Greetings!
The Apostles' Creed, an ancient baptismal formula that many congregations still recite to affirm the Christian faith, teaches the doctrines of the incarnation and of the Trinity.
That is to say, it teaches both that Jesus Christ is truly and fully human and truly and fully divine and also that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Remember the old saw, "Nothing is certain but death and taxes"? The Apostles' Creed, in the middle of the second paragraph, says not once but five times that Jesus Christ died:
I believe . . . in Jesus Christ . . . who . . .
(1) suffered under Pontius Pilate [was executed],
(2) was crucified,
(3) dead, and
(4) buried;
(5) He descended into hell [the place of the dead].
Why five times? To be sure that we get the point that Jesus Christ truly died! He did not escape. He did not pretend. He did not deceive. He did not fly away. He did not swoon and later revive. He died.
And at least part of what the reality of his death establishes is the truth and reality of his humanity.
The Apostles' Creed was written at a time when some people believed that Jesus was divine but only appeared to be human. In response to that, the church affirmed the truth and reality of his humanity. Jesus Christ truly became one of us and lived with, for, and among us as one of us. Thanks be to God!
If and when we are tempted yet today to focus upon the divinity of Jesus Christ to the exclusion of his humanity, or to doubt that his gospel is for us sinful humans, let us remember, recite, and affirm the Christian faith in the words of the Apostles' Creed.
And then let us consider: What can we learn from his humanity about our humanity? What can we learn from his humanity about how to live our lives? What can we learn from his humanity about how to conduct our ministries?
To learn more about the Apostles' Creed, see the readings suggested at this link:
The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds
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 Thank you for your ongoing interest in the mission and work of the Foundation. To learn more about how to help us promote the recovery and application of Reformed theology, please click on this link: Grace and Peace,
Dr. James C. Goodloe IV, Executive
Director
Foundation for Reformed Theology
4103 Monument Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23230
Better Preaching, Teaching, and Pastoral Care
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