. And that he sits or stands at God’s right hand means that he joins the Father as sovereign over the universe.
While the word ascend itself rarely appears, there are synonyms that are frequently used, such as "exalted to the right hand of God" in Acts 2:33, "taken up" in Acts 1:9, "received up in glory" in 1 Timothy 3:16, and "gone into heaven" in 1 Peter 3:22. During the forty days between the resurrection and the ascension Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples. He would appear for a time, and then disappear. The only difference between these appearances (and disappearances) and the ascension is that the ascension was the last time. This means that Jesus ascended into heaven in the same resurrected (spiritual) body that he had during the forty-day interval, and Philip. 3:20 indicates he now has that same "glorified" body in heaven; and that our bodies will be transformed into the likeness of his glorious body.
That is the meaning of the ascension to us; not only that Jesus becomes the exalted and glorified lord to us, but our forerunner as well. He has gone before us into glory. As he is now we one day shall be. As he was taken up or departed into the presence of God so shall we. Paul said it well, "If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:17).
In appealing to this ancient creed as common ground we are to distinguish between facts as stated and theories (opinions) about those facts. In this series I am doing both; restating the facts of the creed and giving my opinion about them. It is the facts that we look to as our bond of unity, not our theories about those facts.
This is the difference between the core gospel; which is the basis of the Creed; and any teaching that may grow out of that core gospel. We should be able to find agreement on the gospel facts themselves, while allowing for differences on the teaching (theology). It was apparently that way with Paul and Peter. They were united on the gospel itself, but differed on some of its applications.
Even when we are looking at bare facts, such as "sits at the right hand of God the Father," we are to recognize that some "facts" are symbols and not to be taken literally. In John 10:9 Jesus says "I am the door." While that is a fact, we all understand that it is a symbol. This distinction is relevant to the propositions we now consider.
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
This is part of the previous affirmation, "He ascended into heaven." Jesus ascended; or was "taken up"; so as to sit at God’s right hand. In Acts 2:33 these two facts are combined in still different language; "being exalted to the right hand of God." While dying and looking into heaven, Stephen saw the Messiah, not sitting, but standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56).
This symbol has Old Testament precedent. The church has always seen Psalm 110:1 as Messianic: "The Lord says to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool." This picture of Jesus as destined to sit at God’s right hand appears frequently in the New Testament. Jesus himself referred to it in describing himself, as in Matthew 26:64 where he offends the high priest, who accuses him of blasphemy for saying, "Hereafter you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."
It is clear that these descriptions are not to be taken literally or spatially. Their symbolic meaning is reasonably clear. To be at the "right hand" of God or Power indicates honor, dignity, and sovereignty. While Jesus was crucified as a criminal, he now rules the universe. While he was once judged by men, he is now the judge of all the earth. While he was once rejected and dishonored, he is now crowned with glory and honor.
It also suggests joy, as in Psalm 16:11: "In Your presence is fulness of joy, in Your right hand are pleasures for evermore." Hebrews 12:2 says it was "because of the joy set before him" that he endured the stake. Messiah’s joyous exaltation in the presence of God is the basis of our joy. As he was exalted by being "taken up," into God’s glorious presence so shall we.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
Here we have two items of faith; the second coming of Messiah and the judgment; both of which are often treated with imbalance and neglect. In most "mainline" churches, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant, one hears virtually nothing about the second coming of Messiah, while it is all some marginal groups can talk about. A more balanced view would be to recognize the second coming as a significant Christian doctrine; one which has substantial ethical implications (How are we therefore to live?).
While the Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus is coming again, the how and the when is not clear. We have already noted texts that refer to him "coming in clouds of glory," and Acts 1:11 indicates that he will return in the same manner that he departed. Some metaphors seem to clash, such as "every eye will see him" (Revelation 1:7) and "he will come as a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). And 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says it will be with "a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God."
