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Belief about Jesus Christ

The second part of the Apostles' Creed states: "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 on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

This section is the belief about Jesus Christ and what He has done to save mankind.

And in Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus is the second person in the Trinity. "Jesus” is His name, transliterated from the Greek word Iesous. This word in Hebrew is Yehowshuwa, which was transliterated as Joshua. All these names carry the meaning "the salvation of Jehovah.” The name of the Lord Jesus indicates that He is the "Savior” (Matthew 1:21).

The term "Christ” was transliterated from the Greek word christos. This word was translated from the Hebrew word mashiyach, which means "the anointed one” (anointing is a ceremony to give the authority to someone who is about to assume an important office and to confirm the divine appointment). To the Jews, the name "Christ” points to the Savior from heaven.

By stating, "I believe in Jesus Christ,” we affirm two things: (1) Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and (2) He came from heaven.

His only Son

"His only Son” means the unique Son of God; there is no one else like Him. In Hebrew language, the expression "Son of God” means originating from God and being God Himself; in another way, Jesus is God in a human body.

By stating, "I believe in Jesus Christ God's only Son,” we affirm that the Lord Jesus came from heaven, and that He taught and did everything by the power of God and according to the will of God. We can also understand the above declaration as: I believe God came to mankind in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, to teach and show forth His love for mankind. God came to mankind only through Christ and no one else.

Our Lord

"Lord” means the One who is the Owner. When we call Jesus Christ Lord, we acknowledge that He has absolute authority over our lives. In other words, He has the right to rule and direct all the activities in our lives. He is the Master; we are but His servants.

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary

After describing Jesus as the only Son of God, the Apostles' Creed states that He is also a real person. Although He is not a man who was conceived by the union of a man and a woman, but He was "conceived by the Holy Ghost,” meaning He was put into the womb of Mary by the miracle and power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). Therefore, though He was born like all men, Jesus Christ did not have the sinful nature and did not sin.

By stating, "I believe Jesus Christ...was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,” we believe in the holy, sinless nature of Jesus Christ, and in the supernatural miracle of His birth. The miracle proves that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, a perfect man.

Suffered under Pontius Pilate

This statement is about the trial of Jesus and the suffering that He endured when He appeared before Pilate, the Roman governor, who ruled Palestine at that time. According to the Gospels, when He was delivered to the court of Pilate, Jesus was beaten with leather whip, stricken in the face, forced to wear a crown of thorns and mocked as a fake king. Though Pilate did not find any fault with Jesus, in the end, under the pressure from the Jews, he gave him a death sentence and delivered him into the hands of the Jews to be crucified (John 19:1-3, 16-18).

When we recite this statement, we show forth our belief that the Lord Jesus, Son of God, came to be a man and to suffer for the salvation of mankind. We believe Him to be a historical figure, who lived in the time when the Jews were dominated by the Romans and who were crucified by a Roman governor named Pilate.

Was crucified

Under the Roman rule, the criminals were executed by crucifixion on a wooden cross. Two large woods were joined together in the shape of a cross, the criminal's hands and feet were fasten to it by nails, and the cross was raised up so the criminal was hung in mid-air. It is a cruel punishment, for the victim suffers with each breath, in many long hours, sometime lasting several days until death. The Lord Jesus was sinless, but because of the sin of mankind, He endured the painful and shameful death of a sinner (John 19:17-24).

When stating, "I believe Jesus Christ ... was crucified,” we want to say: I believe the Lord Jesus Christ accepted the most painful and shameful death, because of my sins, that I may be forgiven and live.

Dead, and buried

After being crucified, Jesus died. He was really dead. He did not just pass out and then later revived as alleged by some people. The Scriptures recorded that the soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus, but they did not break His legs because they saw that He was dead when they came close to Him (John 19:33). Moreover, Jesus not only died but He was buried in a tomb like any person. At that time, the Jews buried their dead in caves. Jesus was also buried in a cave, but it was a new cave, there was no one else buried in it before Him. When the body of Jesus was placed in the tomb, a heavy, large stone was rolled to block its entrance (Mark 15:46) and a group of soldiers was assigned the duty of guarding the tomb from the thieves (Matthews 27:66).

When stating, "I believe Jesus Christ ... who was crucified, dead, and buried,” we express our belief that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, actually did die for the sin of mankind, including me.

He descended into hell

Hell is a name of the place for the dead. The statement, "He descended into hell,” means He really died and went to the place reserved for the dead. Yet, the Scripture recorded that Jesus went to hell not to be punished but to proclaim to everyone that He was victorious over sin (I Peter 3:18-19).

When stating, "He descended into hell,” we acknowledge once again that the Lord Jesus Christ did die to redeem mankind.

The third day He rose again from the dead

The Scriptures recorded that the Lord Jesus died on Friday (Mark 15:42), but He was risen on the following Sunday (Matthew 28:1); fulfilling His prediction that He would die, and on the third day He would come back to life (Luke 24:1-8).

When we declare this statement, we express our faith in the fact of Jesus' resurrection. The Lord gave His life for the sin of mankind, but He resurrected in glory, even though there was a large stone blocking the entrance of the tomb, which was guarded closely by a group of soldier.

The resurrection of Jesus proves that:

- He is the Son of God.

- His teaching is the truth.

- The Father accepted his sacrifice; thus, whoever trusts in Him will be forgiven and saved.

- He was resurrected, therefore those who trust in Him will be resurrected and have eternal life.

He ascended into heaven

After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus stayed forty more days on earth so that His disciples and everyone saw that He was truly alive from the dead. During this time, He taught His disciples many important things about the future and gave them His last instructions. Then He ascended into heaven before the eyes of His disciples and others (Acts 1:3,9-11). According to the Scriptures, we believe the following things about the resurrection of the Lord:

- The Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, before the eyes of many people. One day He will come back to earth in like manner (Acts 1:9-11).

- The Lord Jesus went back to heaven so that the Holy Spirit can come to comfort us and guide us into truths (John 16:7-13).

Sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty

Presently the Lord Jesus is in heaven, sitting on the right hand of the Father. The expression "sit on the right hand” describes His important position in heaven. When we declare this statement, we express our faith that although He is in heaven, the Lord Jesus is very close to us because He is:

- Reigning with the Father over the whole universe (Ephesians 1:17-21).

- Ruling over and protecting the Church (Ephesians 1:22-23).

- Praying for us who believe in Him (I John 2:1; Romans 8:34).

By stating that the Lord Jesus "sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty,” we believe whole-heartedly that He rules over the universe and control everything that happens on earth. He sees everything that happens in my life and He is praying for me to have victory over sin and to stand firm in faith.

From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead

"From thence” means from the right hand of God or from His ascension to heaven. After His ascending and sitting on the right hand of God, the Lord Jesus will come back to earth in glory and will be seen by all people (Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7). The Lord Jesus will surely come back because He promises: "I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).

The Lord Jesus will come back to judge the living and the dead. On the last day, all dead people will be resurrected. The unbelievers must appear before God's throne to receive their penalty, because their names are not written in the book of life (Revelation 20:11-15). The believers will come to meet God, to report their works, and to receive their rewards (Revelation 22:12).

When we declare this statement, we express our faith in the righteousness of God. When we put our trust in God, we are forgiven and saved from the penalty of hell. However, we must live wholeheartedly for God, so that when He comes again, we will receive reward from Him.

In summary, the second part of the Apostles' Creed expresses our belief in Jesus Christ. We can summarize that belief as following:

I believe the Lord Jesus is the Son of God. By the miracle of the Holy Spirit, He came to earth in a human body. He died because of my sins but He resurrected to give me eternal life. One day, He will come back from heaven to judge the world and to rule as King forever.

Lesson 4

Study Questions

1. By stating, "I believe in Jesus Christ,” we affirm two things:

a) ____________________________________

b) ____________________________________

c) ____________________________________

2. When we call Jesus Christ Lord, we acknowledge that He has ______________ __________________ over our lives.

3. Though He was born like all men, but Jesus Christ did not have the ______________ nature and did not ___________________.

4. The resurrection of Jesus proves that:

a) ____________________________________

b) ____________________________________

c) ____________________________________

d) ____________________________________

e) ____________________________________

5. One day, He will come back from heaven to _____________ the world and to _______________________ forever.