The Word and The World

Who was conceived…

“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 …”

To just say that Jesus is the Son of God, only begins to tell what we believe about him Christians acknowledge that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. In other words, he was not the product of a normal sexual relationship.

We understand this to mean that Mary, his mother, was a virgin when Christ was born. Until the last century, few could acknowledge the possibility of a virgin giving birth. This was a stumbling block for many in their belief in Jesus, Scientific developments in terms of ‘test tube babies’ and the artificial insemination of animals have caused many people to change their opinion about this.

Yet that is how Scripture describes Christ’s birth. It states that Mary was a virgin and that her husband did not have relations with her until after Jesus was born. In fact, Mary’s pregnancy was a cause for potential shame on her, Joseph, and their families. Matthew’s Gospel gives a clue how Joseph felt about this:

“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.“

- Matt 1:18-25 (NRSV)

But the discussion of Jesus’ birth is only a part of the story. It is only the beginning of the greatest story ever told, the redemption of humanity and our reconciliation to God through our belief in Jesus Christ, his Son, our Lord.

We acknowledge the complete humanity of Jesus. He was born, lived, suffered and died in a horrible, cruel death and was buried in a tomb as we shall be. These are human events and they happened to Jesus as they will happen to each of us. But if this was all we believed about Jesus, he would be just another prophet, a man of God, but not God incarnate, “Emmanuel” – “God with us.” Those truths are proclaimed in the rule of faith as well as we shall discover in the next section of this study.

Loving God, grant us continued faith to believe all that you have revealed of you love for us in Jesus Christ. Help us to recall his complete humanity, for he was one of us. But help us too as we wrestle with his complete Divinity, for he is God. Amen.

Podcast Coming Soon!!!

And in Jesus Christ

“And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord…”

There is such power in our words when we truly comprehend their meaning. This short phrase professes our faith in the second person of the Trinity and it says a great deal about Jesus.

To begin with we call Jesus “Christ.” Contrary to popular belief, “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name. Instead it is a Greek word meaning “Messiah” or “God’s anointed one.” So then by professing faith in Jesus Christ, we acknowledge that he is more than the child of Mary and Joseph the carpenter. He is in fact our Savior and Redeemer.

This is powerful stuff. In some times and places, this proclamation was tantamount to a death sentence because it meant we found our only hope for salvation in someone other than the king.

But we proclaim more than our loyalty to Jesus. We acknowledge his choice by God and his relationship to God as the second person of the Trinity, God the Son. Only Christianity proclaims and accepts the Trinity. Most other faiths view the Trinitarian doctrine as a source of ridicule and polytheism (worship of many gods). But that is not what we proclaim.

When we say that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we proclaim that God is one being, who chose to make a self-revelation in three distinct persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We proclaim, to use the term from the Nicene Creed that the persons of the Trinity are of ‘one substance.’ This means they are the same person in essence but we experience God in three different ways.

At this point, I must admit that trying to adequately explain the doctrine of the Trinity is impossible. Theologians have tried to do so for centuries and every explanation falls short. But this too says something about God. God is more than we can comprehend and therefore some of our understanding remains a mystery of faith, something we accept and believe, but can not adequately prove or explain.

I have found several illustrations that seem to help in discussing the Trinity. First; the Trinity describes God’s relationship within the godhead to God’s self. It helps if we consider how we are viewed as individuals in our familial relationships. For example: I am my parent’s son, my children’s father, and my siblings’ brother. Three persons found in one individual. There are more relationships that describe me than this, but you should get the idea.

A second example is the egg. An egg can be described as having three distinct parts: the shell, the yolk, and the white. Each part is visibly different, yet each is also egg. The three persons of the Trinity are similar, each is different, yet always God.

Another example that comes to mind involves the substance we know as water (H₂O). It exists in three distinct states as solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (steam). Yet it always remains H₂O. God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; three persons but always God.

So then, when we say: “(I believe) in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord…” we profess a belief in Jesus as God’s anointed, the second person of the Trinity, equal and co-eternal with God. We acknowledge Jesus as being God just as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are God. Further, we pledge allegiance to Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. And we proclaim Jesus as God’s self-revelation to us.

The Rule of Faith, the Apostle’s Creed says this and so much more. I give thanks for the words of those who wrote it down for us and our understanding of it today.

Gracious Lord, we give thanks for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us as we continue to study this document to come to appreciate all the truths we express each time it is recited. This we ask in the name of Christ. Amen.

Podcast coming soon!!!

I Believe in God…

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth…”

Sometimes it is difficult for us to realize the power and the meaning our words convey. A prime example is the first several words at the beginning of the Apostle’s Creed. So, it is fitting that we begin our study of the rule of faith with these words at its beginning.

To say we believe is very special. It implies that we have complete faith and trust in the object of our belief. That faith and trust is acceptance of the truth that is found in the object of our belief. In this creed, we identify the object of belief in the first sentence. We believe in God, not just a god, but God almighty who created the heavens and the earth.

We acknowledge as true and absolutely correct God’s work in creating the heavens and the earth. This does not mean an acceptance of creation from nothingness, although many Christians do believe this. Instead, what the creed acknowledges is that however, the world came in to being; evolution, big bang, or creationism, God was the ultimate instigator of creation, responsible for all that is, was, and will ever be.

This is the same God who identified himself to Moses as: “I AM.” This is the same God who led the people of Israel out of Egypt and promised Abraham descendants ‘more numerous than all the stars in the heavens.’

When we identify God as “Father,” this identification has very little to do with gender and more to do with Creation. With this statement we join ourselves to every Jew, Christian, and Muslim on the face of the planet. For we all believe in one God, who is above all other gods. This central belief is a part of what makes this creed an ecumenical creed.

Only Christianity accepts the doctrine of the Trinity. With this sentence we acknowledge both the oneness of God and the belief that God has been revealed to us in the person of the Almighty Father, Creator of all. This is the God that Moses, Jacob, Abraham and all of Israel were so familiar with. This is God who led the people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. And this is God whom Jesus called: “Abba.” This is the object of our belief and the first subject of the Rule of Faith, the Apostle’s Creed.

Almighty God, Creator of all that is, was, and will be, we come to you, believing in your love, your work and your wisdom. Help us this day to solidify our beliefs and our trust in you. This we ask in the name of Christ. Amen.

Podcast will be available soon!!!