How are we to interpret all this? How much is symbolic and how much is literal? What matters is that it is actual in that it refers to a real, personal coming of our Lord. Even with the symbols it is apparent that his coming will be glorious, triumphant, clearly evident, and unpredictable.
As for the time; or the "season"; no one knows. Jesus said that even he didn’t know, but only God (Mark 13:32). And Paul, who had no little interest in the subject, appears to move from an imminent coming in his earlier writings (1 Thessalonians in particular) to a delayed coming in his later writings. In Romans he seems to have an extended time frame for human history, one that allows not only for the conversion of Gentiles, but through them "all Israel" as well. As he put it: "God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all" (Romans 11:32).
Too, we are to keep in mind that there are numerous "comings" of Messiah. When he said in John 14:18, "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you," he was not referring to the second coming, but to coming in the form of the Holy Spirit. He "came" or "appeared in glory in a vision" at the Transfiguration, which may be what Mark 9:1 refers to: "Some of you standing here will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."
There is the promise that he will always be with his church; always present in our hearts; until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). He comes to each of us; over and over; "Messiah in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
But these "other comings" are not what the Scriptures refer to when they say, "Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:28), and "We eagerly wait from heaven a Savior, the lord Jesus Messiah" (Philip 3:20). In the next verse the apostle makes it clear that on this occasion; when the Savior comes from heaven; our bodies will be transformed into the likeness of his (present) glorious body. This can only be the second coming.
As the Creed has it the (final) judgment comes at the second coming, as it does in Scripture: "When the son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory" (Matthew 25:31), and all nations will be gathered before him to face judgment. This seems to include everyone; some sheep, some goats; as does Hebrews 9:27: "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." Also 2 Corinthians 5:10: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad."
And yet there are assurances that the believer will not face judgment, for he "shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24). And Romans 8:1 assures the believer that "There is no condemnation (judgment) to those who are in Messiah Jesus." John 3:18 seems to say that there is no reason for a believer to be judged since he is a believer.
This difficulty of judgment/no judgment may be resolved by concluding that the believer’s judgment will test his works, and not determine his destiny, for his destiny is already determined. This may be what Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 3:13: "Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it; because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is." He goes on to talk about works determining rewards, and then says in verse 15: "If anyone’s work is burned, he suffers loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
Whatever Paul said about judgment, he did not see it as determining his eternal destiny. He was confident that when he was "absent from the body" he would be "present with the lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). With equal assurance he referred to his desire "to depart and be with Messiah" (Philip 1:23). He did not see a judgment scene or awaiting a resurrection standing between him and heaven. Only death, with the following resurrection was his door to glory.
The Creed refrains from theorizing or theologizing. It doesn’t use the term Trinity. It simply states facts; what God has said or done. My thesis is that herein is our common ground; the basic truths of the Christian faith.
In my comments I am enlarging upon what the Creed actually says, in view of better understanding our faith and to confront problems that arise. But my theology of the Creed is only suggestive, and is only my opinion or interpretation. It is the core gospel upon which we unite. We allow for differences in opinions. This distinction gave rise to a meaningful slogan in our Stone-Campbell heritage: "In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, love." In view of what we say in this essay, it could read: "In things catholic, unity; in particulars, liberty; in all things, love."
In this installment we move on to the third part of the Trinity, and then begin to look at the attending propositions.
We believe in the Holy Spirit
It might better read, "We believe in the Holy Spirit," as nearly all modern translations of the Bible recognize. But when we ask just what the ancient church meant by this, the answer is challenging. The Holy Spirit has had a vast and sundry ministry throughout the history of redemption, in the Old and New Testament alike.
But these "other comings" are not what the Scriptures refer to when they say, "Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:28), and "We eagerly wait from heaven a Savior, the lord Jesus Messiah" (Philip 3:20). In the next verse the apostle makes it clear that on this occasion; when the Savior comes from heaven; our bodies will be transformed into the likeness of his (present) glorious body. This can only be the second coming.
