The Apostles' Creed: 12-Day Plan Sample

Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried

Pontius Pilate was the governor of Judea from A.D. 26 to 36. This mention of Pilate in the Apostles’ Creed—Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried”—may seem odd, but it highlights Christ’s suffering as a historical event. The eternal Son entered our world, and a human court convicted Him of crimes He didn’t commit. This event really happened. Jesus, fully human, experienced real suffering at a specific point in history.

The crucifixion was the ultimate display of human animosity toward God’s authority in our lives. Our sinful hearts rejected Christ, in spite of all His displays of love, because we hated His claim of lordship. If He’s the rightful King over our lives, we must confess and repent of our rebellion, surrendering our lives in submission to His rule. But instead, we demanded that Jesus be executed.

God wasn’t surprised by the world’s hatred and rejection of Jesus. And Jesus didn’t suffer and die in a way that was out of His control. Before the crucifixion He told His disciples: No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again (John 10:18). 

Jesus’ apparent defeat was a actually a divine victory, and He triumphed over those who were trying to conquer Him. His willingness to suffer and die was the ultimate act of love for all people who put their faith in Him. The Father gave His Son to suffer our punishment for our sins. From His love for all humanity, Jesus, who never committed sin, became sin for us (see 2 Cor. 5:21). The resurrection demonstrated that the Father accepted Jesus’ payment for our sin, and it also demonstrated Jesus’ authority over life and death. Therefore, God accepts us as forgiven and justified in His sight. 

Jesus’ death and resurrection changed everything. We can now have a right relationship with God again. Our disobedience, our sin, and our rebellion as His enemies are all forgiven. No amount of right or wrong morality, good or bad religious behavior could ever make us right before God. So as He did in the garden after that first sin, God stepped in, sought us, and called us to receive the sacrifice He provided. But the sacrifice of Jesus is infinitely greater than any other offering.