The middle section of the Apostle’s Creed is dedicated to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In a previous post, we considered the uniqueness of Jesus. That there is no one like him. He isn’t one among many, he doesn’t exist on a spectrum of human/divine beings. He is the only One.
And this time, we continue confessing this belief about Jesus:
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.
What this means is that we confess that Jesus Christ isn’t some vague, spiritual being. He isn’t a “consciousness”. He isn’t a way of life or some access to secret knowledge.
Jesus Christ lived in real history. His life and ministry were in a particular place and time. He had a truly human mother. His crucifixion was at the command of Pontius Pilate, a real figure from history who is attested to outside of the gospel accounts.
We also confess that Jesus truly was crucified, dead, and buried. He did not appear to have died, he truly died. He was not swapped with someone else, it really was our Saviour there on that cross.
As far as the final line of this particular section, there is much debate. It seems that the true meaning is a result of confusion between two phrases in Latin. It would be better translated as “He descended to the dead.” This article is helpful regarding this.
In any case we can confidently confess that Jesus Christ possesses true flesh and bone. He lived and died in history, and by doing so, accomplished the salvation of untold multitudes.
Notices
Tomorrow (2 June, 7:30pm) is our AGM. As mentioned previously, this is an opportunity to get an update on the church’s finances as well as our plans for continuing to do gospel ministry here in Greenock.
If you’re a member of Ardgowan Square, please make every effort to attend, as we require at least 50% of the membership to be in attendance in order to hold the meeting.