As the Creed has it the (final) judgment comes at the second coming, as it does in Scripture: "When the son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory" (Matthew 25:31), and all nations will be gathered before him to face judgment. This seems to include everyone; some sheep, some goats; as does Hebrews 9:27: "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." Also 2 Corinthians 5:10: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad."
And yet there are assurances that the believer will not face judgment, for he "shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24). And Romans 8:1 assures the believer that "There is no condemnation (judgment) to those who are in Messiah Jesus." John 3:18 seems to say that there is no reason for a believer to be judged since he is a believer.
This difficulty of judgment/no judgment may be resolved by concluding that the believer’s judgment will test his works, and not determine his destiny, for his destiny is already determined. This may be what Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians 3:13: "Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it; because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is." He goes on to talk about works determining rewards, and then says in verse 15: "If anyone’s work is burned, he suffers loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
Whatever Paul said about judgment, he did not see it as determining his eternal destiny. He was confident that when he was "absent from the body" he would be "present with the lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). With equal assurance he referred to his desire "to depart and be with Messiah" (Philip 1:23). He did not see a judgment scene or awaiting a resurrection standing between him and heaven. Only death, with the following resurrection was his door to glory.
The Creed refrains from theorizing or theologizing. It doesn’t use the term Trinity. It simply states facts; what God has said or done. My thesis is that herein is our common ground; the basic truths of the Christian faith.
In my comments I am enlarging upon what the Creed actually says, in view of better understanding our faith and to confront problems that arise. But my theology of the Creed is only suggestive, and is only my opinion or interpretation. It is the core gospel upon which we unite. We allow for differences in opinions. This distinction gave rise to a meaningful slogan in our Stone-Campbell heritage: "In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; in all things, love." In view of what we say in this essay, it could read: "In things catholic, unity; in particulars, liberty; in all things, love."
In this installment we move on to the third part of the Trinity, and then begin to look at the attending propositions.
We believe in the Holy Spirit
It might better read, "We believe in the Holy Spirit," as nearly all modern translations of the Bible recognize. But when we ask just what the ancient church meant by this, the answer is challenging. The Holy Spirit has had a vast and sundry ministry throughout the history of redemption, in the Old and New Testament alike.
Some are very vocal about the "leading" of the Spirit and the "baptism" of the Spirit, while others are suspicious of such emphasis. Some converse with the Spirit directly, while others listen to the Spirit only through Scripture.
But they all have common ground. They all believe in the Holy Spirit, and this is what the ancient church and scripture bequeaths to us. We can differ, and do so graciously, on the particulars. The quiet Quaker and the excited charismatic can be one in Messiah as well as if both were quiet or both were excited. According to l Corinthians 12:11 the Spirit allows for such diversity in the body of Messiah.
There is one thing in particular that the church has always believed about the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is the Comforter that came to be with the church, and to guide, teach and comfort the church once Jesus ascended into heaven. It was the clear promise of Jesus: "I will not leave you as orphans, but I will come to you" (John 14:18). He was speaking of the Spirit, as when he said in verse 16, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever."
There are two Greek words for another, one meaning another of the same kind, and the other refers to another of a different kind. John has Jesus using the another of the same kind. – "another Helper" just like Jesus! This means that Jesus continues to be with his church in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Another general agreement is that the Spirit’s mission is to conform the believer more and more into the image of Messiah, as in 2 Corinthians 3:18: "We all with unveiled face behold as in a mirror the glory of the lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the lord." It is a thrilling promise. If the apostles were missionaries to the world to make disciples for Jesus, the Spirit of Messiah is a missionary to the church to transform those disciples into the likeness of Messiah.
This is the context for the fruit of the Spirit; love , joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). They spell Christlikeness. This is the ultimate purpose of God, both in spirit and in body. As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:49: "As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven."
To be like Christ; now and forever; that is God’s purpose for us. And we are enabled to be so by the power of His Spirit.
The Holy Catholic Church
We would suppose the Apostles’ Creed would have included all four of the church’s essential marks; as the Nicene Creed had done before it; rather than just two: We believe in one, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The called-out Assembly has always believed that it must have all four of these marks to be the true Church of God.
Inasmuch as Christ cannot be divided, his body the called-out Assembly cannot be divided. It is by its very nature one, and it cannot be other than one. Our own Thomas Campbell in his Declaration and Address, which is arguably the founding document of the Stone-Campbell Movement, captured this truth in a stunning and captivating sentence: "The Church of God upon earth is essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one." The one body of Messiah may have parties, sects, and factions imposed upon it, but the called-out Assembly remains one even as Messiah is one.
The called-out Assembly's unity may not be realized, but it is nonetheless real. This means that all of us; in however many sects; who are "in Messiah" are one in Messiah. Not because of the sects, but in spite of them. There is but one called-out Assembly, and all of us who are "the elect," are in that one called-out Assembly.
In the meantime, one might be in a denomination; and faithfully serve God; and yet not approve of denominationalism. What matters is that one realizes the true nature of the called-out Assembly, and works and prays for the realization of its four essential marks of identity.
Just as the called-out Assembly is essentially one it is also essentially holy, even when it is not sinless. One who is yet far from perfect can still be holy. If not, then there would be no saints, which is what holiness means. Paul described the called-out Assembly at Corinth as "called to be saints" and as "sanctified - set apart in Messiah Jesus." He even said to them, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you" (1 Corinthians 3:16).
And yet that ecclesia, called-out Assembly had its failures, moral as well as doctrinal. It was holy, and its members were saints, not because it was without sin, but because of its relationship to Messiah; not because it was perfect, but because the Spirit of Messiah dwelt in it.
The called-out Assembly is holy in that it is called out of the world to follow and obey Messiah. Despite its failures it is a community of saints that has a heart for God and a passion for Christlikeness.
That the called-out Assembly is catholic means that it cannot be parochial or sectarian. It is not provincial or racial. The catholic called-out Assembly is universal, not only in outreach but in its acceptance; receiving others on the same basis that Messiah received it. It is not only color blind, but it has removed all social and economic barriers. Some in the Corinthian church had been covetous, drunkards, revilers, idolaters, homosexuals, and thieves, but they were washed and sanctified by the Spirit of God the same as the others (1 Corinthians 6:10-11).
The called-out Assembly is apostolic in that it has a long history, tracing itself back to Messiah and the apostles. Its basic doctrine; its core gospel is rooted in the teaching and preaching of the apostles. The called-out Assembly is apostolic when it is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Messiah himself being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians. 2:20).
When the called-out Assembly is apostolic it doesn’t need gimmickry or "show place" edifices. Nor will it think in terms of what the people want as much as what they need. It has an ancient gospel to preach, that which was proclaimed by the apostles.
In this last installment of this series we look at the last four affirmations of the Creed. Each of these items of faith are subject to great diversity of interpretation, which we might call theology. As we have repeatedly emphasized, our common ground in the Creed is not as much in the theology as in the facts themselves.
We can all agree; and find unity; in the fact of the resurrection of the body, while allowing for differences of opinion as to how that is to be understood. It is one thing to agree together with Paul that, "The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption," and another thing to agree on precisely what he meant by that.
We unite on the first; we allow liberty of opinion on the second. This is the only way unity is possible: We unite upon what the scriptures clearly say; we allow for differences over what we think it means by what it says.
The Communion of Saints
Communion means fellowship. We enter into fellowship; the sharing of life in Messiah with all other believers; when we become believers. Our faith is personal but it is not private. As part of the body of Messiah we are "members one of another" in a social relationship. None of us is to be unto himself. We belong to each other, with each one resolved to "esteem others better than himself" (Philippians 2:3).
