For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
- Nicene Creed
Today’s excerpt from the Nicene Creed focuses on the purpose and passion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Last week, we learned the backstory to Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus is co-eternal and co-substantial with the Father, God of very God, begotten not made. To summarize, Jesus is God.
This section is about our salvation that has been purchased by the God-man on our behalf. Salvation meaning the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation to the Father by the finished work of Christ.
This salvation was accomplished through the divine work of the Holy Trinity. The Father sent the son to be the savior of the world (1 John 4:14). The power of the Holy Spirit incarnated the Son of God within the womb of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:35). The Son of God joyfully (Heb. 12:2) obeyed the Father in leaving heaven to redeem mankind (Phil. 2:5-11). This all happened according to Scripture demonstrating fulfilled prophecy (1 Cor. 15:3).
This salvation was accomplished within human history. Mary, a young virgin girl, was faithful and obedient to the will of God (Luke 1:38) who lived during the time of Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1). The crucifixion of Jesus happened during the reign of Pontius Pilot (Matt. 27:2). Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection happened according to Scripture (1 Cor. 15:4). These points are relevant in demonstrating that Jesus is a real historical person who lived in a specific place, during a specific time, and accomplished these specific things.
This salvation began the eschatological mission, or the redemptive story of God. Eschatology is the not just the study of future things, but the study of God’s work throughout history. The incarnation of the Son of God was a huge event in the human timeline, which is why our modern calendars are centered on the life of Christ using “BC” and “AD” as descriptors. “AD” has been used to mean “After Death,” but really stands for “Anno Domini,” which is short for “anno Domini nostril Jesu Christi” which is Latin meaning “in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So, “AD” refers to “in the year of our Lord.” “BC,” before Christ, is from the Latin “ante Christum natum/ante Christum” which literally means “before the birth of Christ.” This calendar, established in 525 by Dionysus Exiguus continues to be used today, although there is an attempt to eliminate the use of Christ from the dates by using “CE,” common era, and “BCE,” before common era. The question is, what event separates CE and BCE? Yep, the birth of Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus is what sets him apart from all other religious influencers. His resurrection demonstrated that he was who he claimed to be, the Son of God, God of very God. His ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9) resulted in the coming of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7) and began his mediatorial work on our behalf (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 4:14-16). One day he will return to put an end to sin and usher in everlasting joy (Rev. 21).
These few lines of the Nicen Creed pack in so much truth about who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and what Jesus will do. The question before us is, do you believe it? Do you believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ to overcome sin and provide salvation to those who believe?
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