Jesus, my LORD The Apostles’ Creed, Second Article
We continue this week with our summer review and study of Luther’s Small Catechism as we take up The Apostles’ Creed, Second Article.
This creed, this declaration of fear, love and trust in God, took form, according to church tradition, in about 128 C.E. It was based upon the teachings of the apostles though neither written by them as a group nor by any one of them.
The Creed seems to have had three uses as it does today: first as a confession of faith for those about to be baptized; secondly as catechetical instruction for new Christians in the essentials of the faith; and thirdly, as a ‘rule of faith’ to give continuity to orthodox Christian doctrine. To give us a basis for teaching the pure Christian faith in households and churches.
The Creed is Trinitarian in form, but the heart of the creed, is its confession concerning Jesus Christ and the events to do with his conception, birth, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and coming judgement.
Would you join me in our red hymnal, page 1162, the middle section, as we read just the article itself without the explanation? Together, The Second article:
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord…
Stop! Right there! The ninth and tenth words of our confession of faith, of our baptismal creed, of our rule of faith…the words “our Lord” is the basis of all we teach. Everything else that follows in that second article explains the why of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord.
The word “Lord” is full of meaning and import for our lives of faith. What we mean when we say “Lord” is nothing other than that our living hope is based on the seven acts which Jesus did in coming, living, teaching, dying, rising and ascending as well as his promise to come again. Our living hope trusts our past, present, future and eternity to the one who is God’s Son and our Lord.
So, this week I want to give you an acronym by which to remember the impact of this extensive Second Article of The Apostles’ Creed. The simple word which I give you to take with you this week is L-O-R-D, Lord.
L, Jesus liberated us freedom from captivity to sin. As Yahweh led Israel from captivity in Egypt to the liberating freedom of the Promised Land, so too, Jesus, as God’s Word made flesh, liberated us from the imprisonment to sin to the freedom of the Good News about God’s forgiveness, or release. In Jesus’ teachings we hear about the love of God for a sinful people that sought to once and for all give us freedom. A freedom that no one and nothing could destroy. A promise sealed with the crucified body and blood of Jesus.
O, Jesus overcame sin, death and the devil for us. In Hebrews 4, "We have a high priest who was tempted in every point like we are, yet without sin." Even being born of a woman, he was able to overcome sin, that is, he overcame Satan tenacious attacks to, as Darth Vader might say, “come to the dark side.” Jesus overcame, he resisted sin and the devil. In his being raised from the dead, he overcame death, as Peter says to the crowds at Pentecost, Acts 2:24,
“But God raised him up, having freed him from death,
because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.”
.'
And then in verse 32,
This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.
The resurrection of Jesus is such an important part of the Gospel because it proved that Jesus was truly the Son of God. There was no doubt in the minds of those who had seen Him that he was the Messiah. Even Thomas, after being convinced of the risen Jesus proclaimed “My Lord and my God!” The reason the grave could not hold Jesus is because He is God and the resurrection, the overcoming of death and the grave made him Lord of all.
R, Jesus ransomed us. Not only did Jesus liberate us from the power of sin, not only did Jesus overcome sin, death and the devil, but Jesus is the one who paid the penalty for sin. As Paul tells the Corinthians in his second letter, chapter 5:14-15,
14For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.
15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
Paul summarizes in verse 17 our new situation,
17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
So being ransomed and redeemed means living a new life in Christ.
D, Jesus defends us. Did you catch that? Jesus defends us, present and future tense. Jesus lives and reigns eternally, so we have one who protects and preserves us against all that would seek to destroy us and lead us astray. When Jesus ascend back to his Father and our Father, he promised us not only that he would return for us, but that in the meantime, he would send a comforter, a Paraclete, a defender who would teach us and remind us of Jesus’ teachings. And that my friends, is for next week.
For this week, let us remember Jesus, Son of God, our Lord, who liberated us, who overcame for us, who redeemed us and who always defends us. The one who is worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God.
Amen.