The word saints - holy ones is to be understood in the New Testament sense. It does not refer only to those who have been canonized as saints, or who have "saint" before their names as a prefix, but to all believers. This affirmation is not saying we are in communion only with those "saints" who are renowned for their piety and holiness.
Communion of the saints - holy ones is sharing joys and sorrows, and being there for each other in time of need. It is being family, brothers and sisters together. We are to understand from Hebrews 12:22-23 that this fellowship brings us to "the city of the living God, the New Jerusalem" where we are in communion not only with "innumerable angels" but also to "the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven."
While we are not yet where they are, we are nonetheless even now with them in the cosmic reach of the communion of saints. As Charles Wesley put it:
One church, above, beneath;
Though now divided by the narrow stream,
The narrow stream of death. The Forgiveness of Sins
It is only when we see the seriousness of sin in all its degradation that we can appreciate the awesome grace of God in the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness; God forgiving us and we forgiving others; is at the heart of the Christian faith. Take away forgiveness and you take away Christianity.
When we have a problem forgiving others, it may be because we ourselves do not enjoy the forgiveness of God. And this may be because we have not really repented of our sins; or do not even take our own sins seriously. We are inclined to think of sin as murder, rape, theft, adultery, drunkenness; things that decent folk like us do not do. And so we do not really commit serious sins, and consequently have little understanding of repentance. Church folk may have a problem seeing the weightier sins; pride, greed, selfishness, lust, insincerity, insensitivity. When we repent of these, we can meaningfully join the church in saying, "We believe in the remission of sins."
When we see that we are sinners saved by grace this should go far in bringing us closer together in Messiah. When Messiah is not only Savior of the world, but our Savior as well, what differences we have may seem less important.
The Resurrection of the Body
Are we to understand this as one minister who said, when dedicating a new cemetery, "What an appropriate place this is for resurrection day when the graves will open, and the bodies will rise in the midst of all this beauty!"?
"The hour is coming when those who are in their graves shall come forth; those who have done good, to a resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to a resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29). Then there is "It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:44).
It may be observed that our resurrection is to be as real and literal as was our lord’s, as Paul seems to say in 1 Corinthians 15:20: "But now Messiah is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." And in Romans 6:5 he says that our resurrection will be "in the likeness of his resurrection." Jesus’ resurrection was certainly real.
Paul makes it clear that we are to have bodies like the body Messiah now has in heaven: "Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Messiah, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21). If the apostle here has in mind those believers who will still be living on earth when Messiah comes, it would apply to the elect of ages past as well. They are "raised" in that they receive "a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heavens," as the apostle puts in in 2 Corinthians 5:1.
That passage infers that we will have our heavenly bodies when we leave our "earthly house" Paul does not see the saints as ever being without a body, "lest we be found naked" (2 Corinthians 5:3).
And the life everlasting.
The promise of all promises; age upon age lasting life.
Is this not what Jesus says in John 3:36: "He who believes in the son has age upon age lasting life," and in John 5:24: "Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me has age upon age lasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life." "Death" is to live for self and for pleasure, and for this world, while "Life" is to live for God and for others and for a redeemed world.
This means that we are not innately immortal. The doctrine of the immortality of the soul was born of Greek philosophy, and not the Bible. The Bible teaches; as in the above verses; that immortality is the gift of God. Paul says it plainly in Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is age upon age lasting life in Messiah Jesus our lord."Eternal life is a life of joy, peace, and love. It is the "abundant life" that Messiah came to give us. It is to "walk by the Spirit" and to set our minds on heavenly things. It is the victorious life in Messiah. While it begins when we are but babes in Messiah, it grows in grace and wonder forever.
If there is anyone who can sincerely profess this Creed with you; the basic truths of the Christian faith; then you share common ground with that person. You may disagree on some of the details on what the Creed may be saying, but you can agree on the facts stated, on what God has said and done through Messiah. It is a starting point for a Christian walk together.
Written by Leroy Garrett and edited by Bruce Lyon
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