We Believe: Who Is Jesus Christ?Sýnishorn

JESUS CHRIST, the SON, our LORD

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth;

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I 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. Amen.

In part one of this series, We Believe: God the Father, we learned that the Apostles’ creed dates to the early church. When someone committed their life to Jesus, they made this confession of faith before their baptism. Fitting, then, that we consider Jesus’ own baptism as we move into the second part of the creed.

When Jesus was baptized, this marked the beginning of His ministry on earth. And at the moment He came out of the water, God made His presence known as Father, Son, and Spirit. The voice of the Father, the one who spoke to Moses from a burning bush, the one who gave Moses the commandments. The Holy Spirit as a dove, coming down and resting on Jesus. And the Son of God, the Word made flesh; Emmanuel, God with us. It is foundational to the Christian faith and doctrine that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. Just as heresies exist today that deny the deity of Christ, so too did heresies exist from the earliest days of the church, claiming that Jesus lacked either humanity or divinity. But our faith in a Savior who died and was resurrected rests on the foundational truth that He was fully man and fully God. And here at His baptism, God the Father and the Holy Spirit confirm the God-man and his mission.

Ask Yourself:

-The State of Theology Research 2022 (LifeWay) revealed that confessing evangelical Christians are not all that sure about their beliefs. The findings for the following false statements are telling,

Statement #5-Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God: 73% agree

Statement #7-Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God: 43% agree

-Are you sure those statements are false? What evidence from Scripture can you point to?

-What does Colossians 1:15-20 teach you about Jesus? (Note: many scholars believe this to be an early Christian hymn or creed).

Pause to Pray: Like the father in Mark 9 who cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” I long for my faith and my belief to grow. I believe that You are Jesus Christ, the Son of God, my Lord and my Savior. Where there is unbelief or doubt, open my eyes to see you, open my mind to learn, open my heart to know, open my ears to hear… Amen.

Weekly Challenge: Our belief isn’t meant to be kept to ourselves. We are called to spread the good news of the gospel to everyone we know. That’s a task that is often easier said than done! Part of the reason that it’s so important for us to know the truth on which we stand is so that we can share it with others. Pause to ask God to show you the people in your life who need to hear His words of love and hope, and salvation. Begin to pray for guidance on how to share your faith and for opportunities to do